Silicon Valley or the valley of the shadow of death

http://www.fastcompany.com/3037940/a-different-kind-of-valley-life#

You have heard of race relations with regard to African Americans and other races but have you ever examined the relations between Africans and African Americans?

My thoughts are a collection of ideas that range from politics to business to religion. There are certain aspects of me in this discussion (a life in the U.S from the end of the Clinton presidency to the end of the George Bush's Jr. last term) as well as a new life in Uganda (2005 to the present day). 

What I have tried to do is gather the full gamut of my thoughts and experiences in an effort to make sense of a rich and diverse albeit rather sad life. 

If you go back to the sixties, you notice that there was a massive immigration surge to the U.S of a best of the best of African culture. These were the days when the current president's Father moved to the U.S and found a bride. The same were promising young people who were in a sense challenging the establishment in their respective countries and who were therefore identified as potential recruits or students in their new nations of adoption. It is very difficult to go past your teacher and so the American and British hold on Eduction via IV league will continue to enjoy expression even in the physical absence of similar institutions. 

This is why the destruction of Timbuktu is so tragic and this is why there will be a revival of the ancient discord between slave and slave trader. 

There has been to some extent much more of a conversation between slave and slave master but there is very little talk about the relationship between the latter. 

Perhaps we need here to examine our relationship with the Arabs and their faith and it's affect on us. Maybe we need to decide what we really believe in light of present truths and if we are in a position to truly embrace other faiths. 

What has happened instead I argue, is there has been an adoption of religious practices and culture which has brought about a loss of memory. 

My decision to use your site (fastcompany.com) was fueled by some thoughts about recent activity on the web about some startups in my current nation of residence and their subsequent success. I therefore did a generic search for black perspectives on business in the silicon valley. 

This reminded me of the victory speech by B.H.O and the tears shed by Jesse Jackson on that incredible day and the idea that in a strange sense the Hard Core African Americans had been bi-passed in the presidency in favor of a mixed race president and of all things one from Africa. 

I asked my question about conventional views about Africa and its inhabitants with this in mind knowing to some extent that in many African American Eyes, this is still the dark continent and that visits here by prominent black people usually have Ghana at their core (and her ancient slave routes). 

So even if I have suggested a conversation between 'traders' and their 'cargo', we still need to find methods of bridging the gap between the cargo and those who made its trade possible. 

In other words two ancient brothers need to meet to talk about what really happened four hundred years ago. 

The rise of a new religion-human rights it's priests are called activists.

This week I heard an interesting program on the BBC in which an interview was done with a former British intelligence officer whose level of expertise seems is in ISIL. 

He made some important references to U.S work in Iraq and the errors that were made in dismantling the former presidents state machinery. His view was that those who had formerly served the Iraqi president had now coagulated and gathered around the new core (ISIS). This made sense because I was beginning to see a revival of Baathist tendencies especially with the attack on Yazidis. In my view therefore the former president was not dead...not in the complete sense. 

One could see the same happening in Libya even if the forces that displaced the Colonel in that country seem to have been more home grown. What one should therefore follow is the after effects on Libya and if marginalized groups will begin to suffer abuses from the past as in the case with Iraq. If the same happens, then one might as well rewind all the way back to 2011. 

The conflict here rises out of what we can loosely refer to as established authority and the broad subject of Change. What I have also found and what I ascribe to is a belief that nations are just like people. When they are hurt or wounded, they often cease to grow or at least begin to limit resources to those areas that are wounded until those parts are healed. 

If they have unanswered questions or dilemmas, these often cause deep questions which after a passage of time will result in a loss of confidence in their systems or a birth of doubts and fears and negative attitudes. 

So the natural flow of questions in this regard then is this? Are Americans ready for change and what does this mean for the next administration? 

Will it take the rapid form as it did in the early 1900s so that suffrage predates the struggle of the sixties with the civil right movement? 

Was Hillary meant to be first and is America ready for the return of the Clintons to the white house (after the primaries we can see how the Clinton family played the role of king maker in B.H.O's election). 

As power begins to centre more along family lines, will we see the return of the larger Bush Family to the white house too? Is Florida going to play a significant role in the elections? What role if any will the new dynamics in the U.S-Cuban relations play in the coming elections. Do these changes benefit the republicans or do they favor eye democrats?

Have recent development in the petroleum brought about a sea change in the machine that is government? Are we going to see something similar to what happened in the Seventies when the Saudis tightened the note on foreign relations?

The Christian faith calls these strongholds, or you can call them mindsets.

You could say, that the sixties were a prime example of this challenge on the American Psyche. The Vietnam war, the Kennedies and Martin Luther on one hand and the drive to the left which was characterized by the Jesus Movement, the hippies and the rise of experimental drugs. 

While we are still dealing with the subject of our relations, another group has arisen whose prime focus seems to be on the elimination of western education. 

In my most recent post (trends and prediction) I wondered aloud why we seem unprepared for an event which we for such a long time had predicted. 

Could this be the case now too? 

Do we now have a solution to the problem of endemic corruption?

A forceful return to faith (sharia) and a complete revamp of the education system? 

Have you ever silently cheered for someone who challenged authority even if you did not approve of their actions. Did you ever wish that they succeeded and fought for a position once they did even if you were unwilling to engage as deeply as they did?

There are some aspects of this in the faith struggle that seems to accompany all major faiths especially those that have proselytization as part of their doctrine or that insist on some sort of hell fire message. 

In addition to this there are some references to what Zacharias calls man's responsibility versus God's sovereignty which in summary questions, tries to differentiate between those activities for which men must act and those for which God bears full responsibility. 

The result of this is the creation of two distinct groups of believers those who act and those who wait for God to act. Maybe some groups draw inspiration from the book of Genesis in which God places men at the heart of his garden and commands them to subdue and dominate the earth. 

2014 the year in review.

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There are some who view the world we live in as being rather linear and continuous. I think it is much more complex and has a rather cyclical manner in which it seems to revolve. As such you will find repetitiveness in  certain events which you think you have seen happen before. What you might realize is that there are really no prophets just analysts with a pure and working knowledge of history and a very clear picture about human nature. Maybe there is some truth about what the writer once said we he noted, "...He has placed eternity in the hearts of men...". It could be that this unique feature gives us the ability to walk to and fro across time merging past and present and future in a complex mix without much difficulty. 

So based in this idea instead of leaving 2014 behind, I will attempt to find some unique features that stood out and defined this year with the hope that they might shed some light into the year to come. 

Incidentally they all seem to have the letter P.

1. Prime Ministers

We saw and realized the value of the prime ministers office and to some extent watched at least in these parts a clipping of wings. Reports in the press if they are to be believed spoke about challenges in this office from Somalia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda. In Uganda's case, I argue that we really have had a struggle moving from the challenges we faced in the sixties when there was a reported clash between the Ganda King and his Langi Prime minister. We normally have very different manifestations of the power struggle between president and prime minister because of the amount of sway that the prime minister holds over his respective ministers. Weak or inflexible constitutions do not allow much room for take overs but we saw how easily threatening much of these issues can be. 

2. Permanent Secretaries

We also watched as a few rising stars emerged from the civil service. They were stars mainly because of their respective offices and their working knowledge of the system as it stands. This also makes them vulnerable and the list of past casualties is endless. Ministries that were recognized as valuable and potentially large in terms of their attractiveness to donors therefore attracted more attention and drew super star secretaries. We see and will probably see more of characters like Muhakinizi and Bigirimana. 

3. Pastors 

We also after a lot of time began to see the rise of pastors and shepherds as they are referred to here as key contact people. It is no wonder that the great book chose to place these men at the centre of the debate and arrival of the historical messiah. What better group of people than a group devoted to livestock. Bound to protect living creatures under the cover of the sky. Strange too that it is with this group or to this group that heavenly beings chose to present certain aspects of their message. Maybe it is because they represent or are descendants of Abel whose historical clash with his hoe yielding brother Cain are part of the rivalries we continue to see. The battle for lands and the nature of sacrifice.

All that and the realization that for his bed our messiah chose a menger instead. 

4. Petroleum

A self-fulfilling prophecy? After so much excitement about alternative means of energy we finally have a result and we are frustrated!

The price of oil seems to be plummeting and those who were championing the rise of alternative fuels seem to be caught off guard. I this not what you wanted and were planning for?

Have we become a collective group of seers whose mighty predictions are too much for them to deal with?

Where are the champions of solar energy, hydro power, wind energy farms and gas?

5. Propaganda

Some of us have found it difficult appreciating the dawn of the information age. It is possible even under these circumstances to argue that there has always been an information age. In all of this though, it has emerged that those who have claimed a right to certain bits of information and those who have managed to claim a right over the ownership and right to that information have duped the rest of us into giving them quite a lot of authority. We no longer feel educated without their degrees or and approval. We ow invest vast amounts of energy, money and time in getting educated. Naturally this has resulted in the need of greater and control and manipulation of information and This is a trend we will continue to see. 

6. Parasites and pests

We also saw the emergence of the small over the big. The rise of creatures to small to see but powerful enough to exert their influence and cause massive devastation. We faltered and wavered at what to call the new force or power that confronted us but it seems to represent a new form of biological warfare which makes use of microorganisms. We realized a strange balance in power which brought our country to the fore in a fight against a frightening disease and placed our experts right smack dab in the middle of the fight. Unrelated battles regarding intellectual property and the defense of trade (which have defined developed and underdeveloped world relations) could hinge of how we exercise our hold on this latest battle. 

7. Populations 

We were finally able to come up with some figures. We had debated about the rationality of the head count and even asked for special permission to include our cattle (a taboo in these parts where the cow is more sacred than the child). We will continue to see he the numbers which we control will continue to define how well placed we are in the fight for prominence, position and power. We like the Chinese might find ourselves resorting to iron fists which will gradually give way when we have learned how to harness the power of our markets. 

8. Proxies

Not only in the sense of wars but epic religious battles fought by and large by people who bear names that are not there own. Here we saw and will continue to see a clash between religions until the forces behind these religions will come to the fore. I spoke about a revival of tribal beliefs which have suffered the fate of all things primitive. In these parts we will see a return to tradition and naming systems which have existed since time past. 

The madness of King George?

It's been a few weeks since Lwengo LC V caused quite a lot of commotion when he descended on his constituents with a drive to clean up their community. What was interesting is the range of reactions and responses that emerged from his people and...naturally his opponents. 

I suppose he was a little enthusiastic about getting his people to clean up their community. What was strange to me was the memories that came up from our neighbor-Rwanda. 

In this country, there is a day that is set up exclusively to cater for community work. The country still struggling from memories in its past has taken great care to ensure that it builds strong cohesive communities using at least in this case activities like construction and cleanups to unite the people. Visitors are not barred from taking part in these activities either. 

So maybe our LC V chairperson was working with this in mind, maybe his enthusiasm was called for. Perhaps we needed a push or boost in activity to get us excited about a weekend or weekday of targeted work. 

The challenge with this kind of experiment in these parts at least is that 'community work or service' is what we assign prisoners or up-scale citizens when they break traffic rules or young students when they behave badly in our rural school. 

Agriculture therefore although it is the mainstay of this vast continent is still largely viewed as a punishment. Even if we have the capacity in countries like South Sudan and the Congo to feed the world, we are still a little shy about a sector that is very promising. 

So the larger discussion should really not be about the punishments that we're visited upon constituents but rather should be about the bigger picture-the support of farmers by improving transport, modernization without marginalization, creation of markets, better planning and improved research to combat disease and the mainstreaming of  mobile applications to improve the lives of farmers and agricultural support services. 

The Stadium the Church and the State

Right at the end of the year when pundits were beginning to ruminate on the year that past and the year to come, I watched in amazement as an interesting formation took place in the battle for the Ugandan electorate. 

In these parts we were dealing with the effects of certain fissures in our resistance movement watching as historical leaders began to quarrel openly for new positions and places in the hearts of their populace. So we monitored (as much as we were allowed to) the events that would soon take place as waited patiently for our 'Blue Eyed Boy' for any signs of resistance and activity. 

What took place in the Large Stadia was in a word choreographed and highly restricted and most of what emerged was served to us using the machinery of media. 

It is strange that this was not the first time we looked and experienced a change that took place in a stadium, with the activities of the Forum For Democratic Change not being very different. 

The marked difference between the observations of both political parties FDC and NRM were not so much on the machinations or mechanics of the election process (alliances being mainly based on tribe and region) but in numbers. In this case, I compare the numbers for a strictly political gathering and those of religious gatherings that were designed to Usher in  the new year. 

The Christian groups and their events represent to some extent a reassertion of the Born Again Group (Balokole) and its leadership and it's juxtaposition to highly political happenings in the country. 

Several leaders emerged and have emerged over the years as power brokers or movers and shakers. 

The stadium served as a stamp of sorts to distinguish between Pastors or leaders with prominence in a season where the shadow of 2016 is already beginning to have it effect.

Are we seeing the rise of a new political force and to what extent will this affect the outcome of the election? 

In a previous blog I spoke about what I referred to as power centers where, politicians tend to gather for influence and power. In another blog post i also mentioned the possibility that the head of state would face a challenge similar to that faced by Idi Amin Dada when he was forced to move rather strongly against a church which in his view was involved in subversive activity. While the subject of foreign policy is too broad for this it is useful to note that while Idi Amin was in power, Uganda made some sweeping changes which leaned heavily in support of Arab countries, Libya, Palestine and the Middle East. A reversal of these changes was a little too much to ask for in what is referred to as Obote II or even the start of the present regime. Often what leaders will do is reverse the effects and work of their opponents (which is often reactionary) especially if their rise to power was not peaceful. But as time passes there is often a softening which results in much more appreciation of former enemies. 

So without exception it was remarkable to watch as each of the major leaders in the stadium created alliances and succeeded in filling the massive seater monuments to Rome to full capacity. Nambole, Kololo, Nakivubo were call packed and full to the brim. The excitement was palpable and it was interesting to listen as the preachers each began to flex their respective political muscle. 

On a slightly different but related tangent, we were also amazed to see how the Catholics and the Anglicans caught on and began to create similar movements of their own to bring in the new year but also in my view to assert their place in fight for significance and relevance in a obviously younger population. 

Rome comes up in this discussion because not long ago, the stadium was a place of fear and dread for Christians as roman elites gathered to watch believers, slaves and gladiators fight each other and a collection of captive animals all for their entertainment. 

It will prove interesting how the head of state negotiates the rise of this new movement. The consummate politician delivering his book (Mustard Seed) to Pope and managing to often quote a few impressive scriptures what he may now have on his hands is a source to 2016 and beyond. Or will it be that easy?