YEAH!!!!

I read a fascinating book, “In the footsteps of Mr Kurtz” about the DRC. One theory put forward it was the Belgian colonial stripping of an internal locus of control, of the ability to change and rise up and self-determine a path through their absolute and very violent put-down of any opposition that “trained” the Congalese to think that they had no control. Mobutu Sese Seko was able to control the country because they were already a broken people.

I don’t know if this is an inspired or contrive analogy, but it speaks to some extent to the loss of internal locus of control given our history.

His comment on the single, most jarring issue facing him when interacting with South Africans in general (less with those already in the higher income groups): that just about all he interacted with in his preparations seemed to have an external locus of control, i.e. things happen “to me”, rather than “because of me”.

To the extent this was encouraged by the apartheid government (no way did they want the downtrodden to think that it was within their control to effect change), this is extremely insidious consequence. Subject to the risk of confirmation bias, it fits the “give me a job”, “pay me a living wage”, etc mindset extraordinarily well (i.e. instead of focusing on self-skilling, risk-taking and other self-initiated improvements).

Steve Biko’s philosophies are very consistent with the historical existence of above state of affairs, however uncomfortable I am with the solutions that he had then suggested.

Cognisant of the nature of the human mind, I am firmly of the belief that it would be a very high value activity to identify narratives of successful people, to whom the less advantaged can easily relate, and to spread these narratives.

We need more Herman & Connie Mashaba’s and fewer Tokyo Sexwale’s and Cyril Ramaphosa’s; more traditional entrepeneurial narratives and fewer “deal makers” narratives.