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He has imparted the life of many Africa people via the internet, setting up free business sites for them and also networking these folks, giving necessary operational software and access to information and resources that enable them become self-sustained and reliant in their various businesses and development projects.


The original hat man of Africa: Ben Koot

The original hat man of Africa? What is a hat? How does it relate to man, and can one really see any sense in the words, “Africa has a hat man?” well, I was trying to make some noise so as to stir up your pure minds to activity even as you try to find out what answers to the above questions are; and perhaps get to have a deep cogitating process for finding out who the man behind the idea “The Original Hat (heart) Man of Africa” really is, and how he came about that fascinating and tantalizing honoring title from the Africans, whom he has the heart (hat) to provide with shade and succor through education and rural ICT connectivity projects for development. The first day we met online he told me, “Amedu, we are going to work together to setup a network called villagetalk. Edu. For the Africans,” I said, wow! How could it work?


Prof. Azania, Fredrica Clare

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Well, it is good I save you the energy for too much cogitation. Please meet Ben Koot: The Original Hat Man of Africa. As a tourist, who derives pleasure from traveling and visiting places where he can discover needs and meet them to capacity, Ben has the unique mandate of helping the people in Africa make the BEST use of the internet for growth and development. You may still be wondering while in trying to describe this Africa man, I inter use the word “hat” for heart and “heart” for hat. However, this is not far away from the meaning of the kind of being he is both on the inside and outside. Before more could be said on this, lets revisit our first question “what is a hat?” according to the 7th edition of the oxford-advanced learner’s dictionary, a hat is ” a covering made to fit the head, often with a BRIM, (a flat edge that sticks out) and worn out of doors: a straw/woolly etc hat.” What I got from that is, the hat protects the head and other sense organs around it from the sun and provides them covering and shade for comfort.


Amedu Monday Amedu

Now, Ben Koot is The Original Hat Man of Africa, not only because his white skin requires it, and he knows: “Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon day sun!” Really, because Ben is a man who, when it comes to African, always puts on the physical hat with spiritual intention! The hat means, he has the heart to get the job done, no matter what! Ben’s job? …developing Africa through education and connectivity. Hmm.., already he has empowered the lives of many African people, such as me; and, including a few Africans living in the African Diaspora; (ABDs,) Africa’s Black Diasporas Ask Frederica Azania Clare. Ben has also empowered Azania on the net, and, the lives of many Africans, via his prodigious knowledge of digital technology; Ben sets up free business sites for us, and also encourages Africans networking together initiative.

Ben has graciously given not only his time and expertise but also necessary operational software and access to information and resources that is enabling us to become self-sufficient while sustaining our communities, back to our green identities. Thanks to Ben and his big brimmed hat/heart, we are becoming self-reliant via our various businesses and African development projects. Most of us, since the first conversation we had with this human hat, Ben, who refers to himself as “the naughty IT professor in Holland,” have been off to putting up our own websites, ideas, links and leads, building together a platform that will connect Africa’s local communities (villages) to the world’s fast growing ICT tool, the internet, and, all that is digital communications.

Ben told me that the platform we Africans have created will also connect us to various universities and provide them the freeware to start running their online programs for our benefit. I want you to know that am talking about someone who’s never been to Africa, in all his touring days, but whose head and heart live there. Ben carries a diary he is never without which contains a whole lot of issues that concern the village people in Africa; our survival; and, strategies we can develop for our triumph. You serve Africa, Ben. A red carpet awaits you!


Here again; the original hat man of Africa: Ben Koot.

Among us self-sustained Africans, are Sangoma Azania, who actually coined the name “Africa man” for Ben, the name which later evolved into “The Original Hat Man of Africa,” and Fred Obala the founder of UMCID in Uganda; putting heads together to construct a “cob-web” (Villagetalk Education Network – VEN-U-AFRICA) that will later become a local pump. It is already a lively place where every African can share ideas, knowledge, leave notes and find fresh information that could be helpful in solving local challenges, and it is also social, in a sense that each individual neighbor and registered member has his or her own spot on the network.

Discussing what I do here in Nigeria with Ben Koot and asking how that could be better fused into what he is here proposing for local communities in Africa, he says: “Hi Amedu, Thanks for your submission. Here is a draft of my vision. I will get back to you soon as to how it fits into what you guys are doing in Africa. Feel free to add creative ideas to my western way of thinking. I have checked what you are doing, I have similar concept worked out relating to Internet infrastructure and simply need to add the two.” Explaining further in the same mail, he said, “what is missing in most today’s online aid organizations, who say they are out to help local communities in Africa with their development projects is your local village pump…” so how could this lapses be ameliorated, I inquired of him and he responded swiftly as usual, ” I have started setting up a site Village Talk, at the moment, the layout looks rather dull, but… We are starting a global design competition to come up with stunning ways to change the look and feel of this place. Behind the scene, we have a pool of highly skilled software professionals to help us create sterling presentations reflecting local challenges and cultures in your language.

This initiative will change many things, create jobs for youth, empower women and solve many problems. Keep smiling.”


Internet connectivity- Africa… the dream of a giant!

Even as I write this article, work is in progress to completing the construction of villagetalk education network (VEN-U-AFRICA) a concept designed by the people in Africa with commitment to improving quality of life in general, a unique place, which sings the praises of The Original Hat Man of Africa, the man who has the head and the heart for actualization of this AFRICA dream of ours, which cannot be discarded for any reason. One thing you mustn’t forget is rising up your eyes to look at his picture in this report. Is it the hat or the newspaper? Oh, the hat first: the one on his head, the external interpretation of his heart for Africa’s development. And then, the newspaper: the one in his hands, because he likes reading too.

Final words from Ben Koot: “Building villagetalk and VEN (Village Education Network) VEN-U-AFRICA is necessary because it will, through our weekly TIMEDESK Newsletters, help to paint a more positive picture of Africa; not one focused on what is wrong. This will reduce the righteous complaints from Africans, about the negative images painted by western media on a daily basis.”