Reflections on African Brain Gain Movement

While doing some reading about the Brain Drain, I came across a scholars perception of the African Brain Gain. There is nothing especially enlightening about the scholar's position, but he describes his perception of this phenomenon so precisely, that I had to share it.

Reflections on African Brain Gain Movement
By Ebere Onwudiwe*

Brain drain implies the situation whereby some of the best and the brightest among citizens of Africa are leaving the continent for greener pastures in developed countries. Brain gain is said to occur when these “talented 10th” return to their home countries in Africa with their skills and talents.

I do not think that this conception of brain gain is correct. When a scientist, a doctor,a history professor leaves Africa, brain is drained, but when he returns, brain is not gained. It is replaced. When you replace what you lost, you have not gained. I believe that brain gain only occurs when you attract additional skills from other countries not when you replace skilled manpower that left to other countries.1 To gain is to advance, to add value, not to return to status quo ante. Yet, the conditions which are necessary for attracting skilled labor from other countries are necessarily the same conditions that are needed for a successful repatriation of skilled people lost to other countries, professions and sectors. I am sure that many people here are aware of these enabling conditions: paying salaries and working conditions commensurate with level of expertise including relocation expenses and laboratories; fostering a stable condition of peace and stability at home; ensuring a policy of meritocracy rather than nepotism under which people without skills are given jobs due to those that have them; investing in stable infrastructure including communications, electricity, roads, etc. There so many of these.

I believe that if Africa creates the right conditions, it can attract skilled people from other countries including its skilled children who left, and grand children born in other continents. That would constitute real brain gain.

Onwudiwe goes on to compare the plight of highly skilled and educated African immigrants to that of highly skilled and education African-Americans using W.E. DuBois' theory of the "Double Conscious".

But there is another tension which is not captured in the argument between African leaders and African intellectuals who emigrated. This second tension is the one happening in the heads of each of us Africans who are economic refugees in the United States. Many feel that they should be home rather than here. This fact is a living burden with which many African emigrants are dealing with at the personal level everyday.
Some say that this is a type of identity crises, the type of “double consciousness” that W.E. Du Bois made famous with respect to the African-American educated minority that he called the “talented tenth.” It is said that the inner torture of these African American intellectuals was the realization that their qualifications meant very little in a racist society. For the African emigrants to the United States, it is that their qualifications meant very little to their home countries. Both groups of intellectuals suffer an attendant sense of alienation and guilt.
The African knows that his expertise is more needed in his home country than in his
adopted country, but for some very personal reasons of personal survival and extended
family he knows that he is better-off staying here rather than returning home. This duality of loyalty for country and for family is the source of inner tension in the souls of all African intellectuals and professionals who live in this and other countries.

I see this internal struggling present throughout the lives of my family members who migrated over 20 years ago and have yet to return, some are even yet to visit. I think that the saddest part about of this is that this elite, highly educated and skilled class, is relegated to menial positions in Western society and that is where I see the "Double Consciousness" most strongly apparent. Many do not realize that their Blackness will become an impediment abroad and their differences are not valued or understood. Unfortunately, the menial living that they receive abroad is still more than the unemployment they face in their home countries even with advanced degrees and training.
This is where I face my moral dilemma. I am thrilled at the chance to be able to work in Africa and make a descent living, but it is not so much because of the schooling I've received, but where I've received it and my American citizenship. During my travels, I have met professionals who are more experienced and educated than I, but will never receive the same opportunities because of their nationality. It kills me to know that I can easily live and flourish in a land that is not my own and its own inhabitants struggle to live the same way as I on their own land and will never live as easily on my land as I do theirs.

Don't All Inner City Youth Face the Same Challenges?

My mother and I have taken to sponsoring children in and out of our family who are struggling to pay school fees due to social ills that have trapped them in a life of dire poverty.
About a year ago, I considered making our personal service large scale and creating a program that would provide scholarships to children in conflict zones in Africa who are willing, but unable to attend secondary school because they can no longer pay their school fees. The children I was interested in targeting are those in Northern Uganda, who end up leading a life of vagrancy or joining the army because they see no other way to lead their lives. Discourse surrounding this issue usually characterizes these children as victims to their society and left with no other alternative. The Northern Ugandan region is filled with NGOs working frantically to rescue these youth from their wayward or dangerous lifesytles, so that they can be educated and possibly face a more promising future.
I put this project on hold, mostly because even though I still have a passion to helping impoverished children and youth, I have taken more of an interest in urban cities. And as I've explained with my experience with Tony, I empathize even more with children who are living in city centers, surrounded by affluence and opportunity, but are not afforded the opportunity to benefit from the development around them.
Since my return to the US, I have thought about the affinity I have grown towards helping urban slum youth and American NGOs, who flock overseas war torn regions, preventing youth from being conscripted into the army and rebel factions, and wonder why the same sentiments are not directed towards youth in American slums, who join gangs.
Youth gang members are almost always characterized as perpetrators of violence, victimizers, and more importantly terrorizers of their community. Encouraging them leave their lifestyle is a task usually relegated to former gang members. Other citizens are terrified of this group and wouldn't dare approach them, even on the grounds of reform.
I wonder, why the images of these two youth are seen so differently. They both kill, steal, and participate in violent acts in their community. They recruit other youth and reject most societal norms. But why are the African children viewed as helpless and conscripted into their lives of violence and left without other viable options for self-development, while American youth are viewed as willing terrorizers, who choose to follow lives of crime and dangers to society, who usually can't be saved?

Tony

One of my goals for the trip was to identify a child to sponsor. The younger children at MYDEL attend a makeshift school that the center setup. It is a single room, holding about 100 children at a time from ages 4-14. There are usually no more than 3 teachers available to instruct, but the pupils usually all stay the same material at the same time. This benefits the younger children as some of them are reading beyond their age level. But the older children are severely lagging behind. Twelve and thirteen year olds struggle to comprehend The Cat inn the Hat. I realize a read need for these kids to immediately enroll in a school with small classes and where they’d be separated by age group. Unfortunately, I’m able to sponsor only one child, so I faced a lot of challenges in deciding who I would choose
1. Therfe were hundresds of students to choose from. Besides theyounger children, there are youth enrolled in high school are also struggling to pay their school fees. There are also university students who volunteer at the center and have also approached me to help them find a sponsor to complete their degree. The need in the community is extremely high.
2. I wanted to identify a child who would benefit the most from a sponsorship. Many of the children have been out of school for years and re-entering into a formal education setting would not be beneficial. For example, a 13 year old who hadn’t been in school since the 3rd grade would find it extremely difficult to re-enter school and would most likely be unable to succeed in the 7th or 8th grade and would most definitely feel uncomfortable and perhaps a bit discouraged schooling with an 8 year old.
3. I needed to identify a child who was actually excited about learning and wanted to go to school. Sadly, some of the children only came to the center because it was something to do, they are fed breakfast, and their friends would be there. But while they were in class, they were extremely disruptive, uninterested in class material and clearly had no desire to be there.
I felt that the best way for me to identify the best pupil was to have impromptu interviews and perform assessments. I did all of this without the students being aware of my intentions because I wanted to get as accurate an understanding of them as possible.
I sat in on class one day and watched the children at work. Immediately, five stood out to me. They were extremely eager to learn and understand. They encouraged their classmates and even explained material to them that they couldn’t understand. After observing them for a few hours, I took time to speak to them individually about their lives, when they were last in school, etc. I also wrote a couple of stories and had them read and write to me in order to gauge their reading levels. Disappointedly, I realized that a couple of the students had the desire to learn, but were extremely far behind their age group because they hadn’t been in school for years.
Ultimately, I identified one young boy, Tony. He is nine, but hasn’t been in school since 2005. However, because of his tenacity to learn he has been able to stay on track in terms of reading and doesn’t seem to be far behind. Both of his parents are dead and he lives with his grandmother. The rest of his brothers and sisters are living with other family members. Besides his intellectual capacity, Tony stood out to me because of his discipline and overwhelming respect for authority and elders. Even when school is not in session and the children are enjoying their free time, Tony is extremely focused and holds himselfin an extremely esteemed manner. My next task is to find a school that is close to his home, but will offer quality education. Uganda has Universal Primary Education, however the quality of some government schools is not all that good. If I find a private boarding school that I can afford, that would be my best option.

Breakthrough

This week, I made major moves in my research. I randomly met the chairman of the Kampala Central Division on Wednesday. He asked me about my research and offered to link me with government officials, who would be able to provide me with the information that I have been looking for. This was a welcomed surprise because I had visited several offices numerous times and either I was unable to locate those that I needed to speak to, or when I did locate someone they were too busy to help me find the information I needed. It was just my luck to run into their boss and he was more than willing to help.
On Friday, I met him in his office and he called several of the officials that I was unsuccessful in locating or soliciting help from. One by one they came into his office and he instructed them to help me in anyway they good. It was surreal. In some ways I felt bad because I am sure that some of them were not too thrilled by the fact that I was able to go above their heads and have them ordered to help me, but this research game is a hustle, so I had to find a way to get what I needed.
Because of his help, on Monday I met with the Education Officer at the Kampala City Council, where I was furnished with primary public and private school enrollment numbers for several years. And on Wednesday the Kampala Central Division Education Officer is taking me to primary schools to speak with the headmasters and mistresses about the challenges they’ve faced since the inception of Universal Primary Education. At the end of the week I am doing home visits in Mengo, the slum area where many children at not enrolled in school. I have spoken to education officers about the challenges they’ve faced with UPE, but I am sure that headmasters and families will have a different perspective about the benefit and shortcomings of UPE.

No Paparazzi Allowed

Last night, I went out to a club in Ntinda. I’ve always enjoyed the nightlife in Kampala because the music is a mix of hits from all over the world. No matter which region it comes from, the deejays just want to play good music. This night, the dj was particularly on point as he played music from West Africa that made me feel at home in so many ways. An artist named Priscilla even came out and did a surprise performance. Her songs were really good and she could really dance! In the states we’re often amazed at Ciara’s talent and the control she has over her body when she dances, but I’ve seen so many artist here who would kill Ciara in a dance off. One girl in particular, named Aisha, at MYDEL has so much talent, I wish she had the avenues to become a wider known entertainer…
But back to my night out, I had a fabulous time! Another thing that surprised me about Priscilla’s performance was that though she was a well-known performer, the crowd wasn’t fazed by her presence. They enjoyed her performance, but they were no where near as star struck as Americans are when celebrities are around. She performed right on the dance floor of the club and once she was done she continued dancing in the club with the other patrons. She was treated and regarded as any other person in the club.
Towards the end of the night I decided to take pictures of the group. My friend had already told me that cameras are not allowed in the club, but I had a big pocket book and was able to smuggle it in. But in the midst of my photo shoot, I was stopped by a bouncer and told I couldn’t’ take anymore pictures. He wanted me to delete the ones I had already taken, but I quickly put my camera away and assured him that I wouldn’t take anymore.
I asked my friends why people weren’t allowed to take pics in clubs and they said that some people don’t want others to know that they go to clubs. Kampala is a fairly liberal city, but there are still some groups who are very traditional and believe that drinking and dancing is sacrilegious. Even though it is against their beliefs many people still sneak off to clubs and bars, sinfully. Funny enough, tabloids in the region seek to expose members of the community who claim to be righteous, but are out and about town drinking and dirty dancing. For this reason, clubs try to protect their patrons by banning cameras.

Luxurious

Today, I got the French manicure an dpedicure ever for $1.20. TOTAL! The nail technician was amazing and more meticulous with each nail than I have ever experienced. I wish there was a way I could bring him back with me. It’s instances like this that heighten my desire to live here. If you have enough money (which is average in US terms) you can live extremely comfortably here. At my friend’s house, we have a housekeeper who comes every morning to clean the house and do laundry. She is paid $60/month. I f I am able to become employed by a US organization, I will move here in a heartbeat.

New Kampala

Since Ive been here in Kampala, I have continued to see similarities with New York City.
For one, people are fairly rude in the streets, considering it’s an African society. As I walk through the streets people constantly stare, but don’t bother to greet you. This is definitely a New York City trait. Initially, I thought it was because they could tell I wasn’t from there, but then I realized that it was just their nature to observe people, but not bother to greet them. Even though I am American, and considered by other nationals to come from a rude society, I was bred in semi-southern hospitality. In my metropolitan area, it is courteous to greet and say hello to people you don’t know, especially if you catch them staring at you. It is not looked upon as odd to greet a stranger and you’ll even have strangers walk up to you and inquire about your day or ask if you’re alright if you don’t look kind enough in the face. So being who I am, whenever I catch someone staring at me, I smile or say hello, and I am greeted with an even blanker expression…
Another aspect of life in Kampala that immediately reminded me of New York is that immense traffic in the streets. The city is extremely overpopulated and streets are crowded at all times of the day. Pedestrians, cars, and motorbikes all fight to get through and no one is willing to give the other way. Instead of the streets being flooded with yellow cabs, they are filled with white minivan taxi buses. And just like in New York, automobiles do not respect pedestrians and will run you over. Taxi and motorbike drivers are constantly honking and cursing people out for walking on the streets, sometimes even the sidewalks. However, what’s even worse here is that there are no traffic signals so pedestrians are NEVER given the right of way and it’s every man for himself. I will never get used to crossing these streets and I’m constantly afraid of losing my life or a limb.
Kampala is also full of street vendors. You can buy almost everything on the streets and the nature of bargaining is similar to that of New York. If the vendor can tell that you’re not from the area, be prepared to pay an arm and a leg for everything. Certain locations also cater to certain goods. Wandegeya has the best and lowest priced braiders, while Owino is known for the amazing food market, and Nakasero has an immense collection of cloths and materials in every imaginable style for sewing.
Another aspect of Kampala life that is rampant and saddening is the amount of homeless people and beggars on the streets. On almost every street corner and in the main transportation centers, you find people peddling for money. They are so many of them, that they are largely overlooked.
Lastly, the night life here is amazing. Clubs and bars don’t close and they are everywhere. As in New York, spots in the deepest parts of the city are very overpriced and try extra hard to be exclusive, while the local spots are easier on the pockets, you feel most comfortable in, and you’re usually guaranteed to have a good time. But deejays are amazing and really take their jobs seriously.
I think that I couldn’t live in the center of Kampala for the same reasons that I couldn’t live in Manhattan. Life is entirely to hectic, loud, and fast paced for me. I appreciate being able to retreat to my borough, called Ntinda, and escape from it all.

Half-Way There

I can’t believe it’s already August. I don’t feel like the last two weeks has flown by, but 2007 in general is disappearing. It’s quite frightening because in the next few months I have so much to accomplish; much of it contingent on what I complete here.
Yesterday I took a semi-break from everything: research and volunteering. I woke up with all intentions of going back to the Ministry of Finance Library to continue reading, but once I got to the junction where I’d catch the bus there, something led me to my friend’s store instead. Once I got there, I chatted a bit with the people there and I became completely unmotivated to head into town.
Nonetheless, my day was still fairly productive because I read documents that I had previously downloaded onto my laptop and I began writing my literature review and drafting an outline for my thesis. This time off was helpful because I thought of some more avenues which I got explore in order to get the information I need. Next week I will definitely need to visit the Ministry of Education and Sports, the Economic Policy Research Center, and Transparency International’s Uganda Office. I found that beginning the writing process really helped me identify crucial information that I’m missing.
I also like spending time at the store because this is when I get to freely interact with Ugandans. While I’m traveling throughout the city I come into contact with people, but interaction is extremely formal and limited. At the store, people ask me whatever is on their minds and I am free to do the same as well.
For example, I have realized how much of an impact that American media has on not only American citizens, but the outside world as well. For leisure and entertainment, Ugandans prefer watching American movies and television shows on DVD as well as Nigerian movies (which I will tell you more about later). I knew that several American shows were syndicated internationally, but I was shocked to see the number of American shows that were watched here. They are not shown on television, but the local DVD rental shops all have pirated copies of the most popular movies and television shows. (Piracy is not at all regulated here.) Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, 24, Prison Break, Law and Order: SVU, the OC, and almost any other popular tv show you can think of. Also action movies are very popular among citizens, so much so that there are DVDs with about 5 or 6 compressed films of famous action stars like Bruce Willis, Jean Claude Van Dam, Steven Segal, the James Bond series, and others.
Ugandans enjoy watching these films and tv shows during the evening hours after work, but I noticed that the impressions they have left in citizen’s minds about US life is a bit disturbing. I have been asked on several instances if I own a gun. And each time I am taken aback by the question because I in no way evoke thuggery or violence in my demeanor. However, they mention the fact that in many movies and shows you find common and seemingly normal people committing heinous crimes. And when I really considered this perception, I found it to be true in a sense. Much of American tv is littered with random violence, but Americans often realize the drama associated with television and don’t take it for face value. But as a foreigner, I can see how one should assume that what is depicted is a reflection of that society.
What I wish was depicted more was the inequality in American society. Most people do not believe me when I try to explain how poor some Americans are. It’s true that what I’ve seen in the slums and ghettos here is worse than anything I’ve ever seen in ghettos in the US, however, many people I’ve come into contact with do not even believe that extreme poverty exists in the US. They do not believe that people live without electricity, struggle to find a meal, or only survive because of government subsistence. I wish that some of these images and realities where broadcast more and made as widely available as the comfortable and posh living depicted in the OC and Desperate Housewives.
The only problem with that is that shows that do show the realities of poverty and struggling are usually filled with violence. Imagine if The Wire were shown here. I think all of my friends would be afraid to visit me since I live in Maryland. I also think they’d assume that every young Black male they met had a gun and would use it vicariously. So I guess in this instance it’s a Catch 22. When will more socially conscious, yet wholesome shows of the 70s like Good Times and The Jefferson’s return?

Trying to Ward Off the Homesickness

Today has by far been the worst day of my trip. Nothing so serious happened, but the overall mood of the day really got me down and for a moment, I wished that Maryland was a bit closer so that I could go home for a couple of hours.
This is Uganda’s rainy season and thus far it has been very easy to bear because it doesn’t rain as much as I expected. Cameroon’s rainy season consists of very heavy downpours for about 8-12 hours a day every day. However, here in Uganda, it rains about 3-4 times a week and usually for about an hour or two during the day. It rains very hard when it does, so everyone avoids being caught outside, however, it usually lasts for such a short period that it’s quite soothing and doesn’t cause much disruption to the day.
Today, however, the rain was the longest, hardest, and came at the most inopportune time. I am staying in a house with a bunch of bachelors so there is almost always nothing to eat, ever. Luckily, African society is conducive to very well prepared and low priced street food. While in the states, I am not at all a proponent of street vendors, but I think this is because their food tends to be unhealthy, unsanitary, and usually overpriced. It is the complete opposite here. Great meals are cooked on the side of streets over firewood, make shift stoves (don’t ask me how they do it), and grills. It’s all slow-cooked right in front of you and tastes delicious. For dinner the last couple of nights I’ve had meals that cost less than $1 and consisted of grilled chicken, corn, and some pineapple for dessert. It’s great!
All this is to say that today I was looking forward to sleeping in late and then taking a stroll to the main road to grab some grilled chicken, fish, goat meat…whatever struck my fancy. But then it started raining, which initially didn’t faze me because I figured it would be over in about an hour…but not today. It rained long and hard for most of the day. By the time I was able to leave the house, I was extremely hungry and my stroll to the main road turned into a trudge through a very muddy path, where most of the vendors were not set up because of the weather.
I had to travel to the town center, which is about a 7 min drive.
I got on the taxi bus, which was packed beyond capacity, with four or five people sitting in a row of seats meant for three. This is not at all uncommon, however today, it was extra uncomfortable because people were wet and muddy.
I usually make an effort to have exact change or currency closest to the cost of services because once clerks here my accent, they usually try to cheat me. If I know the price, I usually just scold them for trying to cheat me and I get charged the standard price. But today on the taxi, my nerves were really tested. I had to pay the conductor with a large bill and after hearing my accent he employed a number of stunts to overcharge me, almost all of which were thwarted.
However, it wasn’t negotiating an already set transportation fare with the clerk that bothered me, it was the conversation that ensued between him and the other passengers in Luganda, once I challenged him. He proceeded to, what they call, “back bite” me, or talk about me behind my back with the other passengers. Only this time, it was right in my face and I was left helpless because I did not understand a word of what they were saying. They mimicked my English and thick accent and said a great deal of other things I did not understand, but knew was being said because an older lady on the taxi pleaded that they stop and leave me alone. I have never experienced such a thing before and the encounter was made more frustrating and humiliating by the fact that I did not understand a word of what was being said and could not defend myself. For 10 min I sat in silence while this went on and by the time I reached my destination, I was very upset.
I am trying to learn as much Luganda as possible since it is the vernacular of the region. This incident only made it more clear to me, how necessary it is for me to learn it because people say things to and about me on a daily basis that I do not understand and I am leaving myself entirely too vulnerable to exploitation and humiliation.
I can say, however, that my day wasn’t a total wash out. When I finally made it to the town center, I was happy to have extremely tasty grilled chicken ready and waiting for me!

The Politics of Capacity Building

This morning I attended a capacity building workshop at MYDEL. It was facilitated by a friend of the chairman who assisted him when he initially began to form the organization. He challenged the staff members to reexamine their roles and responsibility in the organization as well as the function of the different departments. Because I have only been volunteering with them for a couple of days, this workshop really gave me insight into their strengths and weaknesses as an organization.
As a community based organization they lack financial support on every level and depend solely on donations from visitors. This has greatly affected their capacity and as an organization they could be so much better if they had more money or had resources to share to community members in order to help them develop their own income generating activities. In the same breath, however, I see a dependency on donor aid being formed in the sense that they are not actively pursuing funding because they cannot even surmise it being available to them.
This workshop also revealed serious gaps and weaknesses in the structure of their organization. They have leaders in place, but it seems as though those leaders are unaware of their official responsibilities and everyone does what they feel needs to be done. This attitude can make an organization very strong because tasks are always completed, however when they aren’t no one is sure who is to be held accountable.
The chairman explained to me that this is another weakness of a community based organization with leaders who were born and raised in the community, which they serve. Members of the organization are so comfortable with their leaders that they often blur the lines of business and pleasure. Because he wants to be as inclusive as possible, he makes every function of the organization known to the community, including financial matters. Though this is a genuine attempt at openness, as a leader there has to be issues that are confidential and only known to the executive in order for things to function in an orderly fashion.
By the end of the workshop, I had several suggestions for the organization and felt myself referring back to protocol that I used while I led organizations in college. I’m happy that that experience is coming in useful. Sadly, however, when I presented my suggestions to the chairman he agreed that changes were needed, but seem reluctant to put them in place. I hope that in the course of the next couple of weeks I am able to influence him a bit otherwise or he will find great difficulty in taking his organization to the next level or achieving legitimacy in the eyes of international donors, who sometimes focus more on an organization’s structure and they way they present themselves, than on the actual work they do in the community. I applaud MYDEL for its dedication and overwhelming involvement in the lives of each of its members, however, in such a bureaucratic world, talking the talk is sometimes more important than walking the walk.

The Third Leg of My Trip

Today, I was encouraged to finally start the third leg of my trip. Thus far, I’ve really been consumed with spending time with my friends and volunteering at MYDEL. I’ve been so busy, that I almost forget one very important reason for my trip: RESEARCH. This semester I am writing my master’s thesis so that I can finally graduate and I have decided to focus my research on Uganda’s Public Expenditure Tracking System for Primary Education. While talking to people about my reasons for being here, I casually mentioned it and was chastised for not visiting any government offices yet. This was a much needed scolding and today I finally ventured out to three government offices. I visited the IGG (Inspector General of Government) Office, the KCC (Kampala City Council) and the MFEP (Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning).
At the IGG we got the run around and no one seemed to know what I was talking about or who I should even speak to. I wasn’t disappointed because I expected this, but I was annoyed that the so-called receptionists knew close to nothing about anything.
At the MFEP, the administrators were extremely helpful. They directed me to the resource center where I found a ton of books documenting the government’s allocation of funding in education. This was exactly what I was looking for. The down side was that I am not allowed to check out the books, so I will have to physically sit in the library everyday until I get all the information that I need.
At the KCC, we ran into a friend's friend who knew exactly who I needed to speak to, but he wasn’t in the office. He encouraged me to come back on Monday, but stated that I should only speak to that particular officer, as much of the information that I needed is public record, but the officers do not like to share it because it leads to further investigation about other things. This most certainly did not surprise me, considering my interest in the Public Expenditure Tracking System (PETS) stems from my interest in corruption.
PETS was established because even though education and other services are being subsidized by the government, poverty is still rampant and the infrastructure of many institutions does not reflect government subsidies. Officials and donors found it necessary to track where funds were going and how they were being utilized. Is it an issue of too little funds or are funds not reaching the most needy? The fact that officials in the KCC would like to keep public records of funding allocation to schools private, leads me to believe that perhaps it is the former.

The American Dream

My friend owns a store, which is the local hangout spot for his friends and other young people in town. Everyone convenes there in the evening after work and great ideas and conversation is constantly generated. There, we’ve talked about everything from bar crawling and the latest vodka on the market to solutions for Africa’s economic development problems and whose culture should be adopted in intercultural relationships.
This week, I’ve been running into one of his friends called, Mark. Mark has been very enthusiastic about talking to me about the US because he was recently granted an immigration visa and green card by the US government. He got it by entering into a drawing that is done every year, granting 50,000 green cards to applicants around the world. Millions of people apply for it and the chances of getting it are extremely slim. The process also takes a very long time. Mark applied in the summer of 2005 and was just granted his visa last month.
Anyways, he is naturally very excited but worried about what to expect in the US. I have tried to be as open and candid with him as possible, but it is still very difficult to debunk ideas that people have had fed to them for decades.
The US is widely viewed as the land of opportunity and foreigners I’ve come into contact with can’t seem to surmise the fact that it is possible to go to the US and not become successful. Most people believe that if you work hard enough you’ll make it. I try to explain racism and social barriers that have been put in place to hold Blacks down. Yes, institutionalized racism is no longer present, but there are other personal barriers that exist, that I try to explain to those who seek to travel to the US, that they understandably can’t conceive.
For his sake, I hope that he does make it and life in America turns into all that he has envisioned. But the sad reality is that it probably won’t for a very long time. He is already college-educated and a very successful advertising manager for a very popular newspaper in Kampala. He says that he no longer feels challenged at his job and would like to go to America so that he can get his MBA. His brother currently lives in New York making a six figure salary with an MBA from Wharton (a top-rated business school). He envisions that same future for himself, but doesn’t feel that he can reach that same pinnacle of success in Kampala.
My main concerns with his dreams are not so much that they aren’t attainable (because they are), but rather that for the next five years (or until he gets his MBA), he’ll be working in a job that’s equally or even less challenging than the one he has now. Sadly, African degrees are not valued in the US and many educated immigrants find themselves working jobs that barely require a high school diploma.
When I presented these issues to him, he cast them to the side saying he wouldn’t mind being a waiter for a few years until he was able to get on his feet. I guess I should admire his tenacity, but as a socialist, I can’t get over the fact that the hard work I’ve done is discredited simply because I am coming from a foreign land. I can’t stand for that, sorry.

Lim Loves the Kids

Today I gave the children the clothes that I collected. They were ecstatic. I was able to bring over 100 pieces of clothing and each child was able to receive at least one item. Even though only one item seems like it may not be much for the common person, to these children it is a great deal. Most of them wear the same items of clothing every single day. When the center was able to give them uniforms to give to school, they began to wear the uniforms during the day and using their single outfits as play clothes. Sadly enough, I am able to remember each child because they are usually wearing the same outfit each day. So having an additional shirt or bottom makes a huge difference to them.
They were also extremely grateful and I think they got more comfortable with me. One thing that has surprised me about working with this young people is the amount of respect they have for me and those around them. I think it may have a lot to do with the fact that this organization is community based, but I am so impressed by the way they conduct themselves in front of elders and those they respect. Each time they greet you or present you with something they bow in a sign of respect. I am so happy that even though a great deal of their family structure has been disrupted due to the death of their parents, they have maintained traditional customs and respect for elders. It is such a beautiful thing, and something that many youth in impoverished communities all over the world are lacking.

Why on Earth Do People Still Have Polio in 2007?

Today Mengo Youth Development Link co-sponsored an event with a Korean organization called Little Jesus International Gibbun Woori World and a Ugandan organization called Able the Disabled. It was an advocacy event to bring awareness to the community about the plight of the disabled. In Uganda, there are quite a number of people with disabilities. Many of them are homeless and live on the streets, trying to sustain their livelihoods through begging.
The saddest part of their illness is that much of it could have been prevented. Most westerners are not familiar with polio because we have been getting immunized for it for decades. Unfortunately, many families are too poor to immunize their children and many of them end up suffering from polio, severely handicapping them.
These three organizations decided to come together to donate wheelchairs to people with disabilities who have been struggling to transport themselves around town. Virtually none of the country is sensitive to the needs of people with disabilities and no accommodations are made for them. The recipients were ecstatic and blessed to receive the wheelchairs because life would be much easier for them. Since many of them were unable to walk on their legs because they were too weak or they had none, they walked on their hands. Many were unable to afford even crutches. It was very sad to see so many people in such a condition walk into the event, but it was very fulfilling to see them so happy for their gift once they left.
Of course not even was happy about the event. The recipients of the wheelchair were required to register for the event before they came to ensure that they had enough wheelchairs. However, when the word spread that wheelchairs were being given out for free, many people who were not pre-registered for the event came to try and get one. It was very difficult having to turn people away, but the organizers had a protocol to follow. Another challenged faced with the event was in the wheelchairs themselves. They were made too small for some people and they couldn’t fit into them. However, because of their financial situation, they were not willing to give them back to the organizers. They would rather keep them and try to sell them for profit or exchange them for ones that fit. It would have been nice if everyone who came was able to be served and to their satisfaction, but these are the challenges faced in many development projects, especially ones that are catering to communities where equipment needs to be custom made to fit them.

Day One at MYDEL

Today was my first day at Mengo Youth Development Link (MYDEL). I met with the director of the organization and his staff. Everyone was extremely welcoming and immediately made me feel happy to be there. We had a brief orientation and overview of their projects. I was surprised to see the size of the office and center considering how much they did for the community. However, they had created such a comfortable and positive environment that even though they were short in resources, the sense of community developed as a result of their efforts was overwhelming.
I instructed class in the center for about an hour in order to get better acquainted with the youth. The classroom where the students conduct most of their activities is not at all standard, even for a developing society. All of the students who come to MYDEL are orphaned or vulnerable and their families are unable to pay for them to go to school. Education is free in Uganda, but families still have to pay for supplies and their uniforms and those living in poverty are unable to afford it. Therefore, MYDEL provides instruction to the children in this community so that they are able to stay on track with their age group. However, due to a lack of resources, all of the students learn in one classroom. Even though they are divided by age group, they usually learn similar material simultaneously because there organization has a limited number of staff. While leading the reading and comprehension lesson, I faced a major challenge that I feel will impede my development efforts in many ways. Though most of the school-aged children speak English, it was difficult for them to understand me because of my accent.
I have also found challenges in day to day life because though English is the national language of Uganda, Luganda is more widely spoken. It is used in everyday life including general conversation, in stores, in offices, and the news is even read on tv in Luganda. I have learned a few words here and there, but I would be better able to communicate with and understand people if I knew more.
The older youth have been very helpful in translating for me, but many of the younger children are unable to fully express themselves in English and feel more comfortable speaking Luganda.
After orienting with the children and youth, I took an impromptu tour of downtown Kampala. I was on the search for mangos and peanuts, so my coworkers took me to the market.
Traveling through Kampala is quite an adventure. For one, there are no traffic lights, so traffic is fairly chaotic. Cars, trucks, motorbikes, and pedestrians weave in and out of traffic quite carelessly. Autos do not give pedestrians the right of way and they are left to fend for themselves. Crossing the street requires a great deal of effort, tact, and wit and it is quite frightening. I am very afraid of someone take off my foot as cars don’t brake for you if you’re crossing the streets (they just beep continuously as they increase their speed) and the motorbikes get extremely close to the sidewalks so even if you are walking with the flow of traffic on the sidewalk, you still risk being hit or clipped by the bike.
After visiting a few markets we went back to the office where the youth, were playing football and volleyball. They staff plays with the youth until dark and then takes them into the center, where they practice drama and dancing until well into the night. I left before the activities were completed and that was at close to 10pm. They staff stays up with the youth as late as possible so that they are kept occupied and do not become idle.
It is idleness which causes most of the ills in this community. People turn to drug use, promiscuity, and theft in order to fill their time since they are not in school or working. MYDEL staff works for over 16 hours a day to occupy the children and youth in the community so that they do not find time to participate in destructive behavior.
By the end of the day, I was surely tired, so I believe their plan is working.

Back to Basics

Today, I did the first thing that is usually on my mind when I visit the continent. I got my hair braided. I always take advantage of the fact that I can get my hair done exactly the way I like for an extremely small fraction of that which I would pay in the States to get it done very subpar. Of course, I sent my friend over ahead of me to bargain for the price because once the braiders heard my accent, I’d have a great deal of difficulty getting the local rate.
I was successful getting it done and I love it!
I also did the usual tasks like exchanging money, and got a cell phone.
I also met some of my friend’s family. He has a million and one brothers and they are all very nice. Their family store is the local hang out spot and when I got there, there were about 20 of his friends and family to meet. I apologized ahead of time because I knew that I would not be able to remember all of their names.
During this time I actually realized how horrible my memory has been getting. There were people that I met last year and who even met me at the airport the day before and I could not remember their faces, much less their names for the life of me!
The rest of the day was spent hanging out with friends. We watched music videos and had some drinks the earlier part of the evening. This was actually more enlightening for me because when I am home I rarely have time to watch television and definitely not videos. Here there is a music channel that plays videos all day long and a good majority of them are from the US, so I was able to put a face to the voices that I often hear on the radio and in the club.
The second part of the night we went to a bar in town and that was also a good time. The music was great. It reminded me why I like being here so much. They play the best songs, new or old and I love that.
Overall, it was a great way to start the trip.

Woo Hoo! I'm Finally an African!

Today’s arrival in Entebbe airport was very different from last year’s. Last year, I traveled with a group of about 20 American young people. Once we arrived at the airport, we went through the immigration check, got our luggage and were on our way. I always wondered, how Entebbe verified that arrivals were allowed to enter the country because there was no security gate or officers between the baggage claim and immigration check. Basically, you could pretend that had gone through immigration and just walk straight over to baggage claim with no issue and then out of the airport clean and clear. This year, however, because I was a black girl traveling alone, I received the authentic African treatment in the airport.
I first realized that something was different because when I was in line for the immigration check there was an African woman in front of me who was unable to get through. She presented the officer with her license and the officer immediately looked apprehensive. She asked the woman where else she had traveled that year and once the lady was unable to tell her, she told her that she would be unable to allow her into the country with that passport. She informed her that she would have to go to the immigration office before she was able to officially enter the country.
The whole time I was observing this, I wondered what wouldn’t stop the woman from retrieving her bags and simply walk out of the airport like I had done the previous year after my immigration check. Well I was soon to find out.
Once I passed through immigration, got my passport stamped, and claimed my bags, I was randomly stopped throughout the airport two more times. The officers asked to see my passport and they each verified that it had been stamped and I was indeed allowed to enter the country. I must say however, that once they saw it was a US passport, they didn’t look too intently for the stamp, but what caused their initial approach of me, was my Blackness.
Though this excited me because I was finally being treated like a local, it annoyed me that the year before I was able to walk through this same airport without interference because of my white travel mates. I wish that there will come a time when Africans do not treat White people as omniscient beings. Everyone no matter what race they associate with should receive the same treatment, especially in the eye of the law. White visitors should not be abstained from the verification of a visa and allowed to enter the country freely, while Africans are being scrutinized.
But in the same boat, I was happy to be finally viewed as an African because though this caused a bit of annoyance in the airport, I knew that for the next month it would benefit me because prices of goods would not be as inflated on the account of my Americanness.

Renascent Africa

Many times I am asked how I came up with the concept of Reinventing Africa. Many people assume that my quest is to literally change the geographical make of the continent. However, when I use this term, I am communicating a desire to transform the misconceptions that foreigners have held about the continent, its people, and its capabilities. This term also refers to my desire to develop Africa. But no matter how much I try to explain the vision that I hold in the use of this term, I can not.
While reading Renascent Africa by Nnamdi Azikiwe, in his preface I came across a series of passages, that exemplified my vision and I think he is able to explain it better than I am. However, it is sad that though his book was published in 1968 at the brink of independence for most countries, almost 40 years later, the same vision is still applicable...

Today the continent of Africa is the focal point of European territorial ambitions.
France, Great Britain, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, and Spain have colonial possessions in Africa. They are among the “have” nations.
There are other States which have no colonial possessions in Africa. They are among the “have not” nations.
A clash between the two groups is inevitable.
Amidst these conflicting ambitions of Europe for territorial expansion in Africa is the human factor- the fate of indigenous black Africans who dwell on this continent.
They constitute an extraneous element, so far as European imperialism is concerned. Their raw material mean more to Europe than their existence to enjoy the fullest of life, as do the Europeans, on their own continent, respectively. Their man-power seems only valuable for the machinery of European imperialism and militarism.
That the indigenous black Africans are not destined to accept the old idea of imperialism as revealed law handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai; that the twentieth-century African is bound to be renascent; and that this Renascent African must be reckoned with as a concrescent factor in the peace of the world, is the theme of this book.
In view of the revolutionary concept of Africa and Africans, some terminologies employed in this book deserve clarification:
Old Africa refers to the Africa of yesterday
Renascent Africa refers to the Africa of today
New Africa refers to the Africa of tomorrow
African refers to any indigenous black person
The Renascent African exists in a transitional stage between the Old and the New Africans. He refuses to view his future passively. He is articulate. He is destined to usher forth the New Africa.
To avoid ambiguity, it is necessary to explain what is meant by the New Africa.
Naturally, the continent of Africa cannot be reshaped. Geophysical phenomena were responsible for its fixity, etc. It is, therefore, beyond human power to change the physical map of Africa.
The term is used in a psycho-social sense. It is the renascence of Africans and the reformation of African society.
In Africa, outside of the immoral contributions made by the ancestors of the African, in antiquity- when Ethiopia was at the height of its majesty- and their forebears, during medieval times- when Songhay was in its splendour- African society has remained stagnant.
The slave trade and some of the evils of imperialism have helped to perpetuate the static condition of Africans. These offer a challenge- that the New Africa must come to pass.
The philosophy of the New Africa hinges itself on five bases. These are indispensable to its realization.
1. Spiritual Balance must be cultivated by Renascent African. This means respect for the views of others. Difference of opinion should not destroy friendship. In the Old Africa, difference of opinions intensified the wide gap between the various sections of the communities. Voltaire said that although he might disagree with his opponents, yet their right to state their opinion must be conceded, even if it cost his death in so doing. It means that the feelings of others must be taken into consideration, and that no ulterior motives should influence one’s criticism of others.
2. Social Regeneration must be experienced in African society. African conventions cannot be said to be consistent with what is ethical, just, and equitable. African society must be democratic. The ills of the present social order hinge on the continuation of the forces of man’s inhumanity to man. Let the Renascent African take upon himself the burden of looking at his fellow African as a man, nothing more, nothing less. Tribal appellations cause tribal idiosyncrasies; these lead ultimately to vanity and superciliousness and disharmony.
A regenerated social order must come. Fanti or Gar, Temne or Mende, Yoruba or Ibo, Bantu or Touareg, Bubi or Hausa, Jolloff or Kru- all are Africans- all are human beings.
3. Economic Determinism must be the basis of African economic thought. The quest for food, shelter, and clothing has been the primal motive in the establishment of society. It was responsible for the formulation of the social and political institutions of society. It is still the determinant factor in African contemporary history.
The Renascent African cannot create a new social order without an economic foundation. No longer must wealth be concentrated in the hands of the few. No longer must the profit motive guide and control the aims in life of the African. No longer must the wage-earners be told of dignity that does not seem to exist in labour.
Let the Renascent African make tomorrow secure for posterity, and a milestone is reached toward African economic interdependence with the rest of the world.
4. Mental Emancipation is necessary in order to crystallize the New Africa. This includes education of the sort which should teach African youth to have faith in his ability: to believe that he is the equal of the people of other races of mankind- mentally and physically; to look at no man as his superior simply because that man comes from the Antartic or Artic regions. It means that the Renascent African must be rid of the inferiority complex and all the trappings of hat-in-hand Uncle Tomism.
Educate the Renascent African to be a man. Tell him that he has made definite contributions to history. Educate him to appreciate the fact that iron was discovered by Africans; that the conception of one God was initiated by Africans; that Africans ruled the world from 763 to 713 BC; that while Europe slumbered during “the dark ages” a great civilization flourished on the banks of the Niger, extending from the salt mines of Terghazza in Morocco, to Lake Chad, right to the Atlantic. Narrate to him the lore of Ethiopia, of Ghana, Melle, Mellestine, Songhay.
Let him relish with the rest of the world that while Oxford and Cambridge were in their inchoate stages, the University of Sankore in Timbuctoo welcomed “Scholars and learned men from all over the Moslem world”, as Sir Percy puts it
The Renascent African will be better off with men and women who are trained to appreciate these facts of African history, than with those who spend a lifetime in Europe or America, for purposes of mis-education and devaluation of African culture and civilization
5. National Risorgimento is inevitable. When the Renascent African has cultivated spiritual balance, regenerated his society, planned his society economically, and has experienced mental emancipation, his political status cannot be in doubt. It is from within that the element of national greatness springs.
Let Renascent Africans usher in a New Africa, and Africans of tomorrow need not continue to be in political servitude. The forces of nationalism are automatic, especially when factors leading to them are intelligently directed. The right of self-determination is a phenomenon which defies human ingenuity.
Forces which were responsible for the birth, growth, and decay of Ethiopia, Egypt, Babylo-Assyria, Phoenicia, Greece, and Rome will determine the fate of the West, the East, and Africa.

Abti-American University of Nigeria: Where Does Africa’s Vision for Higher Education Get Lost?

Here is and excerpt from a paper that I wrote about Abti-American University of Nigeria (AAUN). Of course in my paper I described the condition of higher education in Africa and certain actors felt the need for a university such as AAUN and I also provided recommendations that I felt would make AAUN an institution that was more inclusive or more beneficial to the development of human capital. But for the purposes of sharing my thoughts and critiques of the establishment itself, this is what I've chosen to share in my blog. For more information on AAUN, go to their site at www.abti-american.edu.ng

Considering the original mission of African universities to become the cultivators of African development devoid of foreign influence, AAUN’s underlying structure defies these principles. It operates under the guise of preventing the brain drain, wherein thousands of students travel abroad in search of a higher education that will help them succeed. AAUN asserts that in their institution, African students are finally able to achieve a world class education without leaving West Africa. However, AAUN’s sole focus on American-style education is simply encouraging its students to seek out American (or overseas) jobs upon graduation. This is because AAUN constantly reinforces to its students that the opportunities they have made possible for them cannot be found anywhere else in Africa. AAUN asserts that American education is the highest caliber of education in the world and that in five years will be looked upon as the Harvard of Africa. How then, can students be expected to revert back to a traditional African lifestyle, when they have become accustomed to the “superior” American one? Thus human resources are being developed, but are useless to the country because they are being exported out and trends from the past, such as the brain drain, are not broken.
AAUN is not even creating opportunities of employment for its students or the community considering that 90% of its faculty and staff are American. Candidates for positions were recruited from all over the world and interviewed at American University in Washington, DC with AU management and professors , rather than in Nigeria with prominent leaders and professionals in that community. One faculty job announcement sought an Economist to teach at AAUN, where “experience in Africa or other parts of the developing world [was] a plus” , but obviously not compulsory or even expected. By constantly importing staff to serve in roles, where there are qualified African professionals available, this does not spur employment in the region and is thus ignoring a vital responsibility that African universities are expected to fulfill. African professors want to work in Africa and this tenacity has been shown though their years of dedication and service on menial and sometimes even no salaries.
AAUN also brag about their ability to restrict class sizes to eighteen students due to the ratio of faculty members to students and the vastness of their campus. However, at inception most African universities were able to do the same. Most were affiliated with universities of former colonial countries, such as is in this case, where faculty members were supplied, as well as complementary funding. However, as they attracted more students, classroom sizes inherently got larger. Unless American University is in the position to continually supplement the budget of AAUN, student fees will have to increase in order to maintain the level of standards that have been set these past two years.
The payment of student fees is also itself an issue. Even though AAUN in based in Nigeria, the fees that students pay are initially calculated in USD and then transferred to Nairas, leaving them susceptible to changes in exchange rates. One semester a student may be able to afford fees, but instability in the Nigerian economy can immediately and drastically change this making it impossible for them to continue their studies even if they have seemingly saved the necessary funds in relation to the cost of schooling the previous semester. Inherently, the inability to pay school fees, an issue that has plagued pupils throughout Africa for years, is compounded and made worse due to an unpredictable reliance on the world economy.
Nevertheless, the beauty of the campus, availability of resources, cutting edge technology, and dedication to prepare its students for the global world can not be discredited from the university. The world economic system is very competitive and largely characterized by rapid knowledge generation and technological innovation. It is vital for students to have a grasp of these talents in order to fair well against their counterparts from the West. However, these positive developments at AAUN are not being incorporated into Nigerian tradition and the Nigerian identity of students is not cultivated. They are rather being morphed into global citizens. Developments in science and technology should instead respond to the needs of the region through technological development of agricultural practices, crafts and industries, etc. so that jobs and productivity are multiplied. Consequently, AAUN pursues quality in higher education, but the type of creativity employed does not work towards solving the issues deterring Africa’s development, but America’s. Relevance of coursework can not even be seen or measured in programs that focus on the use of technology in every field (business, communication, literature, finance, and other American based curriculum) except those that are most relevant to Africa’s rural and developing communities i.e. agriculture, education, health, forestry, urban planning, etc (which are all absent at AAUN).
Overall, a serious issue with the promotion of AAUN as a premier university in Nigeria is the presumption that quality education has not and does not already exist in Nigeria. It is true that major universities, such as the University of Ibadan, are not maintaining the standards that they reached in the past, however instead of focusing on investing into an indigenous university in order to improve its academic and physical structure, a foreign structure is instead being transplanted to remedy issues in society that its administrators have not experienced. This goes against the principle that education in Africa needs to be home-grown in order to adequately address the needs of students and the community it serves. The marketing of AAUN also greatly delegitimizes historical institutions and those that have maintained indigenous patterns of knowledge. If an American styled education becomes the pride and joy of Africa, where does that leave African education? This “first-world” education subordinates African, or in this context, “third-world” education.
Ultimately, while AAUN excels in its quest for quality and creativity of higher education in Nigeria, it fails miserably in its neglect to address the important element of relevance. Students cannot be encouraged to complement their educational research with social development, when their academic leaders do not have a vested interest in the plight plaguing their community. “The truly African university must be one that draws its inspiration from its environment, not a transplanted tree, but one growing from a seed that is planted and nurtured in the African soil.”

It's Been A Long Time Coming

I know I've been away for quite a long time...almost a year, but a lot of things have incited my muse.
In two weeks I'll be returning to Uganda and this time for a month. I'll be going by myself this time, though I've got a great deal planned.
I'll be working on my master's thesis, so that I can finally graduate! (HOORAY!!!) I'll be volunteering at a youth development organization and orphanage. And I'll be spending time with all of the friends that I met during my first trip and having been longing to see for over a year.
I'm extremely excited to go back. I hope that everything is as good as I remember it being the first time. I am a bit apprehensive that because I stayed on Makerere's campus and we had a cook, driver, and guide, things may have been sugarcoated for me. Though I did make an effort to branch out on my own and try to experience native life, I am still sure that I was sheltered from or wasn't there long enough to experience everything. I just hope that whatever is to come in the month that I'm there will still leave me loving Kampala because I definitely still have an interest in moving there in the next year.
The director of the youth organization that I will be volunteering with seems very excited to have me visit and I also hope that is a great experience. I know that it will be challenging because thought I am very passionate about working with young people, I empathize with them quite a bit and am usually deeply and personally affected by their experiences. I appreciate having a vested interest in their livelihood, but this experience will definitely show me if I am able to have a hands on approach to their plight and still be effective on a larger, administrative scale.
I have decided to focus my research on corruption in the education system and more specifically the effects that the Public Expenditure Tracking System (PETS) has had on curbing corruption and ultimately increasing school resources and student access to education. Uganda has been heralded as becoming more transparent due to the PETS, but I wonder if this assertion is due to a series of reports generated by the government or if teachers and administrators of the PETS have felt that it was indeed effective and helpful.
This week I am also taking a one week course on Youth & Conflict. The instructor of the course, Randolph Carter, came in to speak to a class that I took last fall and he was amazing! Even though this course is being offered so close to the time that I leave for my trip, I just had to take it! I hope that I enjoy the course as much as I did his guest visit to my class. And hopefully it will incite some thoughts and generate ideas for me to share with everyone. It has surely been too long since I've done so!
However, though I have been MIA, I have been writing this spring, so I will post some excerpts from papers I've written and thoughts that I have been having in general in 2007.