Reading Chinua, though something of an Igbo tribalist, brings some interesting insights. One realizes, that everything that has happened in anywhere in Africa, forms a part and parcel of Nigerian history.
"
The Trouble With Nigeria" could just as well be "
The Trouble With X" [X=your favorite African country]
The Kung-fu obsession would make sense if these folks were imparting skills and knowledge so they wont be needed every time something needs to be built.
In the excitement, it appears that not many are thinking of such things. But Kung Fu certainly is: I have been told that we are not even expected to be able to maintain the stuff---which is hard to argue with of one looks at history---and Kung Fu expects to be on-call (paid) even after things are done.
I recall reading something about how the Japanese learnt their craft from the Americans and made it their own. They literally had to ape the west to modernize.
And there is no better "demonstration" of that than in
kaizen---roughly, the notion that nothing, however small, is ever done with and continuous improvement is always possible. That is what the Japanese really mastered in the second half of the 20th century, and it largely explains the astounding levels of quality in many of their industrial products---to the extent that even Americans marvel at this
kaizen thing, and many, from all over the world, seek to study, understand, and apply this "oriental method". The odd thing about that is the fundamental ideas of
kaizen, as we know it today (i.e. in manufacturing), were introduced into Japan by the Americans in the immediate post-war period; before that, in Japan, the closest approach would have been in the making of samurai swords, noodles, etc. The Japanese simply "took it to the next level". Just compare, say, Toyota and the American car manufacturers, 50 years ago and now.
Beyond "manufacturing philosophies", take a look at one "concrete" aspect: electronics. Solid-state electronics is almost entirely an American invention, yet the Japanese managed to pick it up and run away with it. Who makes, say, TVs in America these days? The Japanese killed that segment of American industry ages, and, contrary to what many think, it wasn't just on pricing.
Kaizen was applied to get a "zero defect" in manufacturing. And today, the South Koreans are wiping off what's left off the TV industry elsewhere; I have been to some South Korean "consumer-electronics trade shows seen amazing prototypes. (Chinese will do cheap anything, but for quality electronics even they prefer Japanese products first and South Korean second.)
discipline and integrity
Keywords. And they make a huge, huge difference. I shall save my comments for another, more relevant, thread but the words really come to mind when I think of places like Japan and South Korea.
Thanks for the links. I'll check them out when I get a chance.
The whole "
Rethinking Africa" blog is generally good value. We need a serious re-think. Give up this idea that others, who are first and foremost looking out for themselves, will "help" and "take care" of us. Give up this idea that it's all bad climate, bad gods, bad history, bad luck, etc. Take a hard, honest look and admit: "
this is where we are, these are our alleged leaders, these are the things we need to change, ...". And without fanciful dreams of Vision XXXX, Afrika Rising, blah blah blah. A genuinely hard look and self-examination.
Nobody will do it for us.
There was a time when our ancestors gave away all sorts of things in return for shiny bits of glass or for black books of "holy word", and they were sure they were getting a great deal. And here we are today: where
mzungu once did the "saving", today it's supposedly Kung Fu. We need it be careful about getting suckered again: if others appear to giving it away, what returns do they have in mind for themselves. What lies at the end of the shiny tarmac on that new road or at the end of those rail-lines that fly over the animals?
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