While I was in Togo I had many personal debates taking place and some of them made their way onto this blog. Some debates encouraged external help coming to Africa and others would seem to discourage external aid. I am happy that I had all of those debates because they allowed me to explore international development, Africa, social change, and more, but I want to make clear that there is a place, a lot of places, for well conceived external help that responds to real needs. I will do my best to meet a few of those needs on a small scale where I can be competent.
In the photo you see a young veterinary technician in his rural pharmacy.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Post-Peace Corps readjustment
Coming back to the US can be damn hard. Once you are in the States, some wonderful feelings are felt but, no doubt, with the lack understanding ears, one can certainly become mildly and temporarily depressed.
Finding the cultural continuity that I described in an earlier entry can be very helpful to recent Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), but in the interest of fellow RPCVs I would mention the possibility of collaborating to launch or further a project back in your Peace Corps country. As we know, one must have some very effective ways to insure correct use of funds but with strong contacts on the ground and in our world of cell phones and western union, I have found that possible. Co-designing and providing funds for a sustainable and growing beekeeping project has given me the opportunity to do something meaningful. I planned this project with two fellow community members from my Togolese village before I left that village and did not launch it to keep my emotions up. I helped plan it because I believed in it. I believe that this project will be effective, and that it will not create dependence, given the way we designed it. Because I believe so strongly in the effectiveness of the project and that I am doing the right thing in implementing it, it has given me a mission when my overseas Peace Corps mission has just officially ended. This project has also made me feel present in my Togolese community and happy to still be a member of that community and an active participant in its welfare. I may no longer be a Peace Corps Volunteer but I am still and will always be an Affem Boussou community member.
Finding the cultural continuity that I described in an earlier entry can be very helpful to recent Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), but in the interest of fellow RPCVs I would mention the possibility of collaborating to launch or further a project back in your Peace Corps country. As we know, one must have some very effective ways to insure correct use of funds but with strong contacts on the ground and in our world of cell phones and western union, I have found that possible. Co-designing and providing funds for a sustainable and growing beekeeping project has given me the opportunity to do something meaningful. I planned this project with two fellow community members from my Togolese village before I left that village and did not launch it to keep my emotions up. I helped plan it because I believed in it. I believe that this project will be effective, and that it will not create dependence, given the way we designed it. Because I believe so strongly in the effectiveness of the project and that I am doing the right thing in implementing it, it has given me a mission when my overseas Peace Corps mission has just officially ended. This project has also made me feel present in my Togolese community and happy to still be a member of that community and an active participant in its welfare. I may no longer be a Peace Corps Volunteer but I am still and will always be an Affem Boussou community member.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Fetishism of Commodities
I just heard Cornel West say "Fetishism of commodities." He said "It is also among the destitute because the destitute have a fetishism of commodities, a fetishism of success [and think] 'all I need is success, and then somehow I am a better person.'"
I think it is hard for Togolese to escape the "fetishism of commodities" as they peer out into the world through TVs and Radios and I think it is very connected to what the Ugandan Farmer Said in my last entry. He said "They shared a lot of things together...But now things have changed. Each person is on their own. A few people who have acquired material wealth are very scared of sliding back into poverty. They do not want to look like us." It is hard to not be a commodity fetisher in Togo as you learn of the rest of the world. And I believe the young generation will be heavily influenced by commodity fetishism but I also saw a lot of spiritually learned Muslims in Togo refuse commodity fetishism by emphasizing how fleeting and ephemeral earthly life is and how useless that makes attachment to money and things. A nomadic herder, himself a muslim, asked me, as I handed him money for taking me and my friends out in the bush with his cows, "Do you think the prize is down here [on earth] Kabirou? Forget about the money." That came from a man that can live on 20 dollars a month and to whom I was handing 30 dollars. His photo accompanies this entry. I have seen less of that mysticism and refusal of worldly goods in the Christian areas of Togo, but I spent less time there. It is hard for Togolese to escape the "Fetishism of commodities," in the the Commodity Fetisher Gala that is our world. That is sometimes hard to deal with as a Peace Corps volunteer who may have been able to join the Peace Corps in part because you have rejected commodity fetishism. You find that you and the Togolese are going in opposite directions, them toward and you away from commodities...
I think it is hard for Togolese to escape the "fetishism of commodities" as they peer out into the world through TVs and Radios and I think it is very connected to what the Ugandan Farmer Said in my last entry. He said "They shared a lot of things together...But now things have changed. Each person is on their own. A few people who have acquired material wealth are very scared of sliding back into poverty. They do not want to look like us." It is hard to not be a commodity fetisher in Togo as you learn of the rest of the world. And I believe the young generation will be heavily influenced by commodity fetishism but I also saw a lot of spiritually learned Muslims in Togo refuse commodity fetishism by emphasizing how fleeting and ephemeral earthly life is and how useless that makes attachment to money and things. A nomadic herder, himself a muslim, asked me, as I handed him money for taking me and my friends out in the bush with his cows, "Do you think the prize is down here [on earth] Kabirou? Forget about the money." That came from a man that can live on 20 dollars a month and to whom I was handing 30 dollars. His photo accompanies this entry. I have seen less of that mysticism and refusal of worldly goods in the Christian areas of Togo, but I spent less time there. It is hard for Togolese to escape the "Fetishism of commodities," in the the Commodity Fetisher Gala that is our world. That is sometimes hard to deal with as a Peace Corps volunteer who may have been able to join the Peace Corps in part because you have rejected commodity fetishism. You find that you and the Togolese are going in opposite directions, them toward and you away from commodities...
Friday, March 06, 2009
"Development"?
"Poverty has always been with us in our communities. It was here in the past, long before the Europeans came, and it affected many - perhaps all of us. But it was a different type of poverty. People were not helpless. They acted together and they never allowed it to squeeze any member of the community. They shared a lot of things together: hunting, grazing animals, harvesting. There was enough for basic survival. But now things have changed. Each person is on their own. A few people who have acquired material wealth are very scared of sliding back into poverty. They do not want to look like us."
- Ugandan farmer cited in Voices of the Poor, by Deepa Narayan; Oxford University Press: 2000.
On a very similar note, In a 2006 article entitled "OPEN THE BLINDS", now RPCV Dan Mueller tells us of a fictional African village that was developing at its own pace before the world started trying to develop Africa. It would seem that Mueller is saying that organic grassroots development is made impossible or improbable by the promise of the developed world driving up in a 4 x 4 and magically developing the village with money. That prospect drastically changes the rules of the game of getting ahead and tears apart the fabric of the developing society. Mueller continues, saying that the prospect of emigrating to the "developed" rich world and living the good life blinds Africans and leads them to forget the organic development that their ancestors, like ancestors all over the world, were engaged in. Mueller sees this state of affairs as being quite obvious to the observant development worker.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Cultural continuity
Life back in the US has offered me two satisfying moments of craved Togolese and Muslim cultural continuity.
The first moment was meeting two Togolese men who are originally from the area of Togo where I lived. They speak the language of Kotokoli that I learned to an intermediate level while in Togo. Speaking Kotokoli, with all of the cultural importance that is placed on certain subject matters and moments in communication, renders unto the last two and a half years of my life the feeling of richness that memories of those years deserve. Richness that, with no fault to anyone, dissipates like fog in the US context.
The second moment of cultural continuity came when I went to Friday prayer at a mosque here in Oregon. There were small differences, none of the Muslim rosaries that were ubiquitous in Togolese mosques, folks were Middle Eastern and Eastern European instead of African, and the sermon, that spoke to God's view on interest or making money off money, made reference to the Western cultural context of being Muslim in the US, to the credit crisis, Plato, and the Catholic church. Not only did I agree with the sermon's message, that we must refuse to make money our first priority, but, as speaking Kotokoli did, the sermon and the prayer that followed rendered the memory of life in Togo full and rich.
Living in the US, It is easy for my life in Togo to be drained of its meaning and utility like a motor of its oil. Moments of cultural continuity put oil back in my motor.
The first moment was meeting two Togolese men who are originally from the area of Togo where I lived. They speak the language of Kotokoli that I learned to an intermediate level while in Togo. Speaking Kotokoli, with all of the cultural importance that is placed on certain subject matters and moments in communication, renders unto the last two and a half years of my life the feeling of richness that memories of those years deserve. Richness that, with no fault to anyone, dissipates like fog in the US context.
The second moment of cultural continuity came when I went to Friday prayer at a mosque here in Oregon. There were small differences, none of the Muslim rosaries that were ubiquitous in Togolese mosques, folks were Middle Eastern and Eastern European instead of African, and the sermon, that spoke to God's view on interest or making money off money, made reference to the Western cultural context of being Muslim in the US, to the credit crisis, Plato, and the Catholic church. Not only did I agree with the sermon's message, that we must refuse to make money our first priority, but, as speaking Kotokoli did, the sermon and the prayer that followed rendered the memory of life in Togo full and rich.
Living in the US, It is easy for my life in Togo to be drained of its meaning and utility like a motor of its oil. Moments of cultural continuity put oil back in my motor.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What I heard from Togolese about what Obama's election meant to them.
The morning following the election of Barack Obama, I heard two themes in the reactions of Togolese:
1) This election is a lesson in meritocratic democracy and social equality.
2) This election represents the official removal of the glass ceiling that many assumed would always differentiate the place of blacks and the place of whites in the world.
The election certainly proved everything that I had said to Togolese about my experience of America and about what I believed that America was. It was very nice to walk around an American in Africa for that reason and for the reason that my country had just accomplished the feat of making an expression of love and humanity be heard unmuffled. I was proud. I was disappointed, however, that many assumed that I would vote for John McCain but I understand that assumption.
While giving a class in a Togolese middle school on the US election process and on the 2008 campaign, I asked the students who they would vote for. They responded that they would vote for Obama. I asked them why and they caught themselves and we laughed as they scurried to find policy reasons for voting Obama. When asked who I would vote for, I joked with the students that "of course I would vote for John McCain given my race." They understood that I was making the point that race or ethnicity should not determine who one votes for and we had another good laugh.
1) This election is a lesson in meritocratic democracy and social equality.
2) This election represents the official removal of the glass ceiling that many assumed would always differentiate the place of blacks and the place of whites in the world.
The election certainly proved everything that I had said to Togolese about my experience of America and about what I believed that America was. It was very nice to walk around an American in Africa for that reason and for the reason that my country had just accomplished the feat of making an expression of love and humanity be heard unmuffled. I was proud. I was disappointed, however, that many assumed that I would vote for John McCain but I understand that assumption.
While giving a class in a Togolese middle school on the US election process and on the 2008 campaign, I asked the students who they would vote for. They responded that they would vote for Obama. I asked them why and they caught themselves and we laughed as they scurried to find policy reasons for voting Obama. When asked who I would vote for, I joked with the students that "of course I would vote for John McCain given my race." They understood that I was making the point that race or ethnicity should not determine who one votes for and we had another good laugh.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Deconstructing the "culture of poverty" theory; The real challenge.
Though I was not completely aware of it at the time, I believe that the true challenge that I faced during my service was the challenge of refusing to believe in the easily constructed "culture of poverty" theory or "COP" theory. It is a theory that posits that certain behaviors found in a given culture impoverish the people of that culture. The "COP" theory demotivates those who could work to alleviate poverty by convincing them that cultural change, instead of equitable treatment, is the key to "solving" poverty.
Here are few of my blog entries that show me becoming aware that I had bought-in to the "culture of poverty" theory and then show the result of my realization. The result of my realization was that I rededicated myself to serving my community. The fact that I rededicated myself to service after unearthing my belief in a "culture of poverty," supports the idea that the "COP" theory discourages serving the poor.
I would add, as I did in the first entry below, that my belief in the "COP" theory was supported in large part by the ideas expressed to me by Togolese. Ideas about jealousy, oppressive social atmospheres and work-ethic in African culture. People can believe that their own culture is a "culture of poverty," and many Africans do.
-http://togowestafrica.blogspot.com/2007/09/first-year-blues.html -http://togowestafrica.blogspot.com/2007/10/battle-and-understanding-dust-settling.html -http://togowestafrica.blogspot.com/2007/11/debate-and-consequences-of-its.html -http://togowestafrica.blogspot.com/2007/11/i-get-it-i-know-what-to-do-i-know-how_23.html -http://togowestafrica.blogspot.com/2007/12/contentment-and-joy.html
How could we think that a "culture of poverty" could exist? As good Marxists, we know that a culture is born of the means of production of a given area. Culture does not create the means of production, the means of production create culture. So if we want to go fishing for the causes of poverty, we should look to the "poor means of production" instead of a "culture of poverty."
But one can understand how some people who serve poor communities fall into belief in the "culture of poverty" theory. If you are a highly motivated worker that enters into a community in order to help that community, and you observe counter-productive behaviors, you will ask yourself "if these people aren't doing all they can for themselves, why should I do all I can for them?" This is why it is so difficult for some social justice/ development workers to keep up their optimism. But you cannot blame them. I too was just trying to get to the bottom of it all. We in fact want to fight poverty so we ask "why are these people suffering?" That was the question that I asked myself and the Togolese. Many answers to that question suggested that the main cause of the suffering was a cultural problem. To put out a fire you put the water at the base of the flames, so if the main cause of suffering is the culture, then let's try to change the culture. A very logical road leads to that pitfall. The fallacy is in the idea that poor communities do not deserve an equal playing field, and that is the illogically logical conclusion of some development/ social justice workers who see many counter-productive behaviors in the communities that they serve.
I am not claiming that counter-productive behaviors do not exist in underserved communities. I think counter-productive behaviors exist everywhere, but probably are more numerous in rich areas than in poor areas. That discussion is, however, beside the point. The point is that if social justice workers/ development workers believe in the "culture of poverty" theory, then they will be discouraged and perform less well in the communities for which they work. If policy makers are trapped by the theory, then they will be less likely to support poverty alleviating policies. If any of us are unable to see through the COP theory, then we will be less likely to overcome institutionalized discrimination as a society. It would be tragic if we lost momentum in the global fight against poverty because we had fallen victim to a fallacious theory.
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