So You Think You Can....... Run For Office?

While at  a birthday celebration, some pictures of me were taken in a questionable state (you know C₂H₅OH) and I asked not to be shot again, just like I always do (not very photogenic), justifying my request by saying that I did not want these pictures to pop out years from now when I am campaigning for a public office . The joke flirted with my brain probably because I have been following the ongoing US presidential republican primary elections and I am shocked by how the most meaningless controversies are used to bring down adversaries.

I would have probably forgotten about this stuff if it wasn't for one sentence that one of my good friends, who was also in a happy place, said as a rebuttal to my comment: "Yeah, I could see you run for office". On the spot, I did not react to it, but its been bogging my mind since then. What in the world is there about me that shouts trustworthy or acclaimed leader and public servant, I have no idea... Heck I'm not sure I would vote for myself, I don't think I have seen enough of the world to be a leader of men.With that said, let's assume I actually do have the necessary predispositions. On what grounds, where, how and for what kind of office could I possibly seek election? (Notice that I said election and not nomination by an elected official).


In the US first of all, there is very little chance of that happening, I would probably need to start at a very local position in a county and maybe work my way up to congress or gubernatorial positions and besides these usually require the subject to have the U.S. citizenship (for at least 7 years to seek the House of Representatives), which is not a possibility for me right now. However, if I had a choice, I would definitely be registered independent as I am not from around here and i am already fed up by all the partisans woes.

My best bet is then in my beloved Cameroon, even though the current regulations in place do not encourage a young mind to come and serve and the environment is not really prone to people with a strict sense of duty and morality (not that I have any). If I manage to overcome these big walls that cloud the political spectrum, there is still the challenge of the message I would pass to the constituents I hope to represent. In the specific case of Cameroon, there is this concept (actually true or not) that the only way the country is gonna get better is by killing everybody that is older than 10 as they are already corrupted. My personal belief is that development is not happening majorly (not the only reason but i think the most important one) because the population does not love their country anymore.. I mean they wish they could (just looking at how patriotic we get when our soccer team is playing), but the condition in which their family live is a civic deal breaker. My campaign platform will then be based on restoring the pride and patriotism (Paix-Travail-Patrie n'est ce pas?). A tentative slogan would then be:


Fier d'etre Camerounais!
Proud to be Cameroonian!               


So would you vote for me if you had a chance? Why or why not?

What Do I Want Today?

Over the past 6 months or so, I have been slowing down drastically in terms of achievement: I am running late on almost all my class projects (including my thesis), I haven't written a blog post in ages, etc...

What is happening to me? I used to be this over achieving monster that wanted to have a doctorate degree, succeed in all aspects of his life and someday impact the life of millions. Now I feel like I'm constantly settling.
What is happening to me? I am not on drugs (well that's if you do not consider Jack Daniels as one); I passed the age of puberty a long time ago (I think...); I just do not feel that drive that I used to have, I am not excited about anything anymore (although I've been trying to have lots of fun lately).
What is happening to me? That's the question I asked myself when I woke up today after having my first 9-hours sleep in a long time, even though I have less than 36 hours to study for a final and write a 2500-words paper. 


Then, I realized that I do not recall dreaming during my sleep; In fact I don't recall the last time I actually dreamed something else than nightmares or past events. I just do not have any sense of fantasy anymore. Better yet, I think I lost my ability to fantasize a long time ago. I therefore decided to switch the question from What is happening to me? to What do I want out of Life?
I observed that my past adrenaline rushes were always, in some way, connected to pleasing someone else, and that the last time pleasing myself was at the top of my priorities goes back to my childhood years. I have lost the ability to DREAM for myself.

In light of all this, I decided to create another blog, where I will archive what I want, ranging from a simple meal to World Peace. This will remind me and whoever needs it, that dreaming and dreaming BIG is good, heck it's necessary to a fulfilled life.


Check out the new blog HERE.

Investing in AFRICA

Countless times, I have been asked by Americans and even some fellow Africans what I thought would be the best way to bring about development to the continent. To dodge long and unpleasant potential ideological debates, I usually say that the best catalyst would be changing the mindset of the population, which is very difficult (voire impossible) and it is not something an external third-party can achieve; I also mention that making a significant impact would require dealing with local government officials: good luck with that! And then we switch straight to the weather...:)).
In all seriousness, I thought about the areas in which members of the diaspora like myself or even foreigners can give back to the mother continent, not to change the face of the world overnight, but to make those little actions that could impact the life of a few key people every year. Here they are with some concrete examples of what someone can realize:

1) Infrastructure: 

This is a huge pool of possibilities. Most African countries suffer the lack in infrastructures: Limited means of transportation (roads, trains, effective public commute either urban and inter-urban), buildings (like schools, hospitals, etc...) or access to basic resources like water or electricity. A successful member of the diaspora could organize a fundraising to build a well or a building that could be used as school or hospital in a rural area.
2) Tourism: 
The perception of Africa from most foreigners is that of a gigantic zoo/jungle (i.e. a huge land of natural environment where animals and Man cohabit in harmony), but the guides and guards of the "Park" just happen to die of hunger, malaria and AIDS while constantly fighting each other.Okay I admit, this is little exaggerated; a friend of mine makes my point better and funnier, check out her blog post. Working on preserving our landmarks as well as our fauna would definitely attract tourists and then we would be able to show our wonderful our community-based lifestyle can be.

3) Education and Health Care:

For a more effective, yet slower and long term impact, there is always actions towards educating the youngsters and provide with ways to fight against the not so deadly (avoidable and curable) sicknesses that are killing them. A good and simple idea could be to provide tuition scholarships to the smartest kids in a school or help them become the teachers, the doctors or engineers that will tomorrow work in the infrastructure built in 1).

4) Artistry and Values:

I have heard so many times that the African population is loosing its identity. Apparently, we want so much to integrate the globalization that we tend to loose those values that make us who we are. So I believe that anything that could be done to golden our identity is highly welcomed. Examples include art galleries, cinema promotions and why not book and music publishing provided the contents focus on African cultural heritage.

5) Technology and Telecommunications:

This is probably the area where I will personally try to work some magic. It is a definite win in terms of business: the adoption of cell phones skyrocketed in a few years, more than 33% of the population in Cameroon (from CIA papers) now own a phone compared to the less than 5 out of 100 households in 2000. The venue of the Internet is also a big game changer (just think about the impact that social media had in the recent government overthrow in Egypt). If only we could make the hardware less expensive and bring forth faster and cheaper internet..... Education in technology would also be a big plus.


There you have it. There is a lot more that can be done, and I might actually be wrong in many aspects, this a is just what I feel is best.
In the comments section you can debate specific subtopics or propose your own solutions.