3 people, 3 lives, 3 waves

Written on Wednesday 9 July 2008 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Of the 6 billion-odd people on earth, only a few of us would, willingly, devote everything that they are to getting ahead in life. Most of us, it seems, are quite comfortable with bare survival. An even smaller number would, willingly, choose to devote their lives to others.

I dislike generalisations. I like working with numbers and specifics. Maths is, after all, one of my majors! However, I do not need numbers to tell this tale. Besides, the generalisations I am making are sad. I would be glad to find out that they were wrong.

The Africa I used to read about in my old history textbooks was always spoken of as the dark continent, not only because of the dark complexion of her people, but, because of their dark minds. We always seemed to be a few steps (maybe miles) behind in comparison to the Western World. Now, after about 50 years of independence, we’re still lagging behind. It appears that even Asia and South America have accelerated ahead of us. I stopped doing history a while back. However, the pictures I see of my today are not far off from my textbooks. Daily accounts are given of unemployment, political strife, tribal squabbles, economic chaos and general low quality of life for the majority of our population. For a people that claim to enjoy cultural diversity and strength of community we are still far off from reflecting that same enjoyment in our day-to-day. I cannot claim to love my neighbour and treat him like a beggar or a thief or an outcast for any reason.

Fortunately, there is one other thing that has not changed about us. There are always those who can still see hope, even in the midst of chaotic darkness. Now that my moaning and groaning is out of the way, I wish to speak of the glimmer of hope and stray ray of light that still shines amongst us. During this last week, I met spoke and lived with 3 individuals whose ability to inspire and motivate went beyond speech and into their actions. They showed that by what they did and who they are, they believe that the struggle is not in vain. Africa is not lost.

I have heard of selfless people; saints, Mother Theresa…But until last week, I could not have claimed to have met such a person especially in my generation. I met a young South African lady who leads, as Esther said, with ‘the thought well thought, the word well said and the deed well done’. (Queen Esther in ‘One Night with a King’)She gives of herself as often and as much as possible. Her faith in God and a vision for a better place, it seems, are what keep her going. When it’s dark and dreary and there does not seem to be much in store for the people she leads, she still continues to plough and sow into their hearts and lives, believing in the hope of a better future. Everyday, I pray for passion, love, compassion, foresight and a vision that looks past my present. I am grateful to God that He has allowed me to experience such passion, even though it is that of another.

The second individual is also a young lady. She reminds me of the biblical parable of the servants to whom talents were given so that they could invest and create wealth for their master. From him who received many talents, much was expected. I always wondered; what happens to him who is given little or nothing? Is little or nothing expected from him? This young lady, however, was not as narrow minded or short sighted as I am. She started from a small African nation, ridden with never-ending civil wars and political conflict, with nothing but hope and a dream. Not all of us have seen our dreams come true in our lifetimes but she’s seen life surprise her and surpass all her dreams and expectations. She has managed to lead an organisation from its infancy and brought it to full maturity, thus, developing her leadership skills and those of many around her. She has seen her successors thrive and helped them manage their responsibilities. She has travelled the globe and tasted different styles of life. She has taught and trained leaders (and potential leaders) wherever and whenever she could. I’d like to point out that this is only her beginning. She has not yet even started working on her own personal agenda. So far, she has been working entirely for others. Her story is not just about beating the odds. It’s about redefining the odds. Time, skills, language, money, race, gender-nothing seems too difficult to be dealt with. Her life’s motto could well be, ‘I can because I can!’

When I started my Varsity experience in Makerere University, I was quick to notice the lack of meaningful activity on campus, outside class (of course!). For students who were not passionate about politics (regional/partisan/tribal) or religion, there was little else in terms of organised and recognised extra-curricular activities. (From what I gather, things may have changed in the last few years.) A month later, I left Uganda and joined the University of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. There I discovered AIESEC. It seemed to provide a solution for my dilemma but also seemed like a lot of work. Three months later I left Tanzania and, after a two month holiday, I started my Varsity, for the third time, in the Cape Town South Africa. The University of Cape Town has the most diverse people groupings, in one institution, which I have ever come across. As a result, we have more than eighty (80) clubs and societies on campus catering for almost every race, gender, economic class, political affiliation, religion, sport and hobby. As long as you have a constitution of some sort, a mandate and a following, you can start anything. One of the first societies I was introduced to was the Wine society. I thought that was hilarious until I met the Beer society! Recently I heard of a society for students who would like to ‘take a chill pill’. All they do, when they meet, is ‘chill’ together. I’d love to see that constitution! I mentioned all this because I’d like to draw a comparison between where I was and where I am now. This comparison might prove useful in appreciating the last part of this tale.

The last story (I said I had 3, right?) is a bit closer to heart and home. My last spark of inspiration, for now, is a young gentleman (finally!). His gusto for life, almost literally, knocked me off my feet, especially since he seemed like such a quiet person, at first glance. Unlike the other two, he is still completing his university. The most appropriate AIESEC question I could find for this was ‘Are you swimming with the stream or creating a wave?’ It is very easy to blame everyone (the university administration, Students’ Representative Council/Guild, government etc) for the apparent failure to link the university students’ experiences to society or to create arenas for student expression outside the classroom. That is exactly what I did. This young gentleman’s university experience could have similar to mine in Makerere. However, he chose to see his situation as an opportunity to test his limits. How far could he go? How much could he discover? How much could he learn? On meeting him, it is evident that he is passionate about leadership (both as a leader and a coach to potential leaders). He is also compassionate and responds to it through action. His vision reaches past the now (what is) and into the morrow (what could/will be). In addition, I found it quite amusing that he has a slightly more adventurous side to him, with the tendency to run into the horizon if the opportunity presents itself. All these qualities stirred in him a need to act- to do something. He does not seem content in knowing about his passions, talents or strengths if they do not yield results in terms of his impact on people. As far as I know, he has taken up volunteer jobs with NGOs in his community, joined and revolutionised AIESEC in his university and travelled a fair deal to train leaders and receive training. Somehow, he managed to end up on a reality TV show (I’m still rolling with laughter over this) and, on the side plays the lead guitar in a rock band. Let us not forget that he is still in school and hopes to graduate at the next year. I thought my life was busy, but after meeting him, I must admit that I have too much free time. Now I feel like I ought to be doing a lot more with myself.

These three people taught me three lessons; sacrifice (complete/total devotion to others, without thinking of self), passion/drive (that which moves one beyond visible boundaries) and innovatory thinking (an ability to invent/create possibilities/ideas/opportunities and an inability to let others define the status quo). To know and see young people exhibiting qualities of this nature is a challenge to me. I am left with the thought, ‘when people look at me and look into my life, is there something worth learning from me? Is there a message? What is my message?’

I am grateful to God for allowing me to meet these individuals and to these bright sparks for allowing me to know and lean from them. Africa needs all the spark she can get. The Dark age is almost over… Thrusday 10th July 2008 Port Elizabeth, South Africa.