The Data Act of 1939

The data act of 1939 in Swaziland, or so recited by the man on the ethics committee, states that you cannot take data collected in Swaziland outside the country.  This means that I am not allowed to simply email my excel spreadsheet to my professor who specializes in statistics in the US in order for him to use a computer software program to analyze the data. 

No problem, I’ll do it in Swaziland.  Except that the SPSS software could not be found at the university.  No problem.  I’ll ask around.  I find that the government statistics office has version 14 of SPSS (the current version is 19).  They will let me use the program, all I need to do is make an appointment.  No problem.  I make an appointment. 

I have been going to the government statistics office (walking the 40 minutes uphill) every day for the last six days and I still do not have my data analyzed.  I’ve cancelled 5 appointments I had scheduled to disseminate the results to participants in the study.   Now the lady at the stats office won’t pick up my calls.  Problem!

So what would have been an email, has turned into twoweeks of frustration, canceled appointments, and lots of energy wasted walking up the giant hill to the stats office.  I’m really hating that 72 year old act…

This first draft of the blog was written a month and a half ago.  I’ve still not gotten my data analyzed, although now I have been to WHO, ICAP, and seen 2 more professors at the University of Swaziland.  Every person that I tell about this so-called Act, says they don’t really even think it exists.  It is totally ridiculous, and the more I think about it, it gets even more ridiculous.  So, according to the Act, I’m not allowed to open up my excel spreadsheet when I get back to the US?