Watching Africa through the Lens of Opportunities
When you listen and watch media fraternities there is a bent to concentrate on the problems Africa and the world faces such as the broad day robbery be it in a bank, taxi, or grocery shop, deplorable infrastructure, preventable diseases that cause unnecessary death, growing poverty levels, malnourishment, massive corruption and embezzlement everywhere, scenarios of political insanity, government scandals, massive brain drain, hopelessness, insanity on the road, moral degradation, wars, etc. In fact, the world looks crazy lately.
That is the lens through which we see everything; a syndrome called problem-mindedness. This is the lens I have been watching over things and so are many others. It’s easier to identify problems and make good problem statements, probe them and come up with recommendations that will never see the daylight. This cultivates none of my business attitudes and neither is it my responsibility anyway. But Sir Josiah Stamp says “it is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of our irresponsibility”
I have come to notice that, like myself, many people, are more problem-minded than opportunity minded and this is the lens we perceive the world and particularly Africa. Take an example the increased prices of food, fuel, commodities, and other costs of living. This of course has increased a disgruntled and ever complaining community. Why? Because we have grown a culture that focuses on increasing the paycheque forgetting the vast opportunities shouting everywhere around us for example the obvious need for increased food production. I am not talking about the peasant farming that is at the mercy of the creator currently being practiced, am talking about value-added farming looked at in terms of career opportunities
Wherever I am traveling in my country and Africa I do marvel at the beauty and serenity bestowed to us by the creator, however, I am also saddened by the deplorable living conditions of people and hopelessness among others. These contrasting situations amaze me and tickle a bell within my soul to see opportunities not benefiting people. I have come to realize as an observer I am part of the problem even though I have gained massive knowledge it is not translated into tangible solutions. This is what I call “wasted knowledge”
But there is always a change of heart which is what we should all work towards by cultivating an opportunity mindedness as Rick Warren says in his book the purpose-driven life, we are not created to get value from life but to add value to life. This means amidst the confusion of the opposition thoughts declaring “doom”, we remain purposed to look at ourselves as key partners in the development process. This means we shall choose the direction and course to take. I want to end with a story of a shoe company that sent two young men into Africa to look for a market for its shoes, upon completing the assigned job, one reported “Africans do not put on shoes” while the other said “Africans do not have shoes”
As you think about those two statements, what lens are you watching Africa and what opportunities are you missing along the way to make the dream we all desire.
Allen. K. Baguma
