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A view from the other side: Homegrown Leadership - The Only Real Solution to African Poverty | |
by Kene Umeasiegbu A crucial aspect of poverty is the attitudes and psychological impacts of poverty. We invite a young Nigerian, Kene Umeasiegbu, to speak of his first hand experience of these very issues, and how they can be as much a barrier to escaping the poverty trap as the lack of a job and food.Let me begin with a story: Wilberforce Malatsi was born in Mkuze, a rural village in the Kwazulu-Natal Province of South Africa. He was educated at the village Methodist School and later at the Methodist Boarding College, Qwaqwa. The school was a European enclave in the heart of rural Free State Province of South Africa. The students were subtly educated to accept that outside the college walls was nothing but primitive, barbaric and backward cultures that must be salvaged. Wilberforce deeply respected and admired his teachers and saw the kindly white principal as his ultimate role model. After his secondary education, he got a scholarship to study Economics at the University of Cape Town and afterwards studied Development Economics at the Stockholm School of Economics. On his return to South Africa, Wilberforce committed himself to social development and poverty eradication. His model is summarised in his own words, “I want my village and the whole of South Africa to be exactly like the Methodist College where I was educated”. His starting point was Mkuze where he passionately started a process aimed at changing the local governance structures and jumpstarting economic growth through agriculture, tourism and trade. Five years afterwards, his initial passion was giving way to frustration and despair. “This development model worked in every civilized country of the world. It worked in Europe, in Japan, in Korea, Hong Kong and China. The only reason it is not working here is because the black man is primitive, backward and absolutely incapable of leadership. Look all around black Africa and elsewhere where black people are in power. What do you see but backwardness and corruption?” On closer scrutiny, however, it became evident that Wilberforce did not really understand his own culture. His near-fanatical adoration of western culture blinded him to its inadequacies and what lessons could be learnt from indigenous South African cultures. He failed to understand that a model of trade and industry had sustained Mkuze communities for generations and any progressive economic empowerment programmes must be built on these foundations – not seek to destroy them. Perhaps most importantly, he failed to understand that while trade, commerce and economy are important aspects of the Mkuze way of life, they were not the central point of the community life. In Mkuze, life is arranged around relationships, not profit. While in the west, (where Wilberforce’s economic theories originate from) community relations are important in increasing profits, in Mkuze, profit is used to sustain and enhance human and communal relations. His models of economic development were therefore a mismatch with the local ways of life. His models of governance disregarded the role of intangible human relationships within Mkuze, the strong extended family systems, the culture of honour and integrity and the traditional norms and values, which play a stronger role in social control - and change - than any legislated law ever could. In his evangelical zeal to westernise his community, Wilberforce’s model of development inadvertently threatens to neutralise the values system that holds the community in place, destroy the family system, create a culture of individuality and trigger a desperate and aggressive struggle for resources - resources that would suddenly become insufficient for the communities. Those Mkuze citizens who would adapt quickly to his new models and who are strong enough to compete, would amass more wealth than was ever known in Mkuze while the weak and those who fail to adapt will wind up in an unprecedented cycle of poverty. History shows that the majority of cultures faced with this sort of mismatch between culture and new models of economics and governance had to undergo a social revolution to create an enabling environment for these models to work. Economic and political stability and “prosperity” were attained only after this transition. Europe had the unique opportunity of evolving along its own path and then fixed its experience as the global standard of development to which all must aspire. Yet, this evolution had pockets of social revolution - wars, the demise of feudalism, the industrial revolution and the annexation or occupation of foreign lands. For most other cultures, the European model of development changed the course of their own evolution leading to social revolution in an attempt to head in the direction of European development. For modern day China, this social revolution was communism and a totalitarian state. For post-war South Korea, it was a repressive and dictatorial leadership. For Australia and the Americas, it was the massacre or alienation of native peoples and enslavement of many others. Finally, each of these examples wound up with a culture that puts work and productivity in the centre of all human activity – actually at the core of human existence. For many parts of Africa, the cost of this social revolution is of a great magnitude due to the complexity of issues at play today. Technological development, the economic importance of many parts of Africa, the intimidating nation state structure and the weapons trade all make this social revolution potentially more deadly than others in history. The question Wilberforce is faced with is “What model of social development and poverty eradication does Africa need?” We might either find a model of poverty eradication that works within the frames of African communities and their cultures or we would have to accept that the phase of social revolution, as shown in history, is an unavoidable evil we have to face. We must bear in mind, however, that even after a “successful” social revolution, the mismatch would still exist – not so much at a structural level as on a personal level because the individuals had insufficient time to evolve with the new institutions of economics and governance. Alternatively, might we be able to find a happy medium where models of development can be modified to match indigenous cultures without diluting the culture to the point of obliteration? The story of Wilberforce is the story of many well-meaning leaders and development theorists in Africa – be they white, black or red. The subtle and unspotted deep-seated feeling of self doubt and low self-esteem among a majority of Africans (which breaks to the surface from time to time, as with Wilberforce) is, in my opinion, the underlying reason why Africa still struggles to fit western models of development and poverty eradication into its realities rather than boldly evolving one that would work in its circumstances. A majority of African leaders and thinkers lack the confidence to evolve solutions, which, while looking at both the West and the East for ideas, ultimately look inwards to evolve a unique development model that fits Africa’s truly unique social systems. A pioneer in creating this development model is Prof. Mohammad Yunus, whose groundbreaking work as the founder of the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh redefined the theories of micro financing. He says his inspiration came from his helplessness in applying the theories of economics - which he had taught for many years in the US - in eradicating the poverty that brought death to a majority of Bangladeshi poor. The model of micro financing he evolved is still the subject of many academic works and is based on the cultural value of integrity, honour and community not on strictly regulated banking laws guiding money lending and venture capital investments. His model identified women as target benefactors because he recognised their role in Bangladeshi family, social and commercial life. Ultimately, the key strategic recipe for addressing the myriad of social issues and poverty in Africa needs to start with a focus on developing a cadre of self-aware leaders in African communities. When the structures of leadership and governance are weak, the quality of the individual leader provides the best hope for effective leadership. Would-be leaders must understand what models of governance and development work elsewhere in the world, but need confidence and competence to seek to develop one that works in their specific community. Leadership and governance, like every other human endeavour, can be learnt. In African cultures, learning was primarily through interaction. A parent and an offspring or whole clans and communities work on a project together - some as experts, others as beginners. Without a formalised process, knowledge and know-how is passed down through interaction and inquiry. Expertise is then developed through subsequent hands-on experience. More often than not, this learning is not explicit, or measured. It simply lies in the “subconscious” to be pulled out as needed. One important sociological implication of this type of learning is that the dynamics of living will not be any different for the apprentice when s/he becomes an expert. Learning and daily living are fused in one process. The type of education Wilberforce received is different – it was education primarily through tuition. A pupil learns an idea or a process from the teacher, questions it, experiments in a controlled environment and makes explicit why one thing works and the other does not. With a set curriculum and measurement systems, there is a fixed point of completion of formal education. In this model, the dynamics of living will be different for the pupil when s/he graduates. Learning and daily living overlap at points but are, essentially, two separate processes. In colonial Africa, all forms of learning by interaction – especially interaction with indigenous customs – was severed or reduced to a minimum. Boarding schools – with its quasi-western cultures and processes – was an important tool in severing any connection to native ways of life and also a platform to replace learning by interaction with learning by tuition. It was in this environment that the black quasi-Europeans who were to lead post-colonial Africa were incubated. Today, progressive educational methods recognise that effective education is one that can move easily from theory to life and life to theory – learning both by interaction and by tuition. Postcolonial Africa was passed into the hands of university graduates – some as young as 24. Their key qualification was having completed formal education, it didn’t matter that they were ill exposed to practical leadership – and a lot of them were still in the journey of finding themselves in the face of a deep seated self doubt. For a lot of these leaders, their apprenticeship started while they were leading their countries. They went through the trial-and-error processes that are invaluable in putting leadership concepts and theories into perspective. Sadly, this was while the lives of many and the peace of their countries depended on it. So, how might we develop the sort of leadership that can rise to the challenge and opportunity that Africa engenders? I think it needs to start with confronting the question of low self-esteem. Role modelling and mentorship should complement formal education to build a confident and grounded character. A progressive educational system in Africa would need to provide opportunities for all students – irrespective of field of study - to interact firsthand with development issues facing Africa, on the one hand to expose them to real issues facing their communities and on the other to provide these would-be leaders an opportunity to hone their leadership skills by dealing firsthand with issues around governance. A number of organisations are currently piloting different parts of these ideas. One of such organisations is the Pioneers of Change. Pioneers of Change is an organisation connecting different people and organisations in virtual and physical communities with a passion to create a “new type of action rooted in a new way of thinking”. They provide a platform to empower people to change their communities. Their leadership programmes in Africa start from restoring a sense of dignity to the would-be leaders, then moving on to trigger their passion for positive change and connecting them to a network of ideas and people who drive change in their own communities. Through practice, connections, observation and reflection, they aim to develop leaders who are grounded as people and have the competence and networks to evolve solutions that really work for their communities. CIDA City Campus (see also this month's CSR case study) is a bold and brilliant initiative. Supported by many corporations such as Investec Bank, KPMG and the Kellogg’s Foundation, CIDA City Campus is the first tuition-free tertiary institution in Africa. Located in Johannesburg, South Africa, it aims to provide a holistic education to youth from previously disadvantaged background. Another laudable initiative is the Genesis Programme currently being piloted by the Africa Chapter of the International Youth Development Organisation, AIESEC. Through the Genesis Programme, recent university graduates of African origin are placed in international voluntary assignments in other African countries. Their work includes supporting non-profit organisations working on different social issues including HIV/AIDS, gender issues, Information Technology or various other community projects. These international volunteers learn and share their experiences and ideas with others around the world on AIESEC’s online Learning Communities and are supported through a process of mentorship to make their learning explicit. These graduates get the opportunity to hone leadership skills by working at a low-risk leadership role and gain practical expertise on issues that are likely to be similar to issues in their home country. The added value of volunteering abroad helps focus the graduates on the project; provides the space to reflect on learning and an expanded awareness of social issues facing the continent. It also helps in building self-esteem – for both themselves and the communities they serve. With increasing corporate funding to cover the travel and sustenance costs of volunteers, more and more graduates are benefiting from the Genesis Programme. Currently, AIESEC in Africa is seeking to partner with airlines within Africa to offer free or rebated flight tickets during the off peak period to enable the volunteers travel for their assignments. The leaders who will make the most positive impact towards eradicating poverty in Africa are those at the grassroots community level and less so those at the mega nation state level. These communities - be they socio-cultural units or communities of filial/historical relationships (clans, villages, kindred etc) or communities of interest/learning/belief (like many non-profit or faith organisations in cities and villages) - have more impact on the daily lives of the poor than governments. It is at this community level that the leaders who will eradicate poverty in Africa need to be deployed. Developing home-grown, self aware, confident and competent leadership for these communities is the only real lasting solution to poverty in Africa. The good news is, this effort has already started. As profiled above, these initiatives, driven by not-for-profit organisations and funded by corporations and/or governments, have a better chance at success then state-run initiatives. In conclusion, it is important to note that, having already lost its cultural homogeneity and identity, the need for enabling systems and structures for modern economic and governance models is now the only way forward for many parts of Africa. A vast population of people now live in cities and pseudo-cities across Africa. For these, their social revolution has already started. Yet, even in these cities, the heartbeat of a hybrid culture is faint but not yet silent – posing a continuing challenge to our unedited models. For the communities that remain somewhat unadulterated, efforts should be made to safeguard them – or at least to delay the progress of the cancer of materialism. These communities offer us the best chance of understanding how our models can be adapted for the African pseudo-cities and even for the materialistic west. by Kene Umeasiegbu Also in this feature:
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