Nothing Personal

“If a Communicator is guided by wishful thinking and pays attention only to positive feedback, that feedback will do more harm than good” this very sound piece of advice comes from the book Using Communication Theory by Sven Windahl, Benno Signitzer with Jean T Olson (Second Edition).  The same book also talks about a phenomenon in Communication referred to as Professionalization which simply means the tendency by professional communication practitioners to build their work on professional skills and knowledge, believing that there is no need to talk to people in the public, because based on their contacts, the public does not know what is going on. This, the book concludes, may accurately be referred to as professional arrogance.

This reminded me of developments back home and in particular the socio-economic challenges that our country Malawi, is going through. For the record, Malawi is not the only country that is going through serious economic and social challenges in the world at the moment. Obviously in saying this, I am not trying to suggest that it is any less painful.

It would be an act of gross naivety and outright insulting to the intelligent people of Malawi to suggest that they do not understand the problem, because I have sat in forums where ordinary folks have eloquently articulated the challenges the country is facing. The problem in my view is that our leadership since the advent of multiparty democracy have been blinded by greed, corruption and cronyism, running the country as a personal estate not paying attention to the strategic interests of the country. If this is not the case however, I will argue that maybe we have consistently elected the most inept and incompetent individuals to run the affairs of our beautiful country. 18 years down the line, we still have the humiliating tag of “the impoverished southern African country” as the opening description of the country by foreign media.

I know that right now some people are already asking themselves “kodi ameneyu ndi wachipani chanji?” (Which political party does he belong to?) as if this means anything in a country where parties are not based on any ideological foundations but rather personalities. Where a party can sponsor someone to become President and then he/she can conveniently dump it into the opposition and literary create a ruling party from scratch; Where a Party becomes a ruling party, simply by virtue of its owner ascending to the presidency.  As long as Malawi continues on the current trajectory of worshiping political leaders, the challenges facing the country will NEVER go away.

Because of our legacy of envy, we are very quick to celebrate failure. It is as if when a leader has failed the country, some of us in some twisted way have triumphed. When Bakili Muluzi was finishing his second term of office, people were so fed up with him that many would have rejoiced to see him spend some time behind bars. The same thing happened to Bingu, at the time he died (May his soul rest in peace) many people were so fed up with “him” that the idea of waiting for 2014 was one that many people were not prepared to tolerate. Now, almost a year into President Joyce Banda’s tenure there are many people who are, to put it lightly ‘dissatisfied with her’ and are wishing for some other individual whoever that may be, to come in and somehow make all the problems go away with some magic wand I suppose.

The only problem I have with our leaders is that they have failed to provide leadership not necessarily to take away all the challenges, but to reform a system that clearly is so impotent that we have to bank our hopes on Civil Societies and foreign governments to provide checks and balances in our system. I do not believe that any one individual has answers to all our problems, but I am definitely sure that the answers to the problems in Malawi will NEVER come from anywhere except Malawi itself but certain things have to change.

If we want a cabinet that is not just full of hero worshipers clamoring to outdo each other in public rallies, then we better take away this ridiculous idea that a President should just hire and fire cabinet ministers at will and justify it with a pack of malarkey about powers conferred by the constitution. These are people who have families to take care of in a country where unemployment is so rampant that being employed is viewed as some sort of miracle. Therefore if these people’s livelihood is balanced on a tripod with the whims of a leader, then they will indeed worship that person and where will the checks and balances come from. What I am saying is, let us reform our systems to serve the needs of the country and not continue to perpetuate the legacy of one party system where Kamuzu is equal to Boma!

And by the way Presidential campaigns here in America have come and gone and I did not hear even once any mention of Malawi by any of the candidates and therefore this delusion that Americans or the British or the Chinese or some other foreign government or institution will solve the problems in Malawi today is nothing short of self-deception bordering on lunacy.

Does God exist

For some very unknown reason, I have given a lot of thought to the question that some people have asked, others are afraid to ask while yet others actually believe that they have the answer and it is in the negative...the question is Does God exist??????

There are probably a few incidents that have shepherded my thoughts in this direction and probably one individual whose first name I have forgotten but I believe his surname is Thindwa may also have something to do with it. I am not particularly sure why this individual has caught my interest so much but I guess the sensitivity of the topic he was discussing and the fact that I happened to access the 2 media channels that he used to advance his beliefs namely MBC TV and one of the Weekend papers.

This particular individual has been suggesting that God does not exist and that human beings are the creator of the ‘idea’ as he puts it. I cannot claim to be very surprised with such a statement as I have heard it before, the only surprise is the fact that I am hearing it from a Malawian ‘non-believer’ for the very first time. This is testimony to the tolerant nature of our laws because I do not want to imagine what people who make such statements are subjected to in some countries of the Middle East.

Someone made the argument that while some people may be forgiven for thinking that God does not exist, they need to ask themselves what they will do if they discover to their shock and horror that he actually does exist and he is ready to mete out judgement. Wouldn’t it be better to err on the side of caution? I think it is better to live in reverence for God and if it turns out not to be the case, you will still have lived a good life for yourself and your family. I have never read any instruction in the Holy Scripture that suggests that anybody should harm themselves, let alone other people. So besides the rewards of the afterlife; which believers everywhere strive for, there are also very many benefits in this life to be derived from the living word.

For the record, I am a firm believer that God DOES EXIST and beyond that; we exist because of him, he is the Lord of the universe and every living creature should revere him. In addition, one of my brothers once told me that any statement which says “God does not exist” is proof in itself that he DOES exist because if he didn’t, we wouldn’t even talk about him because he simply would not be in EXISTENCE!

Do as I do

A very interesting story was published in the Newspapers yesterday about a cabinet minister and how he bragged to his managers of his purported righteousness when he refused a bribe of a few thousand dollars from a Mobile phone company that is famous for its "coming soon" billboards.

I am always amazed at how overzealous politicians can be in their quest to impress their masters including anybody close enough to listen to their sermons usually at the expense of their image and credibility. I have been around long enough to have seen a good number of such characters. They always make a grand entrance and give you the impression that they are here to stay. Such is their level of confidence and and self proclaimed mastery of affairs that although they lack real substance in their rhetoric, they deliver it with such verve that many are tempted to ride their bandwagon.

The sad reality is that after investing so much energy such characters do not stay long enough to reap the rewards of their labor. They leave the grand stage that they have so laboriously elevated themselves to with such a whimper you barely notice they were there. Infact they leave no legacy at all except a name which people refer to usually for ridicule or such other negative Connotations.

What is even more surprising is that there are no shortage of candidates to take over the mantle when one leaves the stage, perhaps in the never ending quest for all humanity they feel that they will correct the mistakes of their predecessors but as surely as the sun rises from the east, the outcome remains the same...they face the boot. They become such a liability to their masters that they are left with no choice but to let them go!

The issue at hand in this case was quite noble indeed "I refused a bribe from company X, please follow my lead and do the same". The only surprise is that such a noble act has taken almost half a year before coming out of the secrecy domain and instead of being applauded, the revelation has met with serious questions as to its motive; quite a different response from what the gentleman had hoped for. How much longer will he survive???

Such characters are not confined to the political sphere, they abound in all walks of life. My final word is Let us continue preaching DO as I DO, but watch the timing and the motive...

The Enigma that is Life

There are some events in life that make one agree with King Solomon that the pursuits of this life can really be an empty experience or vanity as he puts it. Many a time have I craved for material things that have held a false promise of absolute bliss only to smack you in the face with an anti-climax.

You look at how we toil and plan and scheme for a 'better' life and you wonder whether this is not just another foolhardy attempt at futility. The most disheartening part of life is its ending...it is such a difficult thought for both participants and spectators alike. For the sake of this piece, let us imagine that the participants are those whose time is nigh and the spectators are the ones whose time is not so nigh. Of course everybody can be one or both at the same time considering the obvious fact that nobody knows their time maybe save for those planning on cutting short their stay on our humble planet or those on death row...

For most people, accepting the reality that dying is as natural a process as being born would not be such a difficult matter to accept only that the next stage is really what bothers people. The age old question of where do we go from here is as important and difficult today as it has ever been. We all wonder whether after toiling in life, living very diverse lifestyles some very responsible and useful to society at large; others very selfish and egocentric and yet others downright useless, it all ends up in a heap of calcium and organic manure.

The only meaningful answer to this question lies in faith, the only difference is where one goes and why. I know that there are a lot of people who believe that it all ends here and now...that we all become raw material or fodder in the grand cycle of life otherwise referred to as the Ecosystem.

I on the other hand have decided to believe that there is heaven where people who have believed in the Lord Jesus will be rewarded after living a lifestyle that is consistent with his teachings.

We all choose what to believe...it's just too hard for me to believe that a productive life just ends in a chasm.

CONSIDER OUTSIDE AFFAIRS TOO!

To say that I like News and current affairs is an understatement of the year...I am almost addicted to it. One of my History teachers (at Zingwangwa Secondary School is to blame for this.) He had a way of explaining historical events and tying them up nicely with the present that I immediately fell in love with History. And as you may know, today’s current affairs are tomorrow’s history, and as they say...the rest is history.

I know that although I live in this cozy little corner of the world fondly referred to as the ‘Warm Heart of Africa’ or Malawi if that sounds more familiar; the course of our history is far from decided within our narrow borders.

The destiny of that poor fellow on the street selling pirated DVDs or that mother of 6 struggling to eke out a living through selling vegetables (most of which freely grow by the benevolence of nature) is decided in boardrooms so many miles away in Washington, London, Tokyo and lately in Beijing.

While the majority of my fellow citizens are so preoccupied with the Bingu versus Joyce soapie, I bet less than 1% are even aware that a fifth generation stealth fighter jet was spotted on a runway in China (I bet the majority are wondering what on earth is a fifth generation stealth fighter jet? And what has that got to do with me?). Maybe it is significant, maybe it is not, but the point is that there is a lot going on in the world that potentially has more significant impact on ordinary people’s lives than what goes on at the home front.

Ever wondered why people in the world only got to hear about Malawi when a US Pop star decided to adopt our children? How many times in a day do we hear about Israel (a country even smaller than our own and with fewer people too), How about Afghanistan? Iraq...these are all just names to most folks who didn’t even hear that North and South Korea are on the verge of war which would potentially drag in the US, China and a host of other nations who can justify their entry into such a bloody slugfest (most of them with confirmed Nuclear arsenals).

I also bet that most of us have not heard of religious hoodlums masquerading as holy fighters who volunteer to go wherever there’s a “holy cause” to blow themselves up (of course in places where there are other people to blow up) for a reward of some sort in the afterlife.

All I am saying is that there is a lot more going on out there that we also need to pay attention to. Remember, when England decided to fight Germany (2 European countries) it became the First World War.

MORE INSPIRATION IN 2011

First of all, I give thanks to the Almighty God for the opportunity to see the year 2011. I feel the need to be thankful as I have seen and heard of the many that haven’t been so fortunate, may their souls rest in peace.

I have so many reasons to look forward to a new year full of promise as many people around the world will do. This is the time to clarify goals for the year and make them SMART??? Maybe, maybe not? Isn’t it interesting how we all think the New Year will be much better than the previous year and how it ends up being the same or even worse. The question is why?

For starters, I think in the euphoria of celebrating a new year we all forget that goals should first and foremost be realistic. Simply put, our goals should not be mediocre but we should devise PRACTICAL means to attain them if they are to be REALISTIC.

One line which I have also heard a lot at this time of the year is ‘I am going to work extremely hard this year to achieve my goals’. Granted, this is a critical element of success but it is not equal to physical exertion and deprivation (which is what most people make it out to be). Some have said that the formula for success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration but I wish to recommend a slightly higher percentage on the inspiration.

I know we cannot all be Einsteinses but a little exercising of the grey matter will go a long way in freeing up some time so that perspiration can be invested on more exciting and fulfilling life ventures.

Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

My Gift from the blues

Hola people,
How can I publish just once in 2010, this is not right.

I thank God that he has given me 2 qualities which a lot of people are either struggling to get or simply don't have them and these are patience and the ability to absorb a lot of nonsense from people. Sounds rather frank huh? that's the way it should be.

Lately most of such unkind words have been coming my way via supportes of english football clubs (mostly people who support boring and over-aged teams). Last night one such football club made up of a bunch of 11 guys who forgot that they are footballers and bulked up on muscles so much that they looked as if they belong to the WWE visited the Emirates stadium in an apparent effort to continue terrorizing the sublime Gunners.

Led by their African Hulk by the name Drogba, these millionaire wrestlers tried unsuccessfully to continue their reign of harassment and terror only to be met by a resolute and well oiled soccer machine otherwise referred to as Arsenal.

Their soccer lesson was so complete that they left the Emirates stadium well baked and ready to face other equally less spectacular (but very very loud) teams like Man U.

I hope this soccer lesson will continue well into the new year until we get to where we belong..............remember the invincibles??????
cK