Who knew that 2019 would turn out to be much more harrowing than anticipated all over the world? FILE PHOTO | NMG
How did 2019
simultaneously manage to be the longest year in living history, and the
shortest? Is it
physics, or is it just perception? At this time last
year, writing this very same closing article, I complained about the
overblown ceremony that was organised to receive the first of the larger
aircraft for the newly resuscitated Air Tanzania Corporation.
I was not happy,
being of the opinion that the money for the ceremony and the aircraft
would have been better spent on social services rather than what is
undeniably a vanity project. I ended by exhorting us to meditate on what
patriotism means, hoping that 2019 would be better. As the saying goes,
if you want to make God laugh, make plans.
It is amusing, in
retrospect, that the greatest outrage I could come up with last year was
irritation that we were buying a jet. It was also disingenuous. I knew
things were bad and likely going to get worse in 2019, but I was
compelled to hope for the best. It is human nature, a necessary survival
mechanism. In times of trouble, we manufacture hope.
Who knew that 2019 would turn out to be much more harrowing than anticipated all over the world?
A decade is ending.
A new one is upon us. We already have a wealth of documented human
history to rely upon to guide our way into an increasingly unreadable
future. Let us philosophise a bit instead.
I once witnessed a
discussion between a development political scientist who didn't ascribe
to the Bretton Woods model (neoliberal economists remain the worst), and
an Africanist about the concept of time. Specifically, time and
certainty.
You see,
"development" tells us that time is linear and ever moving forward and
that progress is more or less inevitable. That's how we have chosen to
organise our world as we draw closer to each other via globalisation.
Technology helps
with this, providing the "certainty" of constant improvement,
prosperity, etc. I get why my Head of State is obsessed with buying
planes and building things, for what is a better testament to this
belief in benevolent advancement than big, impressive, tangible things?
Ahem.
For now let's
contend with the alternative view of time, pre-modern if you will and
quite pagan at heart. It is cyclical, embracing the recurrence of
events, the elision of past, present and future, people and nature and
the divine. In this sphere, the concept of "dominion over all things" is
anathema. It is seen for what it is: Hostile to life, love, nature and
thriving. And my conclusion this year is that we are watching the end of
an era and the painful birth of the next.
Life is not black
and white but with every action we make a choice. Will you recycle this
coming year in the hopes that your grandchildren will not be poisoned by
microplastics? Will you accumulate wealth and so-called achievement
over sacrifices for love and community? Will you stand with or against
tyranny?
Will you at least
think about it? Have a happy new year and I wish you well in the hopes
that we will continue this conversation in the coming decade.
As always, it is an
honour and a pleasure to write for and with you. Come on, 2020, we are
ready. After all, time waits for no one...
Elsie Eyakuze is a consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report.
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