Rethinking Change: The Western Solutions Cannot Be Africa's Solutions

By Mabel Bob-Manuel

This book highlights the current decisions we are presently making, especially the third world countries of Africa. This is an awareness piece to Africa, letting them rethink their decisions be you an individual, government, state, country, or nation. This book is an encouragement to all leaders and masses to be actively present in their decision-making. The African mind has been conditioned to think the West is better. We are all good in our own right. We follow the Western ways, and by doing so they are still ahead of us while we gradually erode. What the West sees on media and history is how they see our ways. They forget we as Africans emerge and grow from what history has taught society to believe. Our solution must come from within us Africans only if we are ready to embrace the fact that we can. Our ways are different, that's why the Western solutions are not working for us; rather, it has put us in more debt. We can't plug the Western solutions into the African challenges. Changing our structures and systems using Western solutions, be it nature, policies and our community, will change our ways. As we are making these decisions, we should be aware of the processes involved. We should be aware of the history we are making in the present for future African generations. The battles the past generations refuse to fight will be fought by future generations. How can they fight if they are not taught, informed, and equipped by the past generations?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9780228887997

Mabel Bob-Manuel

Raised by my mother's parents, later raised by my mother after the passing of my grandparents in 2000 and 2001 respectively. God rest their souls, and sleep well, Mama and Papa. My journey began when I officially knew my father at age 12. I remember my first visit to him at his office at work. The first question he asked me was, what's your name? I answered Soibifaa (Soso) Sekibo Bob-Manuel. That was the highlight of my struggle. I am from Rivers State, Abonnema, in the southern part of Nigeria, Niger Delta. I later got to know my Dad as I visited his home from time to time. I lived with my Mum, who was a single parent. It was not easy being a single mother. We frequently moved from one house to another due to lack of funds. Now everything has changed; life has smiled upon us. I got a scholarship from Rivers State to study in Canada. I have a bachelor's degree, with a double major in Psychology and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Life is full of hope, and this has kept me growing and going through life. This brings me to this book of my experiences, thoughts and learnings as I unpack ideas, norms and structures. Storytelling has always been my passion, so to you, my reader and audience, I hope you find this piece exonerating as you dig deeper into your thoughts.

Book preview

Rethinking Change

The Western Solutions Cannot Be Africa’s Solutions

Mabel Bob-Manuel

Rethinking Change

Copyright © 2023 by Mabel Bob-Manuel

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-0-2288-8798-0 (Hardcover)

978-0-2288-8797-3 (Paperback)

978-0-2288-8799-7 (eBook)

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Parents, Ayodele Sekibo Bob-Manuel and Victoria Nkechinyere Akor. You are loved.

My late grandparents, Mr., and Mrs. Chukwuemeka Godwin Mildred Akor, rest on Papa and Mama.

To Pastor Ademola and Iheoma Farinu. You are loved.

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgment

Introduction

Chapter 1: Away From Home

Chapter 2: The Road Less Taken Made the Difference

Chapter 3: Africa: My Past, Present, and Future

Chapter 4: Are Our Choices Truly Ours?

Chapter 5: Roots

Chapter 6: Government Is Not the Problem

Chapter 7: Our Tipping Points

Chapter 8: Corruption

Chapter 9: Mental Slavery

Chapter 10: What Science Can and Can’t Do

Chapter 11: Community

Chapter 12: Resilience

Chapter 13: Status Quo

Chapter 14: Social Responsibility

Glossary

Bibliography

Acknowledgment

The western world’s solutions cannot be Africa’s solutions. We are deeply embedded in our culture and ways; this makes us unique. The western world cannot understand our ways unless they are taught, as we in the diaspora have been taught to learn the ways of the west. Most of a country’s decisions deal and work with us, the diaspora. Western influences impact the Third World—they should be willing to learn our ways before influencing our decisions and rights. We are unique and African. Change a person’s mind and you will change his or her world.

- Miss Mabel Soibifaa (Soso) Sekibo Bob-Manuel

Canada, Victoria BC

February 2023

Introduction

The word change can, in so many ways, enclave and enslave entities. Simple realities become difficult to attain. I am open-minded. I invite you, as we critique and analyse this book and issues for better awareness. I will make it simple, short, and straight to the point in passing across my message. Surviving is making a difference, leaving the world better than we have found it. We should tackle our problems from every angle: from the bottom, top, within, between, and from the side. Africa should be mindful in the process of change. Some questions that come to mind—are we mindful? Are we present at the moment, in this global time?

The western world’s solutions cannot be Africa’s solutions. The question here is, what does change mean to you? Change in what context? This book is from my heart to my unborn children and my audience.

FP: "A man must be at home somewhere before he can feel at home everywhere."–Howard Thurman

Chapter 1

Away From Home

This journey began after obtaining a scholarship from my hometown state, Rivers State, in the Western part of Nigeria, under the Rivers State Sustainable Development Agency (RSSDA) scholarship scheme. With this award, I began my search for knowledge at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, where I obtained a double major degree in psychology and environmental studies. I began to question my stand in some of my classes, being the only African student. The topics that were explored in class were challenging, most new, and caused some degree of questioning. I found myself lost in some classes, nevertheless I visited my professor’s office for clarification and insight. They, in turn, were happy to help.

My stand sometimes caused some degree of pain and crisis to my identity but also created a sense of accomplishment, uniqueness, pride, and further knowledge. I pondered on questions like, where am I from and, where am I going? I began to question my essence in the world, why I left home, passed oceans, seas, and lands to this side of the world in search of knowledge. The road less travelled, made all the difference.

Our Home of Peace

I woke up this cold, windy morning.

Struggled, at last, had victory over my bed—

done my morning rituals,

praying, brushing, bathing, and breakfast.

I set out with a smiling face

as the wind blew and tossed things around.

My hair, jacket, and my well-carved mushroom were not left out in this tossing,

protecting me from the rain.

As I ran for my mushroom, I saw smiles on passers-by—

they also are not left in this experience.

This is what I call beautiful Victoria.

Victoria City, where the smiling faces exist,

great community, and environmental oneness—

the University of Victoria showing all reunification of beauty.

Diverse people, cultures, but same mindset and goal.

Imagine a delicious salad,

mixed and seasoned.

This is Victoria; she is beautiful, raising great leaders—

most of all, passionate community-builders.

The cold says you can conquer as we shiver, scrunch, and clench our teeth.

The falling leaves and empty branches saying,

Don’t worry, we will be green again.

Give us months, we will make you proud.

Here comes summer, bright and sunny.

Here we go again, camp tent, bonfire nights, marshmallows, songs, and dancing,

beaches and tans as we watch the waves of the sea.

Trips to explore what nature has given us—

this is Victoria, our home of PEACE.

FP: Confusion of identity and self is the beginning of No Path.

Chapter 2

The Road Less Taken Made the Difference

Africa, we want to change. The ways of the western world are not the same as the African world. We want to be western in so many ways. We have to be mindful of change. I find the word change problematic; maybe using the word amendment, is better. To my understanding, when you say change, that means you want something entirely new. I will put it this way: you want a new identity, new ways of doing things, and in the process to forget who you are, your identity, and what you are known for, universally. Confusion of identity and self is the beginning of No Path: when you do not know who you are, where you have been, are coming from, or where you are going, as a person, state, nation, country, continent, community, or ethnicity … the future is on shaky ground.

This book is my perspective; it’s not a final solution or the only way of looking at things, challenges, and problems. I may be wrong or right in your view but certainly, this is not a matter of right or wrong. We all are geared towards better ways of seeing ourselves and doing things, critiquing what we have been born to know as the norm—right or wrong—unpacking and repacking our ideas and being better in our everyday living. If we come back to why we still strive to keep family, go to work, go to school, and engage in our everyday routine, it is to live, to survive. Surviving to me is not just the passers-by surviving but leaving the world better than we found it or leaving a blueprint for the coming generation.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveller Long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves, no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence: