By Field Ruwe EdD
Deeds not Words to Words and Deeds
Believe me when I say since my relocation to the United States, I have helped a good number of Zambians with non-monetary venture capital in the form of market and managerial advice. As I pen this article, I am inundated with queries and proposals from Zambian entrepreneurs, innovators, and inventors, and others of varying talent—all culminating in one challenging question “what can you do for us—for your motherland, you there in the U.S.?”
I start my article thus because of a poem sent to me by a reader of my last article: “Like clouds and winds which do not bring rain, so are your words. For often we see that clouds emitting great claps of thunder threaten great rains, yet often do not bring what they portend. Just so are people like you who produce words but do no deeds.” Another wrote simply; “you are the one the president [Hakainde Hichilema] is referring to when he says some intellectuals just talk.”
Malala’s quote provides perhaps the best rejoinder on my behalf: “There’s no greater weapon than knowledge and no greater source of knowledge than the written word.” I might add: The pen is mightier than the nuclear bomb. And so is the tongue. Don’t forget John 1:1; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Words made the world. Listening to his inaugural speech HH seemed to evoke JFK’s famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” This citation is an exemplar of the awesome power of words. Americans, friends and foe did not only listen, hear, and feel the words they saw the magnetism of a young dreamer pull them together with a compelling vision. Regardless of their political affiliation they rallied behind his vision and turned words and deeds into the greatest nation on earth.
In Zambia the catchphrase “Words and Deeds,” and not “Deeds not Words” has never been so timely. Coming on the heels of the August 12, 2021, presidential election that ushered in a pragmatic president who has offered hope to a people battered by years of economic mayhem, the mantra “Words and Deeds” is our adorning. When words and deeds are in accord, building a nation is made easier because there is someone to direct and another to execute.
If “Words and Deeds” become the rallying cry of every Zambian then we are on the road to prosperity. If on the other hand, the cult of ignorance, jealousy, conscientious stupidity, witch-hunting, and the strain of anti-intellectualism entwine our humanity like in the past then failure is the apotheosis of our existence on earth. We might as well admit we cannot learn from history and are therefore damned fools.
Hichilema has kicked off his presidency the way Kaunda and Mwanawasa did—with a vision. The ball is in his court. Before he serves it for the win, he needs moral guts, eye on the ball, an arm full of power, and an apt sense for execution. If our hearts beat true to our country then we must rally behind him, each one of us regardless of ideology, and lift his soul at any sign of infirmity. Remember, the common denominator of every successful country is UNITY. Kaunda put it succinctly: Unity is strength.
Change is Never on a Silver Platter
At this juncture, Hichilema’s comprehensive vision, enthroned in his heart as it is, is only a figment of his imagination. It is doable only if he cares to surround himself with learned, thoughtful, talented, and experienced people who can provide him with the evidence-based information needed to enhance his agenda. It is to such sages successful presidents have applied the virtue of listening both in means and ends.
I have reached out to him, first to congratulate him, and also to assure him of my support. I endorsed him because I believed he would be in the State House not merely to make a living or enrich himself. I believed, and still do that it is on his vision he will salvage our beloved country and change lives for the better.
But change does not come easy. Creating a workable and successful policy agenda will be a daunting task. Even the best minds fail to translate a well-articulated and persuasive concept into reality. All U.S. presidents placed in the first quartile of successful leaders turned to think tanks to help set their agenda, among them Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. To succeed, Hakainde Hichilema will have to do the same.
Hichilema’s rallying cry of a better Zambia, his speech of total commitment to change, and his sincere and rare call to Zambian intellectuals to talk less and act more, is a paradoxical, corollary for help. He knows he does not have all the answers and understands the problems ahead are more difficult than Zambians have yet to fathom.
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants
It is with the afore-stated in mind that I am stepping forward to create a think tank comprising Zambian state-builders in the Diaspora who can help the president to push his agenda through workable ideas and networks. To be called Zambia Development Institute (ZDI), it is a proposed US-based strategic think tank that seeks to commemorate the ideals and concerns of Zambians in their quest for change. Neutral and nonpartisan, the institute will be a dynamic professional and academic agency that will stand the test of time.
The idea of think tanks helping presidents execute their agendas goes back to the Industrial Revolution (1760-1840) that witnessed the last stage of proto-industrialization—the first transformation from agricultural to an industrial economy. Think tanks catalyzing change advocated for life-changing characteristics; technological progress, a shift from rural work to industrial labor, financial investments in new industrial structures, and early developments in social consciousness and theories.
It was such characteristics that saw the Japanese government create a strong, centralized state in the 19th century. To achieve this, the Japanese government funded Japanese think tanks in England and the United States to directly learn from American innovators and inventors. Other Asian countries followed suit. Similarly, the raison de’etre for ZDI is to mobilize Zambian academics in the Diaspora so they can have direct access to know-how, expertise, research opportunities, lab space, and other incentives that enhance development.
In the coming days, I will be sending the president an executive summary of my initiative outlining ZDI’s vision, mission, and objectives. ZDI’s mandate will be to provide evidence-based recommendations in technological, economical, and socio-economical issues concerned with the reformation of education, the expansion of industrialization, and the alleviation of poverty.
In this regard, ZDI will be innovative and nimble enough to work with U.S. academic professionals in universities and institutions that support Third World development. The institute will be instrumental in helping to facilitate and improve knowledge and skills of the subjects of technology and economic development.
It is also the intention of ZDI to act as a clearinghouse for Zambian goods, minerals, and businesses, talent, and other innovative ideas. To this, the institute will foster interactive and constructive dialogue with Zambians and various U.S. academic institutions, technological entities, industries, and business enterprises, and assist organizations and individuals accordingly where and when appropriate.
Why Boston, Massachusetts, United States
The Greater City of Boston, Massachusetts has been strategically chosen as the base of the institute due to its legacy as the innovation hub behind the might of the United States. Zambian Development Institute will join other Boston-based foreign think tanks in Cambridge, a major suburb of the Boston metropolitan area.
The cradle of technology, Cambridge houses the “Brainpower Duel” Harvard, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is home to leading tech, manufacturing, and biotech firms. Its Kendal Square is recognized internationally as the innovation district that is propelled by the synergies of imagination and ingenuity.
There you are; this I hope will be my contribution to my beloved country. The year 2022 is pivotal for Zambia. The year will unveil a challenging and meandering path from poverty to prosperity. It will need brains, dedication to duty, perseverance, and resilience to reach the promised land. It will need Zambians’ willingness to work hard, take risks, aim beyond capabilities, and develop a complete disregard for failure. Let’s march together with a finer spirit of hope and achievement.
