Shall We Talk About This List

There has been a list that has been making its round on social media lately. This list has been compiled by ummm.... ummm. I do not know who but that is besides the point. It is a list nonetheless. It has been called Zambia's Top 20 Under 35 Young Rich and Influential 2015. Now the issue is not so much the list but who appears on the list.

I am sure some are familiar with other lists around the world such as Time Magazine's 100 Influential People list, or Forbes Rich list, I am assuming this was supposed to be such a type of list. I must state a disclaimer right away, I personally know some of the people who appear on the list. Some of the people on the list are doing some pretty amazing stuff. They are taking Zambia forward and making differences in their communities and sectors. Despite this the question that a list of this kind raises is what was the criteria used in the selection of the people who made the list and were they worthy to be on it.

The reason the selection criteria has been brought into question is that there are certain people who are not on the list who many feel should have been on it. A friend mentioned that Pastor Choolwe of Gospel Envoys Church should have been on it or B-Flow who has been influential towards his fight for women's rights. There will always be someone who people would prefer to be on the list. This brings the debate, what criteria did they use to come up with the list? How did they determine that the individuals are rich or influential? Was there some kind of score sheet that they used? How did they define being rich and influential? How far spread is their influence? Did they take a poll?

If this was a list of young Zambians doing some pretty amazing stuff, I doubt few would have argued but the moment they placed it under the banner of Top 20 Rich and Influential it introduced a different ball game. I do, however, acknowledge that many people will have their own ideas of who can be considered rich and influential because these are relative terms. Hence, it would have helped if the people who came up with this list shared with us what they meant when they use the term. I think though that they liked how it sounded hence they decided to go with it, someone has been watching too much E! or reading Forbes magazine.

I will applaud them for one thing, they came up with a list, however, flawed it was. It also let me know some individuals who I had not previously known about. This was not the first and neither will it be last list that we shall see, I hope that the next one that surfaces will be an improved version. Firstly, it would be nice to know who actually made the list and also what criteria was used to choose the individuals on that list.  It will help make the process more transparent and few can argue with it.

P.S. Whoever is cooking up the next list add Frustrated Brotha on it, even at number 20.

The World Expects Tragedy Everywhere Else But Europe

Last week Thursday there were terrorists attacks in Beirut, Lebanon. On Friday there were also terrorist attacks in Paris, France. Both these incidences killed scores of people, at least 40 in Lebanon and 128 in France. However, much of the world attention has been on France. Even in Zambia, most people are more aware of the French incidence than the Lebanese one. Both the terror attacks were horrible but why is it that the world is more fixated by the Paris attack. It could a reason of expectation.

Allow me to use an analogy, if you come from a family where every one of your siblings graduated from university when you do graduate too it is nothing spectacular because it has been done before. However, if you come from a family where you become the first to graduate from university, the jubilation and celebration will go on for days, because it does not happen in your family. In the same vein, I think the French attacks have received so much attention because no one expects it to happen there. It is supposed to be a safe country, with peace loving people where attacks do not just happen on the boulevards. Meanwhile, for countries like Lebanon, such attacks may be regarded as the norm. A bomb blast happens at a market,  mosque, or hospital then it is expected rather than the exception. Lebanon falls into other countries that are experiencing terror attacks such as Syria, Yemen, Kenya, Nigeria, Afghanistan and many others. The world may expect attacks from any other place but in Europe and America.

Could it be that there is a numbing of the emotional sensitivity when attacks happen in developing countries. The media is constantly bombarding us with dead bodies littered with bullets, the carnage of a suicide bomber, or the beheadings of an expatriate all happening in terrorist strewn developing countries. This is on every international news outlet that rather than begin to be shocked by it, we are more likely to expect it. The world may be developing a fatigue for Syria, Lebanon, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the other countries where terrorism is wrecking havoc. It may be the reason why Facebook has not previously bothered to set flags for those countries.

 When terror attacks happen in Europe as it did in France, it is unexpected, out of the ordinary, breaking the script and is considered a mass tragedy. President Obama has even called it an attack on all of humanity, I would like to know what the other attacks were on. This sad attack on Paris has received widespread condemnation and solidarity from people across the world. Major architectural buildings such as the Sydney Opera House, Empire State Building, and  London Bridge Tower had the French flag beamed onto them. On Facebook, people's profiles had the French flag on them. I would be right to say that it was trending. This generosity of support that France has got, however, has not gone well with some sections of society. There have been questions as to why the other countries that have previously been attacked did not have their flags on Facebook. The people who have put the French flag on their profiles have had their moral compasses questioned. It has brought back the discussion of whether European lives are more important than those of other people around the world more especially in developing countries.

As we debate whether European lives are seen as more important than others, we must also not forget to look at it from another perspective. Terrorist attacks do not happen everyday in France or Europe, therefore when they do happen it can only be expected that it will receive more attention than other countries have are daily suffering from attacks. Then challenge then is how do we prevent ourselves from growing fatigued by the others whose citizens live in fear and a dying out of these attacks. How do we make sure that their voices are heard and something is done about their situation. It should not have to take an attack on France or any European country before the world realises that something serious needs to be done.

To The Lady Behind The Wheel

Dear Lady,

I think it is high time we have this conversation. I have held what I have to tell you for too long and now it is time I let it out. My psychiatrist tells me that I should let my emotions out, verbalise more, talk more and let people know what I am feeling. She tells me that it will make me feel better. So here goes, "What on earth is wrong with you?"

I am a generous driver on the road, each time you ask me to give you a chance to join the road I gladly give it to you. Even if I am late for a meeting, I still let you join and go ahead of me. I have been patient with you, because I am a courteous driver. I do not even mind when you do not acknowledge my generosity on the road. When you do not flick your tail lights after I have let you through or when you do not wave at me in appreciation. None of that really bothers me.

Manje iwe, when it is my turn to ask for the same kindness to be bestowed upon me awe I get the shock of my life. Each time I ask to join the road that is when you even turn your ka head the other direction, like you haven't seen me. When I try to nudge my car ahead to test and see if you will allow me through, then you even press on the accelerator. Ala. All attempts to flash my lights to you as a signal have been ignored. Many times I put my hands together begging you that, "Dear Lady please give me a chance," you then hoot at me and tell me to fuseke. What surprises me the most you even do these things in a traffic jam when clearly there is nowhere you are going. I am speechless lady behind the wheel. I have to wait for my fellow gentleman to give me a chance to join the road.   

My psychiatrist says that vengeance is not mine and I should not mind what you do to me, but wapya. They say, 'Revenge is dish best served cold' I will serve mine with a Toyota Carina. Do not dare ask me for a chance to join the road, the way I will give you the evil eye it will rain in this drought. Even if you smile at me, your car shall not go before me. Hell hath no fury like a Carina driver scorned. Whether you drive a Vitz, Navara or Mercedes you are NOT joining. If you dare me, I hope you have insurance because we shall just bump into each other. Find other drivers to give you chance on the road, because my kindness towards you has expired. So next time you ask me to let you through my response will be a loud, GIGO.

Yours faithfully,

Frustrated Brotha

Who Are The Satanists?

Did you know that we have special people roaming among us? I really do not know what they look like, so I cannot point at one for you. Still that does not mean that they do not exist. They seem to have some super powers these special people. Yet again I cannot really tell you what these super powers are. These special people scare a lot of people. Even the Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge is afraid of these special people. The one thing that I do know for sure is that these special people have a name. They are called Satanists.

The question that people are asking is who exactly are these Satanists? What planet did they come from? Is it Mars, Jupiter or Pluto? Just how did they come to find themselves possessing so much power that even a minister can be afraid of them. There must be something peculiar about them because they have the ability to shake this Christian Nation to the core. If this was a Nigerian movie this is the scene where I say, "Igwe must know about this."

Even though we do not know exactly what these Satanists look like the Copperbelt Minister Mwenya Musenge has been gracious enough to give us a clue of what we should look for. When someone or a group of people want to set up a mortuary project especially in an area like Nkana West, just know they could be Satanists. After all which sensible human being thinks of putting up a mortuary when hospitals and clinics are overwhelmed with dead bodies. And to top it off Nkana West is an already developed area it does need any more mortuaries than it already has no matter how insufficient. The minister has given us a blue print of what to look for, so funeral parlour owners and coffin makers we are watching you.

It is not only the minister who has an idea of what these Satanists look like. Ordinary people too seem to have an idea of the characteristics of the Satanists. If someone is becoming rich and successful, right there the light bulbs should be going on. No one can have money, build houses, and go on vacations out of hard work and dedication. Such things do not happen in Zambia. Even though we do not see the sweat and tears that they have to endure, we do not care. Our neighbours do not deserve to have a good life, we are supposed to suffer together after all. We must do everything in our power to make sure we stick together. Look carefully if they have grey hair they have sacrificed some years, these Satanists can be dangerous.

So since I still do not have an idea what these Satanists look like. I will be looking at every person very carefully. Maybe I can smell them, detect something fishy from them. The super powers they have need to be dealt with. Perhaps we should hire some bounty hunters to capture them on our behalf, we definitely cannot have Satanists roaming around carelessly. 

SMEs and Entrepreneurs Quick Guide to the 2016 Budget

It is no secret that these are difficult times for Zambia, and the budget which was presented by Honourable Alexander Chikwanda, Minister of Finance on 9 October 2015 was supposed to shed some light on the coming year. Different people, look for different things in the 22-page document. Employees want to know if there have been changes to Pay As You Earn or ministries want to know if their funding has been increased or decreased. But what did this budget have for the Small and Medium Enterprises who have been one of the hardest hit or the entrepreneur who is seeking to make an invest that will reap rewards. If you are an SME or entrepreneur the pronouncements below should grab your attention

Budget briefcase

Agriculture

There is nothing significantly new in this year's budget for people interested in agriculture. It is also a roll over from last year's budget. There is still a strong emphasis on fish farming, either the minister likes fish or there is potential there that Zambians should start paying attention to. The minister has gone one step further by setting up the Fisheries Development Fund to provide K5 million credit to small scale fish farmers. Farming bream may just be looking attractive.

Energy

Perhaps one of the most disappointing elements of the budget was the energy section. There were elements for long term investments by making the electricity pricing more attractive. The message for the SME is brace yourself the energy crisis will not be solved anytime soon.

Tourism

The government has scheduled operations for a national airline to commence in 2016 which is meant to attract tourists to the country, but I would not be holding my breath for this. Apart from that there was nothing for the SME or entrepreneur here. For a country that talks of diversifying its economy it is a disappointment there wasn't more here.

Manufacturing

This had perhaps the most substance of the other sectors. The minister mentioned the Value Chain Cluster Development Programme to promote local value addition. The areas for this programme are mango juice production, processing fish (fish appears again), rice, dairy, cotton, honey and forestry products. The programme is being implemented in 42 districts and their plans to expand. Further, there are plans to recapitalise the Development Bank of Zambia, and National Savings and Credit Bank to support SMEs. Also as of 1 September 2015, it is now mandatory for all public sector departments to procure locally manufactured goods for all contracts which are valued at K3 million or less. If I was a manufacturing company I would make every public department  know what I manufacture.

Mining

Absolutely nothing

Transport and Infrastructure Development

Some road projects have been reserved for companies where Zambians hold 50.1 percent of the shares. These are road projects for the Link Zambia 8000 programme.

Where is the Money?

§  K5 million for Fisheries Development Fund

§  K187.5 million to Citizens Economic Empowerment Fund

§  K150 million to the Action Plan on Youth Employment and Empowerment

§  K35.7 million to Women's Economics Empowerment Funds

§  K49.5 million for youth skills training and development

Taxes Up or Down?

PAYE- No changes

Beer- I tried to understand the rationale for this but could not find one. The minister said it was to promote the manufacturing sector, I do not see how. The minister plans to suspend excise duty on clear beer to 40 percent from 60 percent. I guess beer could be the secret formula to start our manufacturing revolution.

Property- Property transfer tax has been reduced from 10 percent to 5 percent. Hopefully more people will be selling their houses and land soon and paying the tax.

TV and Radio- Lucky are they who plan to set up TV and radio stations. The minister proposes to suspend customs duty on transmission apparatus for television and radio for a period of two years.

Wood- Export duty of 40 percent will be placed on unprocessed wood and 20 percent on semi processed wood. Further, customs duty increases to 40 percent on all wood and wood products.

Edible oils- Customs duty rate on refined edible oils doubles from K2.20 to K4.0 per litre. This is meant to make imported edible oils more expensive and encourage local production.

Motor Vehicles- There is bad news for the vehicle traders and buyers. A surcharge of K2,000 will be placed on motor vehicles older than five years from date of manufacture. This means any vehicle that was made before 2010 will carry this charge on top of the customs and excise duty. The exception is trucks and buses.

The charges to the taxes will take effect on 1 January 2016.

The greatest beneficiaries from the 2016 budget are SMEs and entrepreneurs in the manufacturing sector. A lot of the tax breaks and incentives are given to the sector which is a  positive. There are a few sprinkles here and there for other sectors too such as people interested in fish production. It is not an exciting budget and it is pretty much carried forward from 2015. One big disappointment is that there is nothing extraordinary in the tourism sector pronouncement even though it is a foreign exchange earner and one that we have a relatively competitive advantage to other countries in the region. SMEs and entrepreneurs have a few opportunities that they can exploit and for some of the sectors funding should be readily available. Overall on a score of 1 to 10. I would give this budget a 6.

5 Bright Spots of the President's Speech

President Edgar Lungu made his address to parliament today. It was his first address to the august house as Zambian president. The speech that was delivered has been received with mixed reviews by the public. Some have said there was nothing new, while others have even gone as far as saying that it was an inspiring speech. I do not think I can call it an inspiring speech but it did have certain things I liked about it. These are the five things that I liked about the president's speech.

1. Tribalism

He made a statement about tribalism and the need for us to do away with it. He said that he embarked on a crusade to promote unity in the nation. He called on opposition and traditional leaders to help him in this cause. We all know what tribalism can do to countries that do not squash it, so it was good that he mentioned this. I would have loved though if he added a lit bit of a threat in there as well. The consequences to people caught practising tribalism.

2. E-Government

The recognition that the internet can be used to provide an efficient service is very welcome. This can be a first step towards not only making processes faster but also reducing corruption. I hope that this will be the impetus needed for the ministries that do not have websites to start developing them.

3. Creatives

There is some hope for people in the creative industry. Especially with the digital migration that took place this year. The president did say that through the production of television local content it could be an avenue for job creation. And I absolutely agree with him. I just hope that the necessary support will be provided to see this come into fruition.

4. Mental Health

I have always been concerned at the way mental illness is treated in Zambia. It is often something that has not taken centre stage in health debates. It has been pushed under the carpet. It is good that the president addressed it in his speech. He said there was need to promote and protect the rights of people with mental disorders. I give him a thumbs up on this.

5. Zedupad

By 2017 half of school going children in the country will have a Zedupad. This is the right kind of thinking. This should provide more children access to learning resources that is currently lacking. The challenge now is how to make this feasible.

I now hope that the bright spots that were in this speech will actually become a reality. All we can do at this moment is watch and wait.

Why the Pull Him/Her Down (PHD) Syndrome is Good

There are many people that achieve great things in their lives. Many people attribute the reasons for their success to God, the support of their family and friends, hard work, and perseverance. But the strange thing is that few ever thank the haters. The ones who did not believe, the ones who criticised, and the ones who wrote them off. Perhaps no one thinks the haters are worthy of any mention at all, maybe this needs a rethink.

Zambia is blessed with a lot of creative minds. There are writers, musicians, painters, sculptors, entrepreneurs and many others. Some of these individuals churn out some pretty impressive stuff while others do some pretty horrible stuff too. However, in this arena you need to tread carefully and be very cautious with what you say. Any criticism could be seen as a PHD syndrome. Many people have even gone as far as attributing that the reason why Zambians are unsuccessful is because we do not support each other. We are expected to blow the trumpet for each other, pretend we like each other's work, and praise everything even mediocrity, just so we can be socially correct.

When an artist releases a song and a few people say that the song sucks they are viciously attacked and called haters. People then pull out the PHD Syndrome card as a way to shut them down so that everyone else can ignore them. For example, B-Flow recently wrote an open letter to Taylor Swift for her 'Wildest Dreams' music video. An unknown artist called Portia Clark then criticised it on Facebook. What happened next was an army of people criticising what she had done. Some called her a hater, a PHD individual, and others even suggested that she should have sent him a private message instead.  My take on this is that just because B-Flow is Zambian it does not mean that I am bound to praise and support everything he does. I should do so based on its merit. On the suggestion that Portia should have sent B-Flow a private message is ridiculous, B-Flow made his letter public so too there should be no problem with any praise or critique given in public. As I write this blog, I know that there will be people who will like this piece and there are those who will not. If I am criticised will I curl up at a corner and cry. Hell no. By making this piece public I should be also willing to take on any criticism that comes in. I do not expect everyone to sing Kumbaya  with me and send positive energy my way.

Haters do not receive the credit that they deserve. They have motivated people to work harder just to prove them wrong and in the process they have succeeded. They have given people a second opinion even though it may have been unsolicited. Haters have provided people the inspiration to write songs, paint, and write books. Yet none of them even claimed any royalties. They have brought people down to earth. Showing them that not everyone is singing their praise and applauding their every action. Haters have toughed up people by training them to develop the resilience to survive in the tough creative industries. Let us not forget the free publicity that haters provide. Haters do have an integral part in our society even though they are often misunderstood as having the PHD Syndrome. What might need consideration is what actually constitutes PHD Syndrome.

I do not agree with the use of PHD Syndrome card every time someone criticises something. Also we cannot also dictate to people how they should criticise. We cannot also tell them to be gentle, kind, and positive while they are criticising. People will always have different tastes, likes and dislikes. Haters should not be crucified instead their place in your success stories should be recognised, because whether you like it or not, the haters are going nowhere. So deal with it.