Woven folklore: computers promoting cross-cultural understanding

2004

Multicultural cooperation requires participants to understand the cultural background and identity of all the partners. In this respect, computers provide the cooperation with a new and interesting instrument. A team of students from two schools, one in Tanzania, another in Finland, implemented a multimedia version of an African folklore story. A computer served as a platform for genuine cooperation: the whole team worked on one electronic artefact, despite the geographical distance between the members. The collaborative process helped each participant to clarify his/her own cultural background whilst also becoming acquainted with that of his/her distant partner.