The year 2003 was rich of all kind of international events,
some of which having altered the image of certain countries.
Confronted to that state of fact, the Fiesta international
Committee, still based in Paris, France, have decided of a
new theme:francophilia. According
to the dictionary, the word "francophilia" would
mean "feelings of friendship toward France in general".
For us it means a large space for exchanges which like the
weavers' network is made before all of individuals and independent
organisms such as NGOs and non profitable associations but
not of state representatives and Administrations.
During this fifth edition we have wished to underline the
fact that since the beginning of the Internet adventure, the
web has continued to be the favoured link between expatriated
communities. Through forums, chat rooms and specialised web
sites, communities have formed themselves according to their
cultural affinities. Today the World Wide Web is the main
communication stream between members of these communities.
The Internet allows individuals living abroad to stay in touch
with their culture, their language and to recreate a cultural
space which puts a specific emphasis on their particular identities.
The Internet Fiesta remains naturally open to all projects
and proposed initiatives. Confronted to a wider success than
even expected, that is the participation of nearly 400 initiatives
originating from 65 countries, it has been decided to prolong
the Internet Fiesta for an other week. This decision was made
following to the many encouragements received and in particular
those emanating from the European Authorities but also from
Mr Vint G. Cerf* who has
been kind enough to send to us a letter in which he warmly
congratulates us and tells us about his hopes concerning "the
enlighten directions that the Internet will be able to take
in the future" .He also stated "that he is impatient
to discover the ideas expressed during and after the Internet
Fiesta" and that he anticipated "that there will
be many initiatives launched at the time of this event".
* Let us specify that
Mr Vinton G Cerf is regarded as one of the "founder
fathers" of the Internet since it is him who, in collaboration
with Bob Kahn, wrote the protocol of communication TCI/IP
in 1973. He is moreover a former president of the Internet
Society and current Senior Vice President.
The fourth edition of the World Wide Initiatives Exhibition
will gather, during a whole week, web users, web masters,
universities, communities, public institutions, non governmental
organisations and companies in a large virtual space devoted
to project exchanges, to ideas, to demonstration and to experimentation.
The Internet Fiesta is a Virtual Planetary Exhibition of initiatives
and propositions coming from thousand of web users on all
continents. Here they will present their projects, exchange
their point of view and experience. They will share their
cultural richness and will open themselves to others. They
will then find help and contribution for themselves and the
others.
2001
- Third Internet Fiesta: March the 2nd to the 4th
"Of Mice and Men"
For it's third edition the slogan was "Of Mice and Men".
Companies, non-merchant organisations and individuals mobilised
their energies to participate in the Internet Fiesta and to
meet. Their work has shown the unbelievable communication
and collaboration possibilities of the internet. Civic, artistic,
educational, and gaming initiatives have been developed with
the purpose of reducing the distances between us. It was an
incentive to meet and collaborate, in order to make the computer
mouse not an end in itself, but a vector to make people closer
and to favour access to and understanding of the media which
is Internet.
2000 - Second
Internet Fiesta: March the 17th to the 18th
For it's second edition, the Internet Fiesta
gathered 65 local organisational committees in 50 countries
over the five continents. A large numbers of events have been
organised in western Europe as well as in eastern Europe,
Africa, South America but also in Canada and in South Korea.
The purpose of the the Internet Fiesta 2000 was chiefly to
gather and present the numerous local initiatives it produced,
events that were no more uniquely virtual actually took place
in reality throughout the world, in order to attract attention
from the media and the public. It was also used to promote
the different uses of the web in order to facilitate exchanges.
The goal was to encourage the daily use of the Internet and
to allow more people to exchange experiences and to contribute
to each other's project through the net itself.
1999 -
First Internet Fiesta edition: March the 19th to the
21st
The European Commission took the initiative
to turn the 1998 French event into an real international manifestation
and the fiesta was then celebrated throughout several countries.
It became a truly international community of private and public
projects with an single goal: To promote the Internet towards
a greater number of persons. The Fiesta Committee encouraged
events, conferences, demonstrations and installation parties
which promoted free software and shareware during the event.
Numerous organisations have contributed to the success of
this first edition of the Internet Fiesta, in particular the
European Commission and the Internet Society (ISOC) who have
participated in the event through their networks. The United
Nation's Programme for Development provided concert diffusion
rights and some governments locally sustained the Internet
Fiesta. A lot of other organisations have also participated
to make the event a success, such as the Digital Cities Association
and The Internet New Generation Association.
about
weavers
The site 2004
