The Art of Living

These are fascinating times! Quite scary too, now information is growing at an explosive rate and how to cope with all that? And how to validate? Again, it is fascinating to access so much on what is happening, with all information at ones fingertips, everywhere (eh, almost), all the time, for everyone (eh, almost). I feel fortunate to be observing from a vantage point at relative distance, while profoundly feeling impact, based here in rural Africa.

With our organizations growing and maturing we enter new areas, possibly new arenas. It is obvious that the scare of the uncertain remains the same, the stakes only seem different, and the way these uncertainties are being addressed seemingly changes. For certain, big organizations have big inefficiencies, often seen in overheads and arm wrestling. Small organizations have big inefficiencies too, seen in lack of (economies of) scale and non-alignment of activities. In view of such inherent inefficiencies, it is amazing one sees any yield at all, a tribute to the greatness of entrepreneurship and action, wherever.

So many new, relevant questions come up, and they seemingly come up within shorter intervals. Quite a number of them utterly profound and existential. In whatever direction one looks there are these important questions popping up. For me, the issue of the finiteness of existing models we base our societies upon remains the most daunting. Although as corporate international community we still seem to shy away from the consequences, it seems obvious the earth will not continue to sustain growth. Energy extraction, dumping of waste, growth of population, it all puts heavy strain to our current models (of economics).

It is all about the are of living, is it not? Life is about living it, thus I gladly witness calls for more integration, harmonization, and inter-disciplinary activities in research and development. There is still a lot to be applied into that, as daily life in rural Africa time and time again shows. Interweaving the issue of relationships into all we do is, in my view, highly needed. It is, and remains, about human beings and how Homo sapiens relate. Well being, that is where it is about.

Just an example, it is said that the production of solar panels cost more energy then they yield over their technical usable life. However, if there would be no solar panels in the bush, the main source of energy in the bush would not be harvested. So producing solar cells can been seen as actually transporting energy spent at the production site - in an industrialized setting - to the user site - in a remote setting. Obvious, putting solar next to the production site is not done, but in the bush we cherish this relationship between industrialized and remote settings. Thus we welcome the transport of some energy from the production site to the bush. Thus reviewing the relationships component became part of the sustainable energy discussion.

Yes, I am enthusiastic about the 'Macha Works Model', as a framework for (re)action valuing relationships. The model calls to heed 'calling' first, 'commitment' second, and then come phases of 'looking', 'reacting', 'waiting', and 'interacting'. Although this takes time, it is wonderful to see that thus enshrined activities in the Macha area are there to stay. There hardly any of bankruptcy - thus no writing off of capital- and a continued and clear focus on sustainability and progress. The model inherently points towards Social Return On Investments, which I reckon is a viable way to save the current economic models, by introducing monetary representation of non-monetary results in communities.

Connectivity in rural Africa

I have been involved with hands on internet connectivity experiments in rural Africa since 2000, have studied the satellite market since 2002, and Macha Works has had VSAT(s) operational since 2004. Prices have been high, and have gone even up during this period, up to and including December 2009. This has been one of the biggest inhibitions for sustainability, although sheer survival of LinkNet, with rural users willing to pay for extremely expensive and relative infinitesimal grade services, throughout this period is reason for celebration.

The telecoms and Internet industry in Africa is changing rapidly. The big event of 2009 has been the arrival of the Seacom and TEAMS seacables on the east coast of Africa. Although cause for hope, these cables have not (yet) influenced life in Zambia, let alone in African rural areas. 2010 promises more on the seacable front: Glo One, Main One (on the west coast) and EASSy (on the east coast) are likely to become available. Such will bring competition and redundancy, and fuels hope for lower prices and hopefully reduces the need for satellite bandwidth, easing up current congestion. 03B Networks is still around, and says to offer cheap satellite prices somewhere from 2011, we'll see. Thus the gap between the speed in the fast lane (the West) and the slow lane (the South) will get wider in 2010 and we must relentlessly push forward as to avoid 'no-lane' internet in the rural Africa of the future.

So far prices for internet connectivity have not come down. ISPs and telcos seem to stick to their old business models, selling low volumes for high prices. Backbone providers seem more concerned with recouping their investments quickly then building the market (and building up marketshare) through ambitious and competitive pricing. It is rumored that ISPs will offer customers more bandwidth while keeping the prices to users the same, we have not yet even seen that happening. With the little availability of teresstrial and cross border networks the moment for the big change appears to be(come) delayed. However, change must come one day. There are enough new players in east, west and southern Africa to hope that a stream of new players will be coming to market with both more bandwidth and lower prices.

Growth is inevitable, and I look forward to reaching a tipping point at which opportunities exist for niche market players who can provide adapted services and better pricing. Room starts to exists for Virtual Network Operations in Internet, Mobile, and satellite communications. Such will help all, as it provides for costs sharing in order to reach the marginal - for us the rural - markets.

The events in Macha has shown that Internet is not to be considered a luxury. Mobile Internet is an important and good development, but is not going to be enough for Africa. Equipment investments are (very) high and there will be services that are impossible to do because of speed and reliability issues of mobile internet. Africa needs what the rest of the world will have, and growth of availability of internet is crucial for sustainable progress in rural Africa.

The one-billion dollar question

This morning, while cycling up a hill from bringing the children to school, a whole choir of children stood at a distance, screaming How are you? on the top of their voices. While jelling back I am fine! it struck me that they aired the one-billion dollar question.

Yesterday my partner Janneke van Dijk published a study on Barriers to the care of HIV-infected children in rural Zambia. A friend shared a diagnosis cancer after which we talked. And we filed a conference paper on Rural mesh network implementation in the village of Macha showing lots of real world constraints for implementing Information and Communications Technologies in an emerging region.

Why?

Well, it seems we have a desire to partner in situations for those saying 'I am not fine!' when they are asked that same one-billion dollar question. And that is worthwhile in itself: serving those who suffer. And sufferers abound, both in the South and in the North. We are all poor - in one way or the other - and fall short of being good.

Today I am planning to speak in Macha to a group of people about looking at realities, away from well worn paths, other paradigms and hypotheses. I will discuss the following:

• Competition versus Collective and Individual Purposes.
• 'Tit-for-tat' versus Satisfying Needs.
• Shortage versus Abundance.
• Ownership versus Stewardship.
• Hoarding versus Sharing.
• Selfishness versus Collectiveness.
• Losers versus Conquerers.
• Loss and Waste versus Sustainability.
• Truth being Adagium versus Truth being Relationship.
• Authority derived from Power versus Power derived from Authority.

Challenging subjects to talk about in rural Africa. Seemly it is all about the former while striving for the latter.

I am fine!

Sustainability

The question 'is it sustainable?' is the most asked questions in inter-institutional and inter-personal interactions. It is the main denominator for 'go/no go' decisions. The capacity of being sustained is an important key as we aim for sustainable progress. Wikipedia states, 'Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for future generations'.

I find it rather amazing that the primary measuring stick - seemingly singularly and applied unchallenged - is economics. The information in forms of business cases, financial overviews, and economic assessments should be showing whether or not an intervention is sustainable. Although I do not mean to diminish the enabling capacity of finance, and financial information has its value, it is healthy to critique the rather predominant outlook towards the assessment of sustainability by means of the economics only. What if the economics - like water, power, transport, and communications – are mainly providing measurements of an enabling factor? What would it be enabling? Maybe just interaction within context?

It is mainly about context. In my view the context - the interrelated conditions in which something exists or occurs with its cultural, social, historical data, intertwined with non-tangibles - that should actually lead the assessment of sustainability.

In the progress experienced in Macha, most significant to me are the many changed lives. Local Talent in driving seats are now enabled and recognized drivers of progress. And whether or not the vehicle itself goes forward or disintegrates, these local talent have developed capacity to remain drivers of progress. And thus there is the capacity to sustain, in people. I propose it was inspiration, the fanning of hope, the embrace of lasting relationships, explicitly positioned within existing context, and timely enabled, that were the main motivators for change. With African culture being preserved, maybe even strengthened as it is being watched, discussed, and exercised, I reckon this to be most valuable inputs in assessment for the sustainability of it all.

African context is not readily understood, and certainly its complexity can hardly be grasped in elevator pitches or short assays in language and concepts developed in context of western presuppositions, history, and agendas. Even in economics, disregard for the established, functioning systems of African ways of dealing with funds has led to a system of cross cultural interaction that is out of touch with basic cultural priorities.

Thus we search for contextual indicators which grab aspects important to show that roots have developed and the tree is well positioned. As we are all striving to establish the capacity of being sustained, its proof on forehand seemingly eludes us. Paradoxally, one seems only to be able to proof when it is does not exist, but is not able to prove that it does exists. Of course, afterwards a verdict can be reached. Sustainability needs to be carefully analyzed, taking the whole context into account. Without such careful analyses, and with narrow definitions, personal or institutional whims can surface with arbitrary, erroneous interpretations.

Sustainability assessment is an activity of both science and art, and interdisciplinary from the outset. It necessitate dedication and search for cross cultural expressions and cooperation. And such activity also deals with norms and values, whether implicit or explicit. We need to discover and employ more holistic principles that can bring true assessment, and guarding, of sustainability.

Nomad-ness

The last weeks I have been traveling ‘in the West’. Our family spent a one week in Essex, UK with family and Janneke’s sister Ada and family. Although Ada was in severe pain due to cancer, we had a good week in beautiful surroundings. Then one week Netherlands, followed by urgent travel back to UK for untimely death and burial of Ada. Then back in the Netherlands again, spending time with family and friends, to return Africa at the end of last week.

All this now finds me with a true sense of being a ‘nomad’. Nomadic people or nomads is defined as a communities of people who move from one place to another, rather than settling permanently in one location. There are three kinds of traditional nomads defined: hunter-gatherers moving between hunting grounds, pastoral nomads moving between pastures, and "peripatetic nomads" moving between customers. Apparently there are an estimated 30-40 million nomads in the world. It is said that many cultures have traditionally been nomadic, but traditional nomadic behavior is increasingly rare in industrialized countries.

Well, I think the amount of 'nomads' is growing again. We have ‘third culture kids’ and actually whole groups of people live somewhere else then where they were born, or stayed a couple of years ago, or even living in such fast change that they stay but the environment moves. And those are all nomads!

I am a nomad, and my home is where my head rests. Eh... where can it rest?

I am because You are

Would it be possible that people in rural areas of Africa connect with people in urban areas around the world?

That one can walk into a scene and meet someone who walks into the same scene, even if it is geographically separated? That we explore and connect rural and urban worlds worldwide without anyone being forced into cultural suicide? That we meet around the globe and relate, embrace, love, and build meaningful relationships? That we find ways to be of significance and support to each other and together shuffle poverty and disease into the abyss? That we encourage each other to withstand drunkenness and drugs, bullying, self harm, and greed? That we share spiritual nutrition to deal with wealth, loss, alienation and pain in this generation?

That we unite through social networks overcoming divides and separations? That we share ancient, tested and new resources, opportunities, visions, and dreams that lead to knowledge, understanding and wisdom?

That we collaborate cross-everything to discuss, and make tools to balance the way toward, taking into account integral health of all systems? That we together, South and North, build capacity and accountability, and progress, for justice and fairness?

That I am because You are?

How DO you?

What do you do? That question is proposed to me mostly by people from western snit. It tends to be part of a line of questioning, going like what do you do?, what do people say about you?, what do you have?. Answers to these questions supposedly lead towards the assessment and subsequently guides the measure of commitment of association. Thus challenged, I diligently write reports - both formal and informal - answering that question for many audiences. And still I will have to write many others, as the hunger for answers to this question is huge. Hence twitter.

Fortunately, I am privileged to sit in a hotel room in Cape Town, taking time off while my wife Janneke attends high level HIV-related conferences in this remarkable city. Intentionally I take time to reflect on what do I do?. I can state that I wander rural African lands, champion the poor, provoke people, and implicitly and explicitly call the international community to account, however, upon reflection all this vanishes in view of the question who are you?

I am grateful for being in Africa, where the question who are you? is the most important question and main course of every interpersonal interaction. The answer thus fuels collaboration and inspiration and guides groups of rag-tag and seasoned visionaries, dreamers, and hands-on load-carriers to implement its consequences into every day living. And as such fuels thedoing.

Well, who am I? The answer needs study, interaction, and, of course, is multi dimensional and to be discovered daily. However, it incorporates aspects of 'a broken person, crushed by, seeing the consequences of death through AIDS and other poverty related deceases, the profound pain and struggles during the uphill battle for sustainable progress by the poor, and, the many other extreme challenges that disempowered communities of this world face'. Also it contains 'a person, inspired by vision for empowerment of those in disease ridden communities, awed by the magnificence and strength of the poor, and, who has chosen to believe to be able to be together and seize opportunities that our amazing world provides to build bridges between cultures and circumstance over which we can interact and support one another'.

So, what do I do? Aiming to build relationships and communities, trying to conquer the challenges of relating. In that programs, platforms, projects and meetings are instrumental only, part of the arsenal of means to. I seek solutions and innovations that are more complex and less rationalistic than mainstream Western worldview seemingly dictates.

All in all, let us BE before we DO.

Broken Bicycle Seats

Things break. Such is known. But the rate of how things break in rural Africa is hard to comprehend.

This morning I noticed that only one seat of our six biclycles is not broken: the seat on Elmo's biclycle. That one we replaced with a new one last week. My bicycle seat is broken, Janneke's bicycle seat is broken, Merel's bicycle seat is broken, Beauty's bicycle seat is broken, and the guest bicycle seat is broken too.

Then we were taking files off a laptop this morning, as the screen is faulty. We will continue using the laptop with an external display, if we can find a working one. And I struggle to keep a back up from my data, as three hard disks bigger then 500 Gb broke within one year, only one left - with all my data on it.

Rural Africa is harsh on stuff. It breaks at an unimaginable rate. Stuff that we get from the West, that normally lasts there, breaks here fast. Stuff that we buy in the South, often cheaply made, breaks even faster.

All in all, in rural Africa it is not about implementing really. That is just one step, a start. No, it is all about maintenance.

This year and the past years we gladly welcomed a multitude of visitors to the works at Macha. Some came with an explicit agenda to smell the scent and to learn. Others came to help for periods of one week, several months, or even years. The effectiveness of these helpers is subject of this blog.

Seeing short term helpers come and go, it becomes interesting to attain a view on the effectiveness of this activity. Some have come, worked and their work did evaporate when they went or shortly after. Others came, worked, and their legacy continues to exist and bloom. This stark difference in sustainance, I think, can be linked to the mindset, the outset, the attitude of the helper.

It seems that mainly the works of those coming with a servant attitude have remained. Those whose motive was to edify the local community, to serve wholeheartedly, have been most effective. They focussed on being a blessing and did not focus on good report to bring home or on pleasing others outside of the local community.

Those that came with an attitude of knowing what to do had limited effect.Them that did ask what others could do for them have gone and their works did not linger.

Many made silent sacrifices to be able to come, put the needs of the local community first, and did accept all the arrangements made by the local community. They did not ask anything in return, and their names are still known. They earned the love and respect of the local community, these helpers truelly influenced the lives in rural Macha.

Intergral International Development

We are blessed with many researchers and bright-minds visiting Macha. As such, one's precepts and ideas are tested and scrutinized, allowing for continuous progress in conceptualizing and lines-of-thought. All in all it become clear that the holistic approach at Macha can provide for input in discussions on how to participate in sustainable progress, especially by people coming from other cultures with a wish to help progress.

Volunteer researcher Jasper Bets came up with some tantalizing observations, and noted the need for 3rd culture perspectives in travelers, which allows someone to be perceptive and effective within the local value system. As such, bridges are build for both developed and under-developed countries to learn from each other.

In Macha an integral perspective is being implemented, with activities set-up horizontally instead of vertically and with investments simultaneously in many different fields. This vitalizes and enforces each other, sustaining the interdependence of structures and systems. Such is done in an environment focussed on trust, respect, emerging from integration with the local community. Leaders are holding the space for change to come, as instilled by a long term view on progress. In such setting, one guides and operates from the background instead of directing by telling colleagues what needs to be done. Also this allows for local talent to stand up and thus local initiative to be fostered.

Furthermore, proper respect for the local environment necessitates aligning one's life with local life conditions, valuing relationships, showing of commitment, living in the here and now, synchronizing resource availability with seasons, recognition of - and submission to - local authorities, and aligning of world views. This supports the sustainability as the local community will embrace, own, and operate.

It is great that these kind of thoughts and ideas can be tested, scrutinized and discussed. It is wonderful to live in today's world, where we now can share, expose, and interact real time through the internet in our search, discussion and communication of an effective way of living and working together in a global community.