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Volunteering in developing countries – beware not to cross the line

Humanity calls us to love, to care and to help others who seem to be in need. Volunteering is one of the ways that such tenets of humanity are put into practice. It is a vocation that has grown so much in popularity. It is taken up by people of different socio-economic status and even by those who have demanding paid jobs. It is only proper that this vocation is emphasized in schools as it tends to be these days. Volunteering is a precious way of living out our humanity.

It is admirable that some travel from their nation to a country or continent much further than theirs, to render their help where it can be used. Sadly, there is a conflict that emerges with this type of volunteering – a conflict between reinforcing our humanity as equals – and ethnocentrism. It should be said that this is not always the case with people who travel abroad to volunteer but it is common and to be fair, it is probably unconscious.

However, this conflict of what humanity should mean and the invasion of ethnocentrism started long ago. It was present during colonial times. Speaking from a Nigerian perspective, the British colonized Nigeria and disrupted our cultures, including our religious practices – e.g. through the missionaries who thought that they were being of help to Nigerians.

In more recent times, the conflict is manifested and made obvious through social media. It usually entails a Westerner going to a developing country. Frequent reports will be made on social media. The ethnocentrism may take the form of posting pictures of the ways of life in the new community that seem sub par to what you are used to. Sometimes, a caption will follow to express gratitude for the better standards of living in your own country. Then, to finally establish your niche as a wonderful human, you will post a picture with a starving child. A child that has a twinkle in his or her eye and smiles and seems to trust you as someone who has come to save. However, in the blink of an eye you are off to your ‘paradise’. You come all the way to help, you introduce and possibly like the British missionaries did in Nigeria – over-introduce but you do not empower in any way. The people that are left behind feel the need to meet up and there must be over-exaggerations in their passion because you came like a god and now they are brainwashed and if there was something positive to imitate, now they feel powerless. It is crucial to teach others to help themselves even as you render help. Human beings should empower each other and be sure to never demean the ways of life of a people.

Volunteers are power houses. They reinforce the natural mandate of humanity. This is why when that mandate clashes with superiority, a need to win hearts (changing your Facebook picture to one with a starving child), taking pictures and insinuating that life here is the crux of primitivity (without understanding that culture may be at play) – start over.

Love,

Chiamaka

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Reaching beyond comfort

Seems like it has been a long while, since I wrote on self-actualization haha Well, it feels good to be back at it for this post.

That whole talk of “moving out of your comfort zone” that you have heard people say and possibly you have read on here, is pretty crucial. It is important to be bold enough to reach out to a stranger to – share an idea, ask if there is a job vacancy, propose measures that can move your career forward etc. Not everyone has the privilege of having the right connections amongst their family and friends. The reality for most is that they go out, make efforts to prove themselves and get audiences that are enthusiastic for all that the individual can offer.

When you read success stories or watch people narrate their journey to high achievements, there is one key message that emerges. It is that there is no magic to success. The journey is turbulent, sometimes intimidating but persistence is the weapon.   You may have received 50 ‘No’s but achieving a ‘Yes’ response is not impossible. It is very easy to succumb to rejection and feel that you are not good enough. However, rejection is inevitable. It does not mean that you are not a star (you are!), it may mean for example, that the person/organization that rejected you admires your ability but does not have a vacancy or may fail to understand the kind of expertise that you aim to contribute. In the latter case, it is that person and/or organization that is missing out, not you. Keep your head up, keep learning and with every given opportunity, ensure that you put in your very best.

Also, ensure that you are contributing your skills to places and individuals that indeed need them. Do not waste your time. If you have a passion for A, do not, in desperation (I have had those thoughts) offer to lend your skills for B. Why? You need to feel happy and fulfilled while using your skills. Also, you need to keep developing on your skills. These cannot happen, if you are not applying your skills in the right place. So, reach out only to people and places that have a passion for the kinds of things that you are interested in. Their creativity will enhance yours and your creativity will enhance theirs.

Getting into media has shown me how accessible people are. I have been able to reach to out to journalists, entrepreneurs and advocates for interviews and in turn receive very warm, enthusiastic responses. Of course, there have been rejections. My point is – it is worth it to take that bold step of reaching out because eventually there will be positive responses.

Love,

Chiamaka

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Race Has To Be The Greatest, Most Punishing Social Construct Ever

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For 14 years of my life, I never had to say – “I am black”. I was born and raised in Nigeria and my first sense of identity was that I am a Nigerian, not even that I am African. I was not black, a visible minority, a coloured person or all these classifications that people in the West who look like me, have for years, been grouped into. It was when I came to Canada that I started seeing and taking part in the divisions of skin colour. You are white, you are brown, you are black. Till today, it still feels weird to call myself and other black people, “visible minorities”. It feels demeaning with respect to where I have come from. When I was in Nigeria, I never thought of myself as a minority. Why would I? When, first all, each human being no matter where they come from is first human.

However, I am not too naive, in Canada for example (and like many parts of the West), Caucasians make up a majority of the population and like many other countries in the West, it has a history of racism. So, I do not mind being a visible minority in this sort-of new country, because being a minority comes with rights and protections. Still, that title, that classification that I now hold doesn’t sound right.

Race is a concept that was socially constructed. The idea of a racial supremacy is man-made. These constructions create stereotypes, they demean, they leave some at the margins, they make some conscious and suspicious – “perhaps that happened because I am black” etc. The constructions that have been made around race itself are things that must be challenged. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, the people who took to the streets to protest after an unjust ruling was made on the Eric Garner case, those who condemn racism, those who know never to limit themselves because of the colour of their skin – these are the kinds of people that have challenged the ideas of race in the West.

We live in an unequal world, no doubt. However, we can break down unacceptable constructs that have put people on the margins, by striving for excellence, breaking down stereotypes and making history.

By the way, Happy Black History Month!!:)

– Chiamaka

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Monopoly Alert: Innovators are gradually leading the world

It is the people who are bold enough to create that are constantly dominating and improving the world. They are the ones who refuse to follow norms that are applied at ‘whatever cost’. They are creators. They challenge broken systems of governance. They are the ones who will work for a person, organization or group, while they simultaneously think of ways that they can build something from their own brand. They are the ones who will not ignore the most intrusive of their talents. They are the ones that make world change seem to be a possibility. Good politicians also fall under the category of – innovators.

Every human being is a unique brand, but no brand comes to life if it is not worked upon. You must believe that you can transcend barriers, challenge systems, transcend glass ceilings and stereotypes … basically, you must believe in the greatness that lies within you – to build on your own brand. The world is moving more and more into the hands of creators, the self-believers. These people give hope to – the hopeless, the victims of war and oppression and social inequities. They give hope to the concerned wealthy. Most innovators are taking over in order to mend broken systems. They do not belong to a clique (people have the right to do what they can, to improve systems in the world). They are not in cliques but they are an open group – always welcoming more ideas, change makers and in general, brands that are willing to self-explore for good.

These creators that are gaining monopoly over crucial systems in the world, are not perfect. That is obvious from their stories. What is also deductible from their stories is that they decided to move out of their comfort zones to create, to be judged, to learn from criticism and to serve. We have seen such traits in people like Oprah Winfrey, Malala Yousafzai, Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Bill Gates and many more. Hopefully, this monopoly will cease to exist soon and rather it will be a norm of our world, that every individual is a self-believer and cares about making our world a better place.

Love,

Chiamaka

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The Raif Badawi Case: With every lash, our humanity weeps

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Raif with his three young children (Source: Bloomberg News)

Raif Badawi is a Saudi-Arabian blogger who was arrested in 2012 by Saudi Arabian authorities. Stories regarding the reason(s) for his arrest vary as some say he was arrested for “insulting” Islam and others state that he wrote against some Islamic clergy. Infact, he was accused of apostasy. In the year 2013, Badawi was sentenced to 10 years in prison, a fine and 1000 lashes (which would occur over the course of 20 weeks).

It is impossible to make any assertions, since people do not know why exactly Badawi was arrested and sentenced to such conditions (we do know that in general, that he was accused of somehow being against Islam). So, I will take caution with the way I phrase the following words – If indeed Badawi insulted Islam which is a people’s belief, that was a very wrong course of action to take. We should respect people’s beliefs unless those beliefs are thoroughly proven to be structured to cause nothing else but harm. I am pretty sure that this is not the case with Islam.

However, there is no justification for the kind of punishments that have been assigned to Badawi. A simple letter or phone call to Badawi would have been a more humane response, not a 10 year sentence that will be accompanied by 1000 lashes. The first 50 lashes were served on Friday last week. The 31-year old blogger was meant to receive 50 more, yesterday but wounds from the first set are yet to close. The wounds are indications of the very barbaric nature of the sentence. When Badawi heals, he is expected to continue receiving the lashes. Let us hope that the Supreme Court to which Badawi’s case has now been transferred, can help stop this injustice.

In the meantime, you can help by signing this petition that Amnesty International created for Raif Badawi: http://e-activist.com/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1770&ea.campaign.id=32768 Thank you!

I do not see how one can claim to love God yet does not love the ones that God has sent for him/her to love. You cannot claim to love God yet you pronounce unjust rulings and cause harm, in the name of God. That is an ugly juxtaposition.

Free Raif,

Chiamaka

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The Government and The Public Functioning as One

Once I got off the plane it was like hot air rushed out on me. What a warm “Welcome back” to Nigeria that was. I kid.

I visited Nigeria – to be exact, Lagos for the Christmas/NewYear holidays. The main aim of my trip was to celebrate with my family and I thought sarcastically – Well, it would be good to see Nigeria again. With the constant news about bomb blasts, stagnant progress in very crucial areas in my country, I was sarcastic. It probably will be the same ol’ Lagos.

What I met at the airport was orderliness. I left the interior of the airport and got on the airport bus with my sister and dad, and I was fascinated. The bus was well-maintained and ventilated too. Then, we arrived at the car park area. The drive from the airport was smooth. No/very minimal traffic. Wow! I was thrilled.

Now, talk about consistency …

In Nigeria, electricity supply is not constant and generator business is good business over there. However, the electricity supply that I witnessed throughout my two-week stay was consistent, not complete but very consistent. Daddy installed Solar so our house gets constant electricity, regardless, but we were still alerted anytime an external electricity source came on. The trip from the airport to my house was not the only one that I took during that stay. I took 1, 2, 3 more and the roads were still very free. If you have driven or been driven on Lagos roads for years, then you know that the traffic can be brutal and can last for hours.

Each of these progressive experiences that I witnessed in Nigeria reminded of a post which was a sort of, my wish for Nigeria, after returning frustrated at the stagnancy I noticed last year. That post was titled – The Government Is People, The Public Is People Too. You can take some minutes to familiarize yourself with it. What came to my attention is that not only does Lagos State have a positively active Governor – Babatunde Fashola (not being partisan (I do not work for him) or partial, just being honest), it also has a public that cares about their society and nation as a whole. The latter are the people who are organizing themselves at the airport, ensuring that they do not deface and/or pollute the airport bus. These are the people who somehow … that I will confess to not being able to explain, created free roads for all Lagosians and visitors. This is the progressiveness that I seek not just for Lagos, but really for the whole country.

The Presidential election comes up in February. I will not be around to vote, but I will be praying for progress. Just as it hurts to see a gifted child produce subpar results time and time again, so it hurts to see Nigeria constantly performing below its potential. In some cases, the nation is not performing at all. My fellow people of Nigeria, in the coming month and on the day of election, use your power to put in place a fellow people that you truly believe can take Nigeria forward. No one can predict if a candidate that promises progress will take action when handed the mantle. However, I urge you to lay tribe, religion or any other source of partisanship aside as you cast your ballot on February 14th – and vote for the one that you feel is best for Nigeria – and then, hope for the best. Do it for Nigeria – that is, do it for your future.

Members of the public – rich, poor or disabled, we all have the power to change broken systems. Whether we remain in the public or move on to executive levels of government. The government is people and the public is people too.

Love & Peace,

Chiamaka

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That “I Can Own It” Habit

Happy New Year!! I hope you’ve planned to OWN IT!:)

One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2015 is to own this year. By that I mean that I want to put my very best into 2015 – face my fears, be more bold about my talents – and other aspects of my life. My wish is that I will follow through with this plan of owning the new year.

I do hope that you will join me in on that plan.

The mindset for such a plan should be that you do not think less of yourself. “I can’t” needs to be reserved for only those things that you should not be doing and/or those things that you do not have to do. Love yourself. Think of winning not losing. Hope to be an inspiration to people.

Everyone has different desires and needs. The main backdrop to ‘owning’ is confidence. Whatever your plans may be for this new year, you have to follow them up with confidence. It is confidence that will enable you to be positive and loving to people. Confidence will also make you believe strongly in your capabilities. Such beliefs will keep you from falling easy into bouts of depression as a result of rejections and people’s negativity. Self-confidence is inspiring – to people close to you and to strangers. When you give advice to people, it is really your actions that matter most. Beautiful words are uplifting but actions are more persuasive.

The goal is not to own just 2015. The goal should be that self-confidence sticks with you beyond 2015. Aim for consistency – within every week in this year and within every week in the years to come. Goodluck!

I hope your 2015 has been off to a good start. If you have some New Year’s resolutions that you would love to share, please leave them in the Comment section.

Love,

Chiamaka

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Validation from Within May Be The Missing Piece

You are good enough. You really are.

This is probably not the first time that you are reading sentences similar to the ones above. We know that we should believe in ourselves but we don’t always do so.

Earlier in the week, I visited a salon to temporarily straighten my Afro-hair, with irons. Prior to the salon visit, I had discussed briefly, over the phone, with the hairstylist on price estimates. When she was done straightening my hair, I informed her that I was ready to pay. She went to the cash register and punched in a perplexing and somewhat overwhelming fee. I then told her that the fee was not in line with the information that she gave me over the phone and she replied that she had to add extra cost “because it’s natural hair”. The stylist compared my hair with that of her other Black customer who had permed hair – thus straight hair. She said that mine took longer. Mind you, this hairdresser is Black but she still found OUR natural hair to be a problem, so much so she had to charge a high fee. I do know that colonization is to blame for that kind of thinking, but it was just all round sad. I wondered – Why do we not accept ourselves fully?

That question applies to different people, including myself and in different aspects. You may feel intimidated by others, you may feel that being your true self means that you have to bow away from humility or you could feel that what you are is not good enough for someone else. Sometimes, failure and rejection can make you feel like you are not good enough. However, to live life to its fullest, you have to be authentic and you have to dare to take chances. Your beliefs, goals and ideas may not be the same with those of a lot of people that you know, but that does not invalidate the person that you are. Appreciate and accept the person that you are. When you think of reasons why you are not good enough, remember all those things that you have done that were so worth the try. Be honest with you – your beliefs, goals and ideas. Then, you can do magnificent things and you will be able to improve yourself continually.

I am starting to think that it is in our human nature to be in need of constant validation. At times, we need someone other than ‘me’ to remind us that we are good enough. Make it a habit to compliment people who you admire and appreciate – of course, these could be strangers. Compliments also boost personal confidence and gradually encourage people to believe in themselves. Still, no one should just wait for the compliments. Depend on being the best you that you can be. When you are confident with yourself, most times, you will not need validation – you will not care that you were rejected for a particular job, you will not care so much that someone who you expected to compliment you, did not. You will come to the realization that you put your best into everything and you will know that you are capable of achieving unlimited success.

Love,

Chiamaka

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Analyzing Entrepreneurship from The Crux of The Concept

There are two sides to every story. Entrepreneurs are not entirely selfish people who are only concerned about the bottom line – profits, and at the expense of labour. There are people who go into entrepreneurship because they care about being innovators who can provide something avant-garde, which will be useful to others. They share their gifts with others.

As alluded to above, not all people who deem themselves – ‘entrepreneurs’ care. Just like you, I buy things and I have been to stores and private companies that seem not to care about the customer. It is really just a financial interaction. There is no aim for relationship building. I have had the honour of interviewing some outstanding entrepreneurs, hearing about the stories of others and even observing outstanding entrepreneurs. What I have noticed is that entrepreneurs are creators who want to be motivators of future creators. They care. They like people. They are philanthropists. They love to chat and be vulnerable. They want to find ways to help you put your talents to use. This is the good side and a major part of entrepreneurship. Implementing entrepreneurship in ways that are subpar (with regard to creating value and developing creative people), is not true entrepreneurship.

Not everyone has to be an entrepreneur in the sense of being financially independent or working in the private sector. A lot of hardships would be experienced, if there were no bureaucrats helping us to access information that members of the public need. How about our doctors, lawyers e.t.c., working for the government. The public sector is very much a valuable sector. There are people who want to contribute positively to the lives of others and to their society, and they may deem either working in the public sector or the private sector, the best way to achieve those goals. For now, and in line with the ideas that I am passionate about such as social justice and financial independence, I think that the private sector is best suited for me. From that angle, I can liaise with governments on policy-related issues, but also have the freedom to contribute to society in the ways that I choose to. This is the awesomeness that I have found in entrepreneurship. It is positive and empowering.

My question for you is – What does entrepreneurship mean to you?

Let me know!

Love,

Chiamaka

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Is Being Busy with Certain Things Paying Off?

You have all probably been so busy with and committed to performing a task and then when you are done, discover that you wasted your time on it. Why? Maybe because you put so much effort into doing the wrong thing or because when you were done, you were informed that the outcome was no longer needed. I have encountered these experiences.

It is very possible to be so busy but realistically unproductive. When you are in the process of choosing a degree, applying for a job and/or looking for an organization to volunteer for e.t.c., you have to conduct a thorough analysis to ensure that the task will be maximizing your potential.

These days I do a lot of decluttering when I search for opportunities and when opportunities come my way. I create a mental scale of preference and arrange all these opportunities according to the ones that will be most useful in boosting my personal development – intellectually, financially and socially (ability to contribute to the society). This logic has helped me to be meaningfully busy, in the sense that I can feel occupied and stressed but still happy to be taking on the tasks. I enjoy the work and the pressure.

As you apply the filtering/decluttering process, you gradually become so used to it that every interview invite, job opportunity, idea, as well as your current jobs and responsibilities, all of them will require a thorough analysis. Lol! It is a very useful process. You get to save time and direct your energy and resources to the things that are really worth the effort. Note that the benefits may not come instantly but you will know that you are in the process of achieving great things.

Make it a point of duty to get meaningfully busy. Weigh your options based on which will:

-help you make use of and improve your skills

-lead you to achieving your goals

If you feel like you need it, start decluttering, today:)

Love,

Chiamaka.

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