It may seem okay to live in a competition (rat race) all our lives looking for superior approval to be awarded the number 1 spot. But the consequence of the is that as a society we are constantly competing with each other and never seem to collaborate for the greater good, because we simply have to out shine the other at all costs, even at our very own expense.
I moved to Kenya to boarding school when I was 13 years old. When the concepts of Ujama and Harambee ( loosely interpreted as community coming together for the greater good), I didn't know the Zambian word for working together, simply because in Zambia we are all individually competing for the number 1 spot, in all our mediocre efforts. Better explained like this, if a Kenyan citizen came up with an idea, his fellow citizens would come on board and rally behind the idea to make it the best ever, whether for job or equity opportunity. A concept that dominates the developed nations. However in zambia, if a Zambian citizen comes up with an idea, his fellow Zambian, will come and scrutinise the idea so that they can try and wedge themselves in and steal it so as to either sell the idea or try to replicate it.
Some will say its healthy competition, they may be right. But what I see is a lot of fragmented efforts towards the same goal. We push each other out of the way to the top, only to fail, simply because individually, we don't have enough to push forward.
Teamwork and unity are foreign concepts in Zambia and it started with "pass number 1". Don't get it twisted, passing number 1 is good, but what's even better is doing it together with your friends. Some are good at mathematics others in sciences, showing each other how to answer questions effectively is a good start to working together for future collaborations.
When I travel around the world and I see my fellow Africans from Zim, Kenya, Nigeria, SA, Ghana all huddled in their respective groups, strategising and planning to win as a team, it then makes sense to me why they have thriving economies because, "one can go fast alone, but together we can go far"...
Tapera Industries Limited
biofuels & natural soaps
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