Prime
We are the change we’ve been waiting for
Philip Matogo
What you need to know:
- This is a 19th Century idea popularised by Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle. It offers the view that great men, by extraordinary leadership qualities, shape history.
The generational dissonance going on at the highest levels of our politics is based on two contrasting paradigms. President Museveni and his cohort believe in the “great man theory”.
This is a 19th Century idea popularised by Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle. It offers the view that great men, by extraordinary leadership qualities, shape history.
“The history of the world is but the biography of great men” is their credo.
On the other hand, thanks to the digital age, younger generations believe history is shaped from “below” by normal people moulding ordinary events into extraordinary outcomes. This clash of orientations, as it were, explains why Museveni cannot cede power to a “singer”.
As a result, Museveni ignores random and spontaneous events which throw history into a tailspin. Thereby elevating a “nobody” into a “somebody”.
This “nobody” doesn’t have to be great. She or he can even be a [American socialite Kim] Kardashian. Or more.
When Barack Obama told Michelle about his plan to run for the US senate, she gawped. Michelle claimed Barack’s bid was “Killing us. My thing was, this is ridiculous, even if you do win, how are you going to afford this wonderful next step in your life?”
Barack, who had student loans still looming, purchased a cheap ticket to Los Angeles (LA) to attend the Democratic National Convention in 2000.
However, when he arrived at the LA airport, his credit card was rejected by the car rental agency.
“I was broke,” he said.
Still, he answered Michelle, “I am going to write a book, a good book.”
To this Michelle replied sarcastically, “Snakes eyes there, buddy. Just write a book. Yeah, that’s right. Yep, yep, yep. And you’ll climb the beanstalk and come back down with a golden egg, Jack.”
Barack did write a book which delivered the proverbial golden egg. He also won a seat in the US senate.
After that, he was able to pay off his student loans and buy a house at the cost of almost $2m. Today, the Obamas boast a book deal worth $65m!
In 1960s South Africa, the Defiance Campaign resulted in the imprisonment of national leaders like Nelson Mandela, Robert Sobukwe, Walter Sisulu and Ahmed Kathadra. This left a leadership vacuum.
One day a schoolboy, dressed in his school uniform, was walking home.
Then, quite suddenly, he got caught up in what was then the biggest march in South African history.
It was a disorganised rabble of persons fed up with the system.
So there was no leader, only movement.
This schoolboy decided to jump on a table, so as to watch this sea of discontents go by.
At that point, he stood on the highest point amid all these marchers.
So everyone assumed he was designated to speak (and he was probably a leader in disguise).
They thus turned to face him, looking innocently up at him like penitents in church.
He quickly fell into the moment. “Sit down,” he said. And they sat.
“Keep quiet,” he ordered. And silence reigned.
Then, just like that, he was at the helm of the biggest protest march in his country. Of course, the authorities hounded him and he went into exile. Later, however, Mr Philip Kgosana came of age as a pan-Africanist leader of significant renown.
William Shakespeare once wrote, “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.” In this age, more than any other, every action of wananchi can be a ripple that will grow into the very tide of change.
So we must not wait for “great men”, when we are the change we’ve been waiting for.
Mr Matogo is the managing editor Fasihi Magazine.
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