Media Workshop on Blockchain Reporting at the Nairobi Game Development Center

To a large proportion of the population, blockchain technology is a very new concept. Most people started paying attention to this new technology in the latter days of 2020. Today, blockchain and all its element is almost a household topic despite the technology being launched over 10 years ago. The launch of Bitcoin by unknown persons under the pseudonym of Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008 brought this technology to a bunch of tech-heads. However, the building blocks of blockchain technology were described for the first by Stuart Haber and W Scott Stornetta through a cryptographically secured chain of blocks. As a result of the complexity of blockchain technology, it has always been a community topic. In addition, in the early days of the technology, its application was limited, with the main reference being Bitcoin. Therefore, if you did not have a background in technology and you have a hard time understanding new concepts, you stayed away from blockchain technology.

Fast forward to 2022, blockchain technology has matured and its application has expanded. Despite the tech always changing and evolving, the basics still remain the same. There is content all over the internet providing dumbed-down explanations for newbies. The availability of easy content to understand has come in handy for tech lovers in Africa. The result is Africa is the fastest adopter of blockchain technology in the world. The adoption of the tech has gone beyond crypto to new applications that are changing lives in the content. Examples of such initiatives include Kotani Pay.  However, there are individuals who have used the complexity of the tech to create get-rich-quick schemes to scam people. There is still a gap in information about blockchain technology, especially in Africa. The information is not readily available or covered by mainstream media, which most people trust.

At Usiku Games, we noticed this problem and we hosted a media workshop in partnership with the Media Council of Kenya, Harmony, and Polygon. The objective was to train the media fraternity in Kenya on how to cover and report on blockchain stories. The speakers were Jay Shapiro, David Nandwa, Founder HoneyCoin, Jofre Rocabert, Harmony DAO Member, and Joan Jerop, Blockchain Business Strategist. The topics covered included the basics of blockchain technology, cryptocurrency, NFTs, DAOs, and myths about blockchain technology.