Making the case for Afro-optimism

Book under review: Africa is open for business

Author: Victor Kgomoeswana

Publisher: Macmillan

This 2015 book presents fifty insights into business from different countries across Africa. The more the author researched and made presentations, the more confident he grew in his optimism. He writes, “I have become a self-confessed Afro-optimist dedicated to telling the story of Africa to my children, friends, colleagues and the world. Rwanda, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Ethiopia have become my preferred holiday destinations. While parts of Africa are indeed far from perfect, ignorance about the continent offends me bitterly and I have made it my business to understand the opportunities, the risks and the rewards of Africa’s endowment.” 

[In the caption, Victor Kgomoeswana (with the Planet Books proprietor) when he visited Lusaka for a Stanbic Bank sponsored launch, to compliment his South African release of the book.]

He confesses that he is not as familiar with Franco-phone Africa, but nonetheless the experiences he records give a representative picture of business on the continent. He launched his book in 2014, and in March this year Stanbic Bank sponsored a local launch and book signing at Planet Books and a number of meetings with the author at various fora. 

One example Mr Kgomoeswana gives is the growth of M-Pesa in Kenya, (‘M’ is for Mobile and ‘pesa’ means money in Kiswahili, he tells us). He goes on to write, “From less than 30% of the population having access to banking in Kenya and with no hope of banks opening branches in most backwater villages and towns across Africa, Safaricom paved the way for banking without a bank… To date less than 5% of Africans have access to a fixed line, compared to 69% with mobile access.” Mobile phones are fast becoming a major tool all over Africa (Zambia is no exception) for all sorts of helplines, advertising, education, insurance and a host of other uses. In Kenya, the author tells us, “Nearly 20 million Kenyans were using the system by 2013.”  We look forward to the day we will pay for a taxi rides or bus fares or restaurant meals with mobile money in Zambia. 

His book sheds light on various business pioneers and projects. His book is somewhat balanced, where he acknowledges the problem of the Nigerian 419 scams, the Arab spring and corruption challenges. But overall his book leaves you feeling motivated, that we can achieve the dream, if we face the challenges with sobriety and tact. 

His book achieves its goal to shed light on some incredible business achievements, and will hopefully stir up optimism and drive for building a stronger Africa in the years ahead.

[I intend to use this platform to publish more book reviews from my archives, many previously published in B & R. Send in your comments!]

Passion and purpose

(A book review)

Book: Encounters of a bedside nurse – inspiring insights on impacting individuals

Publisher: Haven Publications, Lusaka

Book author: Grace Zimba

 

In a continued bid to read and review books by Zambian authors, I came across this little gem right here in Lusaka. Look beyond the very basic cover design and formatting, and you will find words well worth reading. Nurse Zimba offers insight into the life of a very important care-giver that is often overlooked.

The autobiographical story that Grace Zimba narrates in eight chapters is a brief but insightful record of her calling to be a bedside nurse. She uses the word “calling” rather than profession, to draw attention to her lifelong passion, and she is right to do so. She speaks of a common scenario, “It is amazing how a number of us find ourselves treading the career pathway paved by people who seem to want us to pursue what they think should be our dreams… and consequently [many] have walked through life as frustrated individuals”. She identifies the passionless life as a life “off-track” from our true purpose. We sacrifice our callings for any number of reasons and we serve there with little passion, and we find in this booklet an example of passion and conviction. The nation would be a very different place is every place was filled with people who were passionate about their task!

Service which goes unnoticed and often not appreciated, is still important when one serves a higher purpose. Nurse Zimba is characterised by a deep personal faith that raises the bar for her work as a caregiver and the compassion she shows her patients. She was catechised and baptised at St John’s UCZ church in Kabwe, but in her own words, that was not her turning point. As a teenager in 1978 she witnessed the change that took place in her sister’s life after experiencing transforming faith, and she was drawn to hear the gospel as well. She narrates, “My turning point came in 1978 when two youths, Evans Chibesakunda and Mwiche, visited our congregation at St. John’s. The two young men were zealous for God and they formed a youth group and began holding meetings on Sunday afternoons. I refused to attend the first meeting, but one of my elder sisters attended. When she came back, I noticed that something had changed about her. She was not the same person that I had known all those years we were growing up together.”

When she finally heard the gospel, the demands for repentance and personal faith gripped her heart, and from then on Grace Zimba would never be the same. All this would impact of her attitude towards nursing and impacting people’s lives. One of those principles was empathy, “understanding another person’s condition from their perspective. While we may not fully understand the extent of pain being experienced by the hurting individuals, empathy implores us to place ourselves in their shoes and feel what they are feeling.” She drew this principle from the command to do unto others what you would have them do unto you. She explains what this looked like in practice. “When on duty, I need to observe my patients and take note of those who have been abandoned by their relatives. As a nurse, I try to fill the gap. Society will always categorise human beings according to their economic status and social standing as well as levels of their education; but before God, all people are equal.”

Later in the book, nurse Zimba talked about the challenges of nursing family members, of a suicidal patient and dealing with patients who are stigmatised. The value of this book is not in the poetic lines or vivid descriptions, but in the frank tone and matter-of-fact approach of a real life story. We also see the kind of faith in action that needs to spread and take the place of so much theatrics that has taken the spotlight in Zambian church circles. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, the book shows us a deep conviction that will surely inspire others to ask if they have such a passion; and if not, to not waste another moment living without passion and purpose.

The thrill of home grown theatre performance

It may go against the current trends, but I will dare to say it anyway. Theatre has the potential to take centre stage in entertainment (Yes, pun intended!). In a world where global entertainment empires decide what shows on our TV screens, we have a chance to personalise our entertainment, to set it in the context of our home towns and culture. Stage drama is an excellent way to provide drama, comedy and romance set in familiar places - on the very street corners you pass every day, or at the local bus stop, with words and phrases that bring the story home in a way that international entertainment cannot. The way mass media has lost ground to social media, stage drama can take ground from mass entertainment.

[Images from "My Pursuit" -  a musical drama that was performed at Ster Kinekor on 8th October; produced by "Ili Kenge Events" under the able leadership of Henry Chibutu and Mwase Kumwenda, with support from "Stand and Sing of Zambia"  (SASOZ) proprietor, Logan Nyasulu]

I attended a musical performance, "My pursuit", last October, and I cannot explain how it brought the story home of exile and homecoming for the young girl who rejected her churchgoing roots. It created the feeling that I was watching something happening next door! Something about sitting a few rows from the performers brought the story home with emotive force.

Don't get me wrong, international screen productions will not be replaced any time soon, and they don't have to be. Much like mass news media and social media, the two can co-exist. However, there is a vacuum in terms of presenting local stories to local audiences, and little chance that our Zambian stories will over run the international scene just yet. Rather than hold back the local talent, we can use theatre as a means to use local talent to tell stories in a homespun way. We just need to approach it right.

Drama is also a developmental tool. We hear like sustainable development goals and other UN resolutions. We hear about Wildlife conservation projects and global warming. But all these things seem to be a world away, distance and detached. Theatre can help bring these developmental issues home to us, with local scripts, analogies and music.

Beyond all this, we can use drama to examine our worldview. Its important for us to reflect on our identity. So many things about our norms and our taboos, our values and even our moral contradictions as a society, need to be brought to light. Love, hate, spirituality, success and family life can be seen in a unique light, with dramas set in our community. Truth about the transformation we need, as individuals and society, needs a localised spotlight. If drama can be embraced by schools, youth groups, colleges and adult enthusiasts, we can provide a constructive way for society to reflect on what drives us and where our lives are leading.