African professionals have been flocking Western countries en masse in the last decade or so in search of the proverbial 'green pastures'. This has put African economies in such a grave spot
Our dear friends in the medical profession have dominated in the "efflux" of professional brains from this continent. In the recent past, statistics have shown that female nurses from African countries are landing lucrative jobs in The UK and America. With the green bucks, the Euro and Pound smiling at them they are left with little else to do but to bid farewell to penury and embrace the 'fatter' checks.
The story is told of a fifty-year old nurse, a widow and a mother of five (three boys, two girls) who made the painful decision of relocating to the UK to work as a nurse. She had to leave her children behind (three of them had jobs and families of their own, one was at the university and the last one was in secondary school).
Her new job entailed taking care of the aged – their waking up, their eating, their toilet, their bathing, their pains and sorrows, practically everything. This was quite a change of the work environment for her. She was used to wards and patients. She was used to doing rounds in wards and getting to know how patients were coming along. Anyway, for the bucks she could do anything.
We are giving our professionals a raw deal here in Africa. Their pay is low as compared to their contemporaries in other countries in the world. In view of this, I don't see the reason why they shouldn't 'drain' their 'brain' anywhere east or west so long as the pay is good. I know this is not the best of situations.
• We need to benefit from our own brothers' and sisters' brains right here in Africa.
• We want our Africa to stand on its feet and have a say in this world.
• We want our economies to stabilize and grow.
• We want all the good brains that are being churned out at our universities and colleges to help redeem Africa economically and politically.
Sadly, this can only be realized if all the key players in our governments are keen enough to come up with lasting solutions to our woes as Africans. Some of the people at the helm of our governments are self-centered and only look to their own interests and those of their families. They fail to realize that there are millions looking up to them and that the very strokes of their pens could spell death to generations. This is why corruption and nepotism are still weighing us down up to now.
Brain drain is decimating our output and curtailing our progress. Yes, and rightly so. The millions of dollars that were used to educate the people who now opt to go and work outside Africa have to be recovered somehow. It is no secret that most of them were educated on loans they took from their governments. As you well know, governments principally get money from taxpayers. So here, we are talking of the cream of the nation funding these guys' loans.
Shouldn't our countries then benefit from the education that they helped afford our dear brothers and sisters? African legislators and statesmen, please wake up to this fact and act pronto. We are waiting for your clarion call, Sirs.
Ritch's Search Box
Custom Search
Saturday, September 30, 2006
The most misused word in the whole wide world – love!
Do we really understand what love means?
Love is everywhere: the airwaves (radio & TV music), cyberspace, magazines, books, and one-to-one encounters. It's simply everywhere.
I started hearing the 'love' phrase when I was an adolescent.
Scores of adolescent boys and girls could be seen skirting around the dark places at night probably to meet their 'dates' at their pre-arranged rendezvous. In my day, there were no mobile phones to ease communication. We just had to wait for our 'girls' and hope against all hope that they would turn up otherwise our 'dare devil' antics would just go to waste. Don't even mention all the priceless things we wasted in our quest to look macho.
We wasted our time, energy, good old virginity, and the chance to understand the dynamics of the most wonderful word in the world – love.
In retrospect, though, I am happy that I went through adolescence in those years. Today, everything is so different. The moral guard has been slackened far too much that most of the things that were considered no-brainers in my day are part of the normal lives of people nowadays.
The airwaves are 'rotten' – what with music that uphold immorality and the overuse of 'the love word' without meaning any bit of it.
Please don't mention the internet and its sisters. Appalling is the word to use here.
Recently I came across a story that, to me, seemed to leap from the page and shout aloud about the true meaning of love. I have reproduced it here for us to have a rethink about this word that we have taken for granted for a long, long time.
There was a young couple, Della and Jim, who were very much in love. Each had one unique possession. Della's hair was her glory. When she let it down it almost served her as her robe. Jim, on the other hand, had a gold watch which had come to him from his father and which was his pride.
It was the day before Christmas, and Della had exactly one dollar eighty seven cents to buy Jim a present. She did the only thing she could do. She went out and sold her hair for twenty dollars. And with the proceeds she bought a platinum fob for Jim's precious watch.
Jim came home at night, when he saw Della's shorn head he stopped as if stupefied. It was not that he did not like it or did not love her anymore. She was lovelier than ever. Slowly he handed her his gift. His gift was a set of expensive tortoise-shell combs and he had sold his gold watch to buy them for her.
Each had given the other all he or she had to give. Real love cannot think of any other way to give.
This, I think, is the true meaning of love: Giving your best for the benefit of another person without asking what you'll get out of it.
Love is everywhere: the airwaves (radio & TV music), cyberspace, magazines, books, and one-to-one encounters. It's simply everywhere.
I started hearing the 'love' phrase when I was an adolescent.
Scores of adolescent boys and girls could be seen skirting around the dark places at night probably to meet their 'dates' at their pre-arranged rendezvous. In my day, there were no mobile phones to ease communication. We just had to wait for our 'girls' and hope against all hope that they would turn up otherwise our 'dare devil' antics would just go to waste. Don't even mention all the priceless things we wasted in our quest to look macho.
We wasted our time, energy, good old virginity, and the chance to understand the dynamics of the most wonderful word in the world – love.
In retrospect, though, I am happy that I went through adolescence in those years. Today, everything is so different. The moral guard has been slackened far too much that most of the things that were considered no-brainers in my day are part of the normal lives of people nowadays.
The airwaves are 'rotten' – what with music that uphold immorality and the overuse of 'the love word' without meaning any bit of it.
Please don't mention the internet and its sisters. Appalling is the word to use here.
Recently I came across a story that, to me, seemed to leap from the page and shout aloud about the true meaning of love. I have reproduced it here for us to have a rethink about this word that we have taken for granted for a long, long time.
There was a young couple, Della and Jim, who were very much in love. Each had one unique possession. Della's hair was her glory. When she let it down it almost served her as her robe. Jim, on the other hand, had a gold watch which had come to him from his father and which was his pride.
It was the day before Christmas, and Della had exactly one dollar eighty seven cents to buy Jim a present. She did the only thing she could do. She went out and sold her hair for twenty dollars. And with the proceeds she bought a platinum fob for Jim's precious watch.
Jim came home at night, when he saw Della's shorn head he stopped as if stupefied. It was not that he did not like it or did not love her anymore. She was lovelier than ever. Slowly he handed her his gift. His gift was a set of expensive tortoise-shell combs and he had sold his gold watch to buy them for her.
Each had given the other all he or she had to give. Real love cannot think of any other way to give.
This, I think, is the true meaning of love: Giving your best for the benefit of another person without asking what you'll get out of it.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
African cities stinking, littered – a way of life
One of the things that is very conspicuous as you traverse the cities and towns in Africa is litter and garbage. However, as development and the so-called 'social wellness' are causing ripples across some African economies, things are brightening up.
It leaves so many questions begging for answers when I see, read and watch people's unbridled activities that are detrimental to the states of our towns, environmentally speaking.
Picture this. A car is speeding down a highway. A window is rolled down and a hand wantonly throws out, onto the busy highway, banana peelings and biscuit wrappers. If the occupants of twenty different cars do the very same thing in, say, three hours, what would be the state of the said highway? Appalling to say the least.
Picture all the highways in that city or town undergoing the same (in the three hours) what a city or town that would be! But, according to me, people have some "respect" for the roads so littering on the roads is not as bad as bad could be.
Our estates are the worst hit by this 'scourge'. Garbage disposal systems are just not working and if they are, then people don't even notice. Why? This is simply because we are the same ones who incapacitate their smooth running by our sick actions.
Few questions too many
• What is so hard with disposing off garbage in the rightful places & containers?
• What is so hard with doing the right thing at the right place (as far as garbage/litter is concerned)?
• Do we do the things we do because we like doing them or are we forced to?
• Do we really 'enjoy' living in insalubrious surroundings, our public image notwithstanding?
My opinion is that this is a typical African mindset. It is more a 'mental malady' than the lack of resources.
Sometimes we throw litter about, unknowingly (someone would say 'unconsciously' to mollify the guilt that goes with it!). We were born with it, in it and have grown into it.
So if we are to extricate ourselves from this state of affairs we have to redefine our systems. I suggest, too, that legislation that is more rigorous be put in place to nip this deleterious 'malpractice' in the bud.
We need cleaner cities and fresher air in our cities, towns and countries. And a pinch of manners to boot... Let's stop throwing papers, wrappers and peelings in all the wrong places. Save peelings for your farm and not the road! Do the guys attending the Africities summit in Nairobi catch the drift?
I am setting my sights too high, aren't I?
It leaves so many questions begging for answers when I see, read and watch people's unbridled activities that are detrimental to the states of our towns, environmentally speaking.
Picture this. A car is speeding down a highway. A window is rolled down and a hand wantonly throws out, onto the busy highway, banana peelings and biscuit wrappers. If the occupants of twenty different cars do the very same thing in, say, three hours, what would be the state of the said highway? Appalling to say the least.
Picture all the highways in that city or town undergoing the same (in the three hours) what a city or town that would be! But, according to me, people have some "respect" for the roads so littering on the roads is not as bad as bad could be.
Our estates are the worst hit by this 'scourge'. Garbage disposal systems are just not working and if they are, then people don't even notice. Why? This is simply because we are the same ones who incapacitate their smooth running by our sick actions.
Few questions too many
• What is so hard with disposing off garbage in the rightful places & containers?
• What is so hard with doing the right thing at the right place (as far as garbage/litter is concerned)?
• Do we do the things we do because we like doing them or are we forced to?
• Do we really 'enjoy' living in insalubrious surroundings, our public image notwithstanding?
My opinion is that this is a typical African mindset. It is more a 'mental malady' than the lack of resources.
Sometimes we throw litter about, unknowingly (someone would say 'unconsciously' to mollify the guilt that goes with it!). We were born with it, in it and have grown into it.
So if we are to extricate ourselves from this state of affairs we have to redefine our systems. I suggest, too, that legislation that is more rigorous be put in place to nip this deleterious 'malpractice' in the bud.
We need cleaner cities and fresher air in our cities, towns and countries. And a pinch of manners to boot... Let's stop throwing papers, wrappers and peelings in all the wrong places. Save peelings for your farm and not the road! Do the guys attending the Africities summit in Nairobi catch the drift?
I am setting my sights too high, aren't I?
Bush – Kikwete rigmarole: Kenyan question
The Monday meeting in New York between Presidents George Bush (US) and Jakaya Kikwete (Tanzania) was only good to a point. The suspect nature of the meeting came to the fore when Kenya's "political instability" was brought into the picture. (Political instability indeed!)
What was George Bush doing discussing Kenya's political situation with Kikwete while Kenya's Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju (leading the Kenyan delegation to the UN General Assembly) could have been called upon to comment?
To further mar the already stained picture, no explanation was forthcoming as to why Bush spoke about Kenya's domestic issues with Kikwete.
Methinks, Mr. Bush ought to have been wise enough not to hold such discussions with the president of a neighbouring country while our own delegates were within 'calling' range.
What does this portend? Does this go to emphasize (drive a point home!) how our own administration is lowly esteemed by the president of the world (Bush!)? What is the meaning of this goings-on?
What was George Bush doing discussing Kenya's political situation with Kikwete while Kenya's Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju (leading the Kenyan delegation to the UN General Assembly) could have been called upon to comment?
To further mar the already stained picture, no explanation was forthcoming as to why Bush spoke about Kenya's domestic issues with Kikwete.
Methinks, Mr. Bush ought to have been wise enough not to hold such discussions with the president of a neighbouring country while our own delegates were within 'calling' range.
What does this portend? Does this go to emphasize (drive a point home!) how our own administration is lowly esteemed by the president of the world (Bush!)? What is the meaning of this goings-on?
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Phobia and fear: much of a muchness
Phobia is defined by the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English as a strong, unnatural, and usually unreasonable fear and dislike. The same dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant and usually strong feeling caused by the presence or expectation of danger.
All of us have something we fear and dread. There is no gainsaying that. If you say that you there is nothing you fear, however infinitesimal, then you will have to forgive me when I call you one big liar. Moreover, ofcourse, what you fear should not necessarily be what I fear.
People fear anything ranging from ants to lions and snakes. It is only when your fear is unreasonable that you can start worrying of being phobic.
A phobia is said to be a 'learned anxiety' that has formed around a real or imagined situation. The original source of the anxiety is gradually replaced by symbols that come to represent it. In time, the symbols become the source of fear and a phobia is born.
Phobias about different things have names that I find very rib tickling if not strange.
Here I share with you some that I came across recently:
• Kakorraphiaphobia - fear of failure
• Aulophobia – fear of the flute
• Papaphobia – fear of the pope (God forbid!)
• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Agoraphobia – fear of open spaces
• Claustrophobia – fear of closed places
• Triskaidekaphobia – fear of number 13
• Xenophobia – fear of foreigners
• Zoophobia – fear of animals
• Arachybutyrophobia – fear of eating peanut butter
• Cyberphobia – fear of computers
• Keraunothnetophobia – fear of falling man-made satellites
• Cibophobia/Sitophobia/Sitiophobia – fear of food
• Anglophobia – fear of Britain
• Didaskaleinophobia – fear of going to school
• Anuptaphobia – fear of staying single
• Brontophobia – fear of thunder and lightning
• Agyrophobia – fear of streets or crossing streets
• Agateophobia – fear of insanity
• Hellenologophobia – fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology
• Venustraphobia – fear of beautiful women (what a phobia!)
• Levophobia – fear of things to the left side of the body
• Athazagoraphobia – fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting
• Gephyrophobia /gephysrophobia/ghephydrophobia – fear of crossing bridges
• Siderodromophobia – fear of travelling by train
• Xenoglossophobia – fear of foreign languages
• Xanthaphobia – fear of colour yellow or word yellow
• Paraskavedekatriaphobia – fear of Friday, 13th
• Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – fear of long words
• Chronomentrophobia – fear of clocks
• Arrhenphobia – fear of men
• Erythrophobia/erytophobia/ereuthophobia - fear of red lights or of blushing
• Rhabdophobia – fear of being punished severely with a rod or being criticized
• Bromidrosiphobia/bromidrophobia – fear of body smells
• Ablutophobia – fear of bathing (I bet that classmate of mine in boarding school had this phobia. What with bathing only once in months!)
• Ancraophobia/anemophobia – fear of wind
• Amaxophobia – fear of riding in a car
• Felinophobia/ailuophobia/elurophobia/gatophobia – fear of cats
Phobias are strange things altogether. If there are others you know, please feel free to post them on this column. We'll be more than eager to read from you.
All of us have something we fear and dread. There is no gainsaying that. If you say that you there is nothing you fear, however infinitesimal, then you will have to forgive me when I call you one big liar. Moreover, ofcourse, what you fear should not necessarily be what I fear.
People fear anything ranging from ants to lions and snakes. It is only when your fear is unreasonable that you can start worrying of being phobic.
A phobia is said to be a 'learned anxiety' that has formed around a real or imagined situation. The original source of the anxiety is gradually replaced by symbols that come to represent it. In time, the symbols become the source of fear and a phobia is born.
Phobias about different things have names that I find very rib tickling if not strange.
Here I share with you some that I came across recently:
• Kakorraphiaphobia - fear of failure
• Aulophobia – fear of the flute
• Papaphobia – fear of the pope (God forbid!)
• Acrophobia – fear of heights
• Agoraphobia – fear of open spaces
• Claustrophobia – fear of closed places
• Triskaidekaphobia – fear of number 13
• Xenophobia – fear of foreigners
• Zoophobia – fear of animals
• Arachybutyrophobia – fear of eating peanut butter
• Cyberphobia – fear of computers
• Keraunothnetophobia – fear of falling man-made satellites
• Cibophobia/Sitophobia/Sitiophobia – fear of food
• Anglophobia – fear of Britain
• Didaskaleinophobia – fear of going to school
• Anuptaphobia – fear of staying single
• Brontophobia – fear of thunder and lightning
• Agyrophobia – fear of streets or crossing streets
• Agateophobia – fear of insanity
• Hellenologophobia – fear of Greek terms or complex scientific terminology
• Venustraphobia – fear of beautiful women (what a phobia!)
• Levophobia – fear of things to the left side of the body
• Athazagoraphobia – fear of being forgotten or ignored or forgetting
• Gephyrophobia /gephysrophobia/ghephydrophobia – fear of crossing bridges
• Siderodromophobia – fear of travelling by train
• Xenoglossophobia – fear of foreign languages
• Xanthaphobia – fear of colour yellow or word yellow
• Paraskavedekatriaphobia – fear of Friday, 13th
• Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia – fear of long words
• Chronomentrophobia – fear of clocks
• Arrhenphobia – fear of men
• Erythrophobia/erytophobia/ereuthophobia - fear of red lights or of blushing
• Rhabdophobia – fear of being punished severely with a rod or being criticized
• Bromidrosiphobia/bromidrophobia – fear of body smells
• Ablutophobia – fear of bathing (I bet that classmate of mine in boarding school had this phobia. What with bathing only once in months!)
• Ancraophobia/anemophobia – fear of wind
• Amaxophobia – fear of riding in a car
• Felinophobia/ailuophobia/elurophobia/gatophobia – fear of cats
Phobias are strange things altogether. If there are others you know, please feel free to post them on this column. We'll be more than eager to read from you.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
The missing piece in the jigsaw
The other day I found myself 'inadvertently' eavesdropping on the conversation of some two young men. They were talking about Aids, sex and marriage.
One of them was saying that men (quite an outlandish generalization) cannot do without sex. He went on to say that as long as a man is 'functioning' then sex is the sure release of his building pressure.
Then the insalubrious 'party pooper' was brought into the picture: Aids. They fear Aids. Talking of Aids as if talking of the weather is sheer madness (what I learnt from what they were saying). They said that with Aids lurking somewhere in the shadows of 'after sex' then a tricky situation had plunged headlong onto the scene.
One of the two (a bachelor, I learnt) said that with Aids marring the beautiful picture that once gleamed in the light, marriage had become a no-tread zone to many a young man. He said that he would 'marry' for two or three years and, after getting a kid or two, tell the woman (read wife),
"Your time's up. Pack your bags and leave!" He would retain the children (with that he would have accomplished his goal in life!).
They viewed sex as a way of letting off 'steam' and marriage as a 'factory' for making children; after that: to hell with it!
This is a dim view of reality. Sex and marriage are beautiful things created by God. Sex serves its purpose divinely in the context of marriage. And marriage is more than just 'where children are made' but rather where we learn to use our God-given talents to benefit each other (the married) in exciting ways that increase the gushes and torrents of love.
Still on the issue of marriage, sample what Bishop T.D. Jakes has to say to the married and the ones aspiring to be married one day.
What it means to be married
"To the one you are marrying you are saying: when my time comes to leave this world, when the chill of eternity blows away my birthdays and my future stands still in the night, it's your face I want to kiss goodbye. It's your hand I want to squeeze, as I slip from time to eternity. As the curtain closes on all I have attempted to do and be, I want to look into your eyes and see that I mattered. Not what I looked like or how much money I made, or even how talented I was. I just want to look into the eyes of someone who loved me and see that I mattered."
This is quite a huge price tag attached to the marriage institution and certainly the missing piece in the jigsaw. What do you think?
One of them was saying that men (quite an outlandish generalization) cannot do without sex. He went on to say that as long as a man is 'functioning' then sex is the sure release of his building pressure.
Then the insalubrious 'party pooper' was brought into the picture: Aids. They fear Aids. Talking of Aids as if talking of the weather is sheer madness (what I learnt from what they were saying). They said that with Aids lurking somewhere in the shadows of 'after sex' then a tricky situation had plunged headlong onto the scene.
One of the two (a bachelor, I learnt) said that with Aids marring the beautiful picture that once gleamed in the light, marriage had become a no-tread zone to many a young man. He said that he would 'marry' for two or three years and, after getting a kid or two, tell the woman (read wife),
"Your time's up. Pack your bags and leave!" He would retain the children (with that he would have accomplished his goal in life!).
They viewed sex as a way of letting off 'steam' and marriage as a 'factory' for making children; after that: to hell with it!
This is a dim view of reality. Sex and marriage are beautiful things created by God. Sex serves its purpose divinely in the context of marriage. And marriage is more than just 'where children are made' but rather where we learn to use our God-given talents to benefit each other (the married) in exciting ways that increase the gushes and torrents of love.
Still on the issue of marriage, sample what Bishop T.D. Jakes has to say to the married and the ones aspiring to be married one day.
What it means to be married
"To the one you are marrying you are saying: when my time comes to leave this world, when the chill of eternity blows away my birthdays and my future stands still in the night, it's your face I want to kiss goodbye. It's your hand I want to squeeze, as I slip from time to eternity. As the curtain closes on all I have attempted to do and be, I want to look into your eyes and see that I mattered. Not what I looked like or how much money I made, or even how talented I was. I just want to look into the eyes of someone who loved me and see that I mattered."
This is quite a huge price tag attached to the marriage institution and certainly the missing piece in the jigsaw. What do you think?
Friday, September 08, 2006
Aids awareness programmes: unnecessary semantics?
Today, I am an angry African. No, I am miffed and annoyed. "Why?" you may ask.
I have been trying to educate people on the right course of action to take as far as prevention of Aids is concerned. I have tried to do this through my writing (newspaper and magazine articles, my blogs), public speaking and one on one encounters.
I go to such lengths, not because I suffer from Aids (which I don't) or because I benefit in any way, but because of the love of humanity and human life. Life is one of the most priceless things that God has given us. We should never, I repeat, never, use our lives as guinea pigs and swim in the morass of ludicrous experimentations.
Our foremost cry should not be how we can cure Aids but rather how we can stop promiscuity and immorality (HIV's open highway). I know you'll not agree with me but truth be told, we can never expect to cut the tree's branches and wish the tree away after that – we should rather cut the trunk, uproot the stump and cut the branches while the tree is lying vertically on the ground!
What makes me choke is the laxity that most people exhibit when it comes to Aids issues. Aids awareness programmes have become too common that most of us guys have dropped our guard and forgotten the danger that we are exposing ourselves to. My view of the whole thing is that people have heard so much about Aids that their 'ears' have become numb. Is it the case of too-much-of-something-is-poisonous? This depends on ones perceptions and priorities. According to me, poison, in this case, is what you get when you do not heed the call: Aids.
Let us refuse to be dragged to such a level. Whether we like it or not, Aids is the stark truth of our dangerous times and if we do not take heed then our continent will not have tomorrow's leaders. So hurting but a very potential outcome.
Compromise and complacency should never be allowed in our neighbourhood – if not always then at least when we are dealing with this grave problem.
To sum up, can we expect to extricate ourselves from this menace if promiscuity and immorality are still a principal part of our moral fabric? If we do, then it's like expecting a snowball to survive in hell.
I have been trying to educate people on the right course of action to take as far as prevention of Aids is concerned. I have tried to do this through my writing (newspaper and magazine articles, my blogs), public speaking and one on one encounters.
I go to such lengths, not because I suffer from Aids (which I don't) or because I benefit in any way, but because of the love of humanity and human life. Life is one of the most priceless things that God has given us. We should never, I repeat, never, use our lives as guinea pigs and swim in the morass of ludicrous experimentations.
Our foremost cry should not be how we can cure Aids but rather how we can stop promiscuity and immorality (HIV's open highway). I know you'll not agree with me but truth be told, we can never expect to cut the tree's branches and wish the tree away after that – we should rather cut the trunk, uproot the stump and cut the branches while the tree is lying vertically on the ground!
What makes me choke is the laxity that most people exhibit when it comes to Aids issues. Aids awareness programmes have become too common that most of us guys have dropped our guard and forgotten the danger that we are exposing ourselves to. My view of the whole thing is that people have heard so much about Aids that their 'ears' have become numb. Is it the case of too-much-of-something-is-poisonous? This depends on ones perceptions and priorities. According to me, poison, in this case, is what you get when you do not heed the call: Aids.
Let us refuse to be dragged to such a level. Whether we like it or not, Aids is the stark truth of our dangerous times and if we do not take heed then our continent will not have tomorrow's leaders. So hurting but a very potential outcome.
Compromise and complacency should never be allowed in our neighbourhood – if not always then at least when we are dealing with this grave problem.
To sum up, can we expect to extricate ourselves from this menace if promiscuity and immorality are still a principal part of our moral fabric? If we do, then it's like expecting a snowball to survive in hell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
