For me, 2015 was about igniting inner fires

As the year 2015 comes to an end, I am reminded that this is the moment when we venture into animated self-pontifications, perhaps, in order to reassure ourselves of our readiness to soldier on and (to) achieve those unfulfilled plans of 2015. Some people call this moment a period of serious soul-searching. 

For me, I see it as an affirmation of one solid truism. That time is a responsibility. So, as 2015 collapses and in its place sprouts 2016, the air around us is filled with that ever poignant question: Will 2016 be like 2015?

Well, I elect to wave back before I look forward. But before I touch this question, it would be fruitful to first dispense with this issue of whether 2015 and its happenings are detached from the past and the future. Hence the question: Is time a product of itself or an enabler of progress? In short, I think to talk about progress - in whatever manner - without invoking the central role of time is to live a lie.

Take the case of this common discourse on poverty and why Kenya seems to be hitting a dead end. My readings on this subject have left me burdened with painful questions. How possible is it to vanquish poverty when those referred to as poor understand not of their condition? Or is it an externally driven process whose finality has nothing to do with those listed as its beneficiaries? Paternalism, right?

I am of the view that for somebody or a group of people to see the road of success, there ought to be an inner push. This push exists not in a vacuum. It is a product of time. It is founded on time. It is time. It is an honest inquiry of what time portends.

Which brings me to my 2015 report card. Yes, I have largely written about poverty. A section of my readers have written to me seeking to know if writing about poverty is the only choice I have or I just “found myself preaching about it”.

First, writing about matters poverty has never been my choice. Talking about choices dilutes the sense of dealing with this animal called poverty. I look at it as an obligation to clear self-inflicted barriers that prevent the process of self-actualization.

Second, I consider poverty a negative-positive tool. This duality is informed by the number of people who profit and suffer under its wings. It is evident that sustaining this link demands some sort of mental gymnastics – both on the side of the “profiteer” and the “sufferer”. Hence, the need to underline the power of information in the war on poverty.

Third, how can this war on poverty be waged if the power of information is selectively deployed? How do “profiteers” and “sufferers” co-exist? Could it be as a result of this selective and/or skewed application of information?

Simple answer, my noises were aimed at igniting the fires inside you, dear readers. No qualms, I want your support. I want more members to join this shouting squad. And I know you are rightly placed to amplify this voice. 2016 is the moment. There is no better deal than finding the effectiveness of information.

Happy New Year!!!

Lemukol Ng’asike is an architect. Twitter: @mlemukol.