TALKING ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT

Hi colleagues,
Below is Comrade Sammy's piece which really is a must read for us all.
Your enjoying will be appreciated by way of contributing or responding to it.
Regards,
Blog Facilitator,
John
Zambia.


TALKING ECONOMICS AND MANAGEMENT
I had wanted to post this on ECONOMIC EDITORS blog but it seems our institution here just like many other in Tanzania is not Blog friendly, Guess you understand!

Sammy

KEEP ON TALKING ECONOMICS

Sammy Makilla

This is the first article in the series I shall call -KEEP ON TALKING ECONOMICS- Here I just want you to recall that actually Economics is 'a reasonable talk.' I am not going to teach you anything. My idea is to talk to you-so you can talk back to me. Because of the circumstances am forced to make this the initial item but also using the opportunity as S.O.S for AEEN rebirth. Because this cannot be done unless AEEN continue not only to exist but fulfilling its objectives too.

We may not have money like Mohammed [Mo] Ibrahim and his foundation but in our small ways I believe we can talk a number of things that can make it possible for more people like Mo to surface
and help Africa get its economic and social development formula right.

Development is a process of talking. Knowing this, our tribe- a small one in Tanzania believes a lot in talking-at home, in drinking places, at work and in the church or mosque as well as in the wider community. This is because we believe that the origins of all our development lies in talking, meeting, exchanging ideas and starting projects to implement what we have been talking about.

Do we really need to get consultancy from the West to know that-unless we talk and talk and talk there shall be nothing doing in our midst?

The beautiful thing about the thing called mind and the other called tongue is that they are so tinny but can move mountains and empty oceans.

By the way did you know that this thing called 'reasonable talk' or 'reasonable dialog' according to the Ancient Mexicans, Arabs, Greeks, Jews, Japanese, Africans and Chinese started thousand of years ago. For instance, Mansa Mussa of Mali and Askia Mohammed of Songhay had experts who taught their people about trade and international economics. These experts were both local and foreign.

But according to Europeans it started only 200 years ago. In other words, Europeans say it started when they had their eyes opened during the seafaring and Industrialization era, while others say it did start long, long ago even before Europe was baptized by the Romans.

As an African is it really not the right time to start digging our own past for lessons in trrade, resource exploitation, economics, m anagement and governance rather than just continue to copy [talking politely] or swallow everything pushed into our throats by the West [talking harshly] ?

I sincerely believe that we as African journalists, among other things, need to talk to our academics and challenge them to design and implement courses and programmes that seek to have subjects like:

-History of European Economics
-History of American Economics
-Contemporaty Western Economics
-Pre-Coloanial African Economics
-Post-Colonial African Economics
-Chinese and Japanese Economics
-Market economies and human de velopment
-Human Resource Development and Economics
-The undervaluing of African human and natural resources
-Exploitation and development
-Capitalism, multinationals and African resources
-New Economic Cooperation strategies
-ICT and African Economics
-Alternatives to IMF and World Bank
-Globalization and African Development
-Wars, Conflict and Development,
-Ibrahim Index of African Governance and African Economics
-MDGs and African Development
-HDI and African Economics

and we may not have anything to write about:
-HISTORY OF AFRICAN ECONOMIC JOURNALISM
if we don't talk now and use AEEN as our central archiving institution.

FIFTY years after independence why should we have such a narrow base for academic and general discussions? Why remain in this strait jacket? Let us deepen and expand the talk ...... as the elasticity here is infinite dear coallegues....! And the more we talk, the more ideas generated, African original and unique ideas though-that may be better ten times than the misguided ideas and biases of thinkers from the West like the most esteemed Dr. James Watson-the true incarnation of the European man and woman who deep in their hearts say we are inferior to them.....but never utter it. But should we be afraid? Indeed, we may be inferior to them----but we are what we are because of their plundering, raping, steraling from us, abusing us, making us sub-humans, slavery, colonialism and excessive exploitation, degradation, oppression, humiliation and discrimination.

Interesting indeed, someone forcing you to fast or is it starving you.... eating up 90 per cent of what you produce and leaving you with less than 10 per cent -saying you are not mentally and physically healthy like him-'Kudadadeki!'

And it is for this reason, that perhaps that Europe and America's embrace [if not asphyxiation] of Africa shall be replaced by Chinese hand-shake and hugging.

I have set the ball rolling. Next can you talk to the Economics Professor or Lecturer in your vicinity or better still at the usual extended living-room or alias the 'waterhole!'

But did I tell you- I love Dr. James Watson and his Nazi's grandparents!

Under Africa's Blue Sky, Loving Sun and Romantic Clouds and, of course, Economic and Social Development Issues-there are so many things one can talk about-and each of us has something to say-we don't usually do it because we are shy or we believe our efforts are wasted. With this revival effort I am sure that I will not be wrong to say-if we love Africa then we must be interested in Africa; we must be willing to serve Africa in whicher possible way; and we must develop the right attitude- and to me that is doing good to benefit the greatest number of Africans possible. It can be done, play your part. Talk and we shall talk back to you.........and the time is now!

But the above are not enough if we really want to bequath a respectable and admired Africa to our progeny. We need an original mission and vision for Africans.

Should I propose the MISSION:
'Using our people, information, communication and all other resources [on land, air and sea] to solve our social, economic and technological problems.'

VISION
Racing economically to catch East Asia, India and China.

STRATEGIES
1. Looking East-in terms of education, technology and markets.
2. Pitting the West against their rivals
3. Putting a fullstop to AFRICOM and establishing an AFRICAN ARMY to DEFEND AFRICA and AFRICANS. [ No American armies on Africa-should be our motto?]
4. Collaborating with the East and Latin America to develop sea and naval power.
5. Making Africa a peaceful continent.
6. Seeing Intra-Africa trade growing by leaps and bounds.
7. Consolidating the achievements of Mo Ibrahim and ibn Makhtoum and getting more of their likes to awaken the URGE TO ACHIEVE and SUCCEED in AFRICA.
8. Working HARDER than the CHINESE!

At times, some of us will try their hand on this or that. And sometimes these things will work. But the moment the founders are too busy or 'the internet is down'- those given the opportunity to continue with the relay unknowingly or deliberately mess up. We then kill hte mind and spirit of the founding fathers. We all know how Nixon loves Africa. We know how much the guy sacrificed for us and the continent. The only way we can pay him back is to ensure AEEN lives! Of course, If i will have my way-I will die a happy man when I leave behind me- 'PROF. NIXON KARIITHI CENTRE FOR ECONOMIC JOURNALISM IN AFRICA!


My late Grandfather once told me: 'Grandson, if you live for yourself, you live half a man [woman], but if you live for others, you die a complete man!'


Sammy in Keep on Talkking Economics

Sammy Makilla
P.O.Box 11337
Dar es Salaam.
TANZANIA
EAST AFRICA

Tel: +255-22-2807303
Mob: +255-732-928534
URL: www.teknohama.com