Earlier than coming to grasp Bitcoin, Anaïse Kanimba didn’t view it as something greater than one other asset for “crypto bros” to commerce.
However after studying about what issues Bitcoin solves — from cheaper, quicker remittances to serving as cash for the unbanked to serving to pro-democracy activists to boost funds with out doxxing their donors — Kanimba has seen the Bitcoin mild, so to talk.
We mentioned the arc of her coming to grasp Bitcoin in a latest interview I performed together with her:
Within the interview, she admits that she was downright confused when she first got here into contact with Bitcoin proponents and developers at the Oslo Freedom Forum.
“After I arrived on the Oslo Freedom Discussion board and noticed a Bitcoin space, I used to be very, very confused,” laughed Kanimba within the interview.
“What are these individuals doing right here?” she thought to herself — earlier than studying that they have been there to assist.
Embracing Freedom Tech and Bitcoin
Whereas working to free her father, Paul Rusesabagina, well-known for saving the lives of over one thousand individuals throughout the 1994 Rwandan genocide (as depicted within the movie Lodge Rwanda), who had been abducted and jailed by the Rwandan authorities, Kanimba’s sister and cousin, each of whom have been additionally advocating for the discharge of Rusesabagina, realized that Pegasus spyware had been put in on their telephones.
It was at this level that they realized the significance of defending and sustaining their privateness within the digital area, particularly as they advocated for the discharge of their father from Rwanda’s autocratic regime.
“Lots of people from the liberty tech motion got here to us and helped us create higher [privacy] boundaries for ourselves, to search out instruments that will shield [us] by our advocacy,” mentioned Kanimba.
Whereas studying about digital privateness practices, Kanimba additionally realized extra about Bitcoin. She rapidly noticed its worth as a fundraising instrument.
“Folks have been scared to donate to [the] authorized protection fund [for my father] as a result of they have been scared to be [connected to it],” recounted Kanimba, highlighting the truth that Bitcoin allows customers to transact whereas defending their identification.
Kanimba would later study concerning the aforementioned use circumstances for Bitcoin, which rapidly made her a believer within the expertise.
“I may relate in a short time to the challenges that Bitcoin is attempting to resolve,” mentioned Kanimba.
“Interested by my earlier [work] in growth, I used to be capable of join numerous the dots, and I noticed this as a extremely unimaginable instrument that may save the lives of individuals, particularly the individuals on the backside of the ladder who’re attempting to make ends meet, people who find themselves preventing towards autocracy,” she added.
Co-founding the Africa Bitcoin Institute
Kanimba has develop into so satisfied of Bitcoin’s utility that she’s now working alongside the likes of Togolese human rights activist Farida Nabourema, the Human Rights Basis’s world Bitcoin lead Femi Longe, and Gridless CEO Erik Hersman to get the Africa Bitcoin Institute (ABI), an African suppose tank and analysis group, off the bottom.
Her motivation is to have Africans throughout varied disciplines contribute to the analysis on Bitcoin throughout the continent.
“The story is commonly written by individuals from exterior of the continent,” mentioned Kanimba.
“And people [from Africa] who write about this are buried within the ecosystem of the manufacturing of the report. Folks write about one thing that’s taking place in Lagos, put it on-line, anyone makes use of that as a supply, and by the point it will get printed in additional established journals or extra established reviews then the voice of the individuals who truly gathered this information is misplaced,” she added.
“The narrative ought to be coming from individuals residing it, and that is the place ABI is available in to assist the community of those researchers, assist individuals perceive bitcoin somewhat bit higher — its challenges and its alternatives.”
Bitcoin Regulation: Pondering Globally, Making use of Domestically
Kanimba is presently based mostly in Washington, D.C. and has been paying shut consideration to each how the Trump administration is treating Bitcoin and to the kind of regulation the U.S. is creating round it.
“I’m completely satisfied that this administration is placing these questions [about Bitcoin] ahead and that regulators are enthusiastic about it as a result of it encourages different international locations to additionally suppose critically about it,” mentioned Kanimba.
“If the administration have been saying ‘All of this can be a rip-off and that is only for dangerous individuals’ then you’ll be able to think about the dialog we’d be having in Africa can be very comparable. Regulators can be feeling the identical method, and if regulators really feel like that, then the individuals utilizing bitcoin P2P can be affected,” she added.
With that mentioned, Kanimba defined that the implementation of doubtless comparable Bitcoin coverage in Africa have to be thought-about with native context in thoughts.
“We should be very cautious that we don’t simply copy and paste it,” mentioned Kanimba.
For extra on Kanimba’s work and the work of the Africa Bitcoin Institute, comply with Kanimba on X and go to the Africa Bitcoin Institute’s website.
