Do you know what it feels like to be pre-judged, pre-classified or considered a minority in a particular socio-economic or political environment? This state of being actually exists in all works of life depending on the circumstance and the situation we find ourselves in. However no state of being is always the right one to be in, as either have their positives and negatives.
I have had the privilege and opportunity to experience different socio-economic environments in my life time. From the pre-independence era when my parents were teacher’s living mostly in accommodation provided by the Church as my dad was also a Methodist preacher, living in high density housing where I was mostly socialised, living as a refugee in the USA’s multi-racial society’s, returning briefly to high density life, moving up the social ladder to what could be termed upper class, after which I moved back to what may be called middle class when I started my working career. I believe this could be where I have finally settled in though there are times when I have to fight and struggle to get things done for my family. That’s my life based on my social environments.
I feel there have been some very drastic changes in my life, especially having been a family member of a high profile political figure. I have realised people in general tend to assume that, if one has lived under the image of such a highly recognised political office they should certainly have come out with vast amounts of wealth. I understand why people’s perceptions and thought processes are the way they are, it’s most likely because of how they see the current President and other African Presidents live their life styles.
However with us it is not the case, we live average lives, far below the general public’s perceptions of ‘rich’. Perhaps if the government of Zimbabwe did respect the contribution made by Canaan Banana during his term in office and included him in the modified constitution in terms of retirement packages, things could have turned out differently. The current Presidential Bill in Zimbabwe only covers Presidents and their deputies from 1992. There is probably a good reason why there’s no link to this controversial government, but at the same time annoyed about this seemingly unfair and unjustified alienation of Canaan Banana’s recognition of the contributions he made to the development of Zimbabwe.
The negative publicity that followed after the alleged trial of Canaan Banana unfortunately cast a dark shadow in the career progression of the Banana family member’s, some members of the family have suffered irrecoverable psychological and emotional problems as a result. The decision to migrate in order to find peace of mind brought about some temporal relief but however also had its negatives in terms of career progression. At times I question if my quest for human rights and justice is influenced by events in society or rather by the experiences I have noted within members of my family. I have learnt to understand the frustrations associated with the perceptions by people as they may view us as this golden opportunity with vast amounts of wealth (celebrity syndrome) when in actual fact we are the simplest of individuals perhaps not as well off as they are.
The assumption of being something else may make us feel that we are on the stronger side, giving a false sense of identity. On the other hand being in the majority may make us feel that we have to compete with many others like us to be recognized. More of us in any particular location make us ordinary and so we have to struggle even harder to hold our own identity. Either way it is obvious that we carry a burden, in the minority weakness in numbers and in the majority weakness as an individual.
The truth is what makes us strong in both cases is what we have in our spirits. Regardless of whether we find ourselves in the minority or majority at any given time who we are from inside will always remain the same. It then becomes an advantage to be in either category. In the minority we would set an example for others to follow.
Our challenge is to become leaders for others to learn from and believe they can accomplish their desires despite the odds stacked against us in numbers. In the majority we take pride in rising above many like us to be seen as special. Despite the odds in numbers we are still identifiable as individuals, again leading others to seek the same as we did.
It is obvious to the naked eye that there are more poor people than rich people in our world. The negative side to this is while the rich man seems to have all the facilities and amenities available for him to get richer the poor man seems to have none of these allowing him to remain poor.
“Physical wealth only matters when we do the right thing with it. If we are poor in spirit and wealthy physically then we are still poor. If we are rich in spirit and blessed with wealth then God has given us both as he desired. So wealth is not a bad thing if we are righteous within.”
Carrying the torch from generation to generation is something professions do. Doctors have such familial pairs - everyone knows stories about father/son doctors. Lawyers and architects and accountants, too, have parent/child professionals working side by side. The child eventually takes over the practice of the parent. However in political roles especially where predecessors were seen in a bad light it becomes almost impossible to break ground, the pre-judgement perception takes precedence over ability and capability.
The stakes and standards are set higher and any opposition aspirant’s jump at every opportunity to discredit such family linkages as they are seen as domineering and a negative rather than a positive. It’s more complicated when society also has its own existing differences based on human classification and affiliation.
I guess the best role for me in our socio-economic environments, since our political climate is marred by so much uncertainty, is to focus on leadership and community development initiatives.
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