A clever chap once declared that it is an abomination to brand the rural guys as backward and uninformed. He moved on to defend his stand. For him, this "backwardness" isn't a creation of the rural people but a manifestation of a failed system. He went on to challenge us, "do you have the national library, banks, hospitals and good learning institutions in rural areas?" His point was clear; it is the imbalance of the system that has created this feeling of backwardness.
This therefore pushed me into soul-searching and deep thinking. I thought of ways of reversing this trend and feeling of backwardness. Finally, I came to the conclusion that this backwardness is nothing but a perception. That there are good things down there in rural areas. That true intelligence is found in the villages. This is why.
Chama (merry-go-round) is a creation of the rural folks. Mothers have educated, fed and clothed their children thanks to this innovation. They have built homes and treated their sick. This has enabled them to pull together their knowledge and expertise thus impacting positively on their business. Many have "graduated" business-wise.
Here comes another innovation from the village. Mentorship groups. Here experienced men and women take the lead role to guide the yet-to-mature men and women hence creating a flow of knowledgeable generation and solid understanding of one’s social obligation. It is common to find old women (mostly those with grand-children) helping young mothers deliver and take care of their young ones. This is what they term as the faculty of experience.
Again, you will find old men narrating wisdom loaded stories to grandchildren. They connect these young minds to the past and prepare them for their future obligations as fathers. This is a rare trait. You only find it in Africa.
After analysis of all these innovations and creations from the village; a question pops up; how can these be transformed into money hence reversing the feeling of backwardness?
Answer number one; provide the rural folks with relevant business information. Introduce them to new ways of doing business. Take them around the globe and let them meet other successful people. This is sufficient for them. They will come back home breathing fire and full of energies to transform their rural economies thus killing the perception of backwardness.
Answer number two. Open the so-called bare-foot colleges in the villages. These are colleges that require no certificate for admission. The only criterion for admission is experience.
If you are a home cleaner, a carpenter, a mason, gardeners, storytellers, traditional birth attendants etc.... this is where you belong. Another condition is ones readiness to pass across his knowledge to others. This way you create a river of knowledge. You inculcate the culture of knowledge-sharing in the people.
Doing this requires no money but will-power and brains. Everything is with the people and hence should be used for the people. I end where I began. Backwardness is nothing but a perception of blind folks.
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