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Tributes to Tajudeen
Tajudeen's last Pan African Postcard: City beautification is destroying livelihoods
Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem
2009-05-25, Issue 434
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/Tajudeen/56537
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There are 5 comments on this article.
The irony of Africa being a very rich continent but Africans being some of the poorest peoples in the world is no longer lost on anyone. While we can argue about the historical , structural, attitudinal, personal and institutional causes of this state of affairs the fact remains that majority of our peoples remain in need amidst plenty. Decades of Aid, humanitarian intervention, prayers, activism, development plans, action plans, government declarations and so many other initiatives have not produced fundamental change for the poorest and weakest sections of our societies. Yet Africans remain one of the most optimistic peoples, perpetually believing that ‘ tomorrow go better’ (ie, tomorrow will be better, as they say in Nigeria). The hope may be dependent on a few Chinese or Indian made wares hanging on the neck of the street hawker or a tray of fruits dexteriously carried by an underage girl rushing for vehicles on the streets of Accra or few sachets of allegedly ‘Pure water’ on the streets of Lagos or Obama paraphernalia in Nairobi.
It is always a miracle how majority of the poor whether in our urban slums or impoverished rural areas survive. Our cities’ overburdened road infrastructures have spurned entrepreneurship in the form of shops on legs meandering between armies of pedestrians and impatient vehicle drivers frustrated at the gridlock traffic. Similarly informal settlements have developed, several times the size of our capital cities with little or no infrastructures. Some of them like Kibera are even becoming ‘famous’ globally for poverty tourism. Unfortunately it is not the impoverished peoples in these settlements who are even the beneficiaries of their own poverty.
The Majority of Africans continue to survive not because of government but in spite of governments. They eke out a living to keep body and soul together, provide for their families, doing all kinds of dirty work with little pay or selling anything that is buyable hawking all kinds of household wares, fruits, vegetables and myriad of consumer items.
The concept of informal settlements in Africa is not just about where people live but extends to informal markets in all kinds of goods and services: road side mechanics, vulcanisers, local industrialists ho fabricate or copy anything from car parts to miniature planes! If the truth be told what is called informal sector is indeed the real enterprising economy of Africa delivering goods and services as and when needed
As the son of a hardworking woman who was a ‘petty trader’ I confess to a bias in favour of these small entrepreneurs who do not depend on any connections with government officials, politicians and big business / corporate sharks. You go to many neighbourhoods rich or poor you will find these largely women, entrepreneurs, selling food to those working on construction sites, cheap vegetables to other poor members of the society from their baskets, , trays or single tables at the corners of roads and streets.
So Living in Kenya, a settler apartheid type state in all but name I find myself in solidarity with ‘Mama mboga’ .These are women who sell vegetables from their trays, or traditional load carriers tied to their heads, carried on their backs.
From Mama Mboga selling daily perishable vegetables the ambition of many of them is to own a kiosk where they can have storage for more goods , stock more items, install a fridge and freezer that can preserve perishable items. When Mama Mboga becomes a Kiosk owner it is a personal triumph of hope over adversity , a long journey from grinding poverty to bearable survival and foundations for permanent exit from poverty. The bigger the kiosk and the better stocked it is the farther away the owner is from poverty.
Government policy is threatening the survival of the Mama Mbogas across this continent. In the name of ridding cities of illegal constructions, returning to the original city plans and ‘beautifying’ our cities City councils and governments at all levels are creating more poverty running lifelong savings accumulated through extreme sacrifice and hardwork . Of what use is a ‘beautiful city’ peopled by citizens who have lost their livelihoods? Would they appreciate the beauty?
The Mama Mbogas are on the street and in kiosks because they cannot afford the malls and most of their clientele cannot afford the price in the malls.
Our elite are embarrassed by the mass poverty that surrounds us but they are unwilling to provide leadership and appropriate policies to take our peoples to prosperity. They think they can lock it away from polite society. They engage in avoidance and denial mechanisms to pretend to visitors that ‘everything is ok’. That’s why they rid our capitals of beggars, hawkers, and other ‘undesirables’ before any major ‘international’ conference but out of sight is not out of mind for the Mama and Baba Mbogas in our midst. You can pull down their kiosks and destroy their tables but they will come back with new tables, under umbrellas and their clientele will know where to find them. By no means are their clients all wretched of the earth. I still call my favourite mama Mboga, Mama Sarah, or her husband , Martin, to send me top up cards from wherever Nairobi City Council have forced them to. But this couple like me driven back to the streets by government policy have had their hopes and dreams shattered by a government with a tunnel vision of development that only looks at the welfare of the minority rich and powerful at the expense of the impoverished and powerless underclass .While the elite engages in power struggles the citizens are only concerned about Livelihood struggles. Any society that threatens the livelihood of its own citizens risk permanent threat to its own survival and security.
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Dear Dr. Tajudeen,
It is sad you have exited the space, but your write ups will continue to rekindle our memories and will forever remain great sources of inspiration to millions of young, mid-aged and aged Africans of your stuff at home and in diaspora. Even, if it is this last article of yours that lie barefooted before comrades, the natural ideas and manifest truths in it will be nurtured to eternity. We miss you dearly. Rest In Peace.
Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto
Dear Taju,
The fall of a true son of Africa
When on the morning of Monday25th May, on my way to the airport to catch my flight to Nairobi I got a text message from one of our ‘favourite youths’, Hellen, that you had been involved in a fatal accident, I was geared to caution her on this choice of words when there is no loss of life- but the end of the message had “some texts are missing”. Even when Irungu confirmed some 3 minutes later I still could not allow myself to believe because you see I was looking forward to calling both you and Irungu on arrival in Nairobi to meet up for our Pan African brainstorming as had been the tradition for some time now. So it couldn’t be- even when he said there would be a convoy accompanying your body to the airport later in the day-if I had been the pilot flying my KQ flight I don’t know what speed limit would have been broken for flying but would definitely have broken one- the way my mind was racing to get there and confirm that it was not you.
You see I refused to believe that those discussions would cease-discussions that were mostly animated by your inspiration, passion and humour, at the world-stage charades being enacted by those who make decisions for us and lock our children and their children in cycles of poverty and powerlessness. I always looked forward to these and the Postcards which provide me with a good weekend reading and reflection. It is the absence of the postcard that has nailed it for me that there really won’t be any because you are gone. That you have carried your fight and devotion to the oneness of Africa to the very last –leaving as you did on Africa Day. Could this be a symbol to us all including our leaders that Africa should not be allowed to perish under the yoke of poor construction works? Poor construction works that represent poorly -constructed implementation policies –those that do not involve the participation of the people and definitely do not carry the safety and protection of their people along. You see you dying on this day as a result of ongoing road construction, with all your passion for the underprivileged can not be a coincidence.
But I believe you are not dead. Your earthly body is gone but your spirit reigns on and will fire the same passion in some other young person until what God has ordained fro our continent comes to pass. Could this be your own Aisha or Aida or some other young disciples just as you were for the ideals of Nkrumah who was not your biological father? Who knows but one thing I know is that your fight will be fought for Africa to be 1 people, 1 government, 1 destiny under God; your fight will be fought for the poor in Africa to be lifted out of poverty and for the development goals to be attained; your fight will be fought for the underprivileged in Africa to be able to access a modicum of justice and for the true rule of law to prevail; your fight will be fought for our leaders to be sated and not have to resort to dipping their hands in the family silver and you know I will always dig this in, your fight will be fought and the children of Africa will survive, develop be protected and provided with the opportunity to participate in their own development by a society that is guided by social justice.
Finally, as difficult as it is to accept that you have gone with all those wonderful characteristics, your inspiring laughter, your passion your humour and absolute ‘Africanness ‘ belive we must and accept we must because it has been said “Ina Li Llahi Wa Ina ILlahi Rajiun”- you have only been recalled by He who made us and owns us all. All that is left is to pray for you, I pray for the repose of your soul and pray that Allah (SWT) whom you worshipped will grant you the benefit of Aljannah Firdaus. This He has promised all those who did His will -and I believe while on earth, Taju you have tried your utmost. Sun re o may He comfort and provide for Mounira, Aisha and Aida whom you always spoke of with shining love and pride in your eyes. Amen
With immense pride and gratitude for having known you
Your ‘Aunty’ -Abiola Tilley-Gyado Plan international
Abiola Tilley-gyado
I really appreciate this very last article written by Dr. Tajudeen. This was the kind of men we needed around who understands the struggles of the underclass, especially the underclass women, in the form of Mama Mboga. I am saddened by Dr. Tajudeen's abrupt demise. He inspired and gave hope to Africans living in diaspora not to hate themselves or their mother continent, but to be proud. We will forever cherish his writings.
Jenn Jagire
29/05/09
I support Dr,Tajudeen. He was a very Good Man, may his soul R.I.P
Africans are suffering becuase of stomach politicians, the capitalist ideology has introduced Divid and Rule, Self destruction and subsequently Survival of the Fitest in the African context. infact, it is not about BEAUTIFICATION of Capital City's BUT SELF DESTROTION. A.M.Babu from Zanzibar (Tanzania) dead with nothing, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana same, but look at the Mobutustic leadership of the Africa leaders today. One sad thing is that they us the same poor people for thier elections, but forget all about them once in power. unless we get selfless leader's in Arfica like the A.M.Babu's and the Kwame Nkrumah's. The African situation will only get wors becuase the more world's ecomony gets into crisis the more Africa leaders keep's worth for them self's, family's and close friend's. Let's keep Democracy but with SELFLESS LEADERSHIP. David Kankam Boadu. (Ghanaian)
David Kankam Boadu. (PRESIDENT AFRICAN YOUTH FOR PROGRESS) (INT)
It is true Africa is a rich land with poor people.
Mwalimu Nyerere once said that development is about leadership and Education and not about roads etc.Roads and schools are only tools for development.
Tajus captures this fact on the Mama Mboga in her kiosks with a clientele that cannot fish goods at the malls.
It is unfortunate that that was his last article,but we can do with his history to focus on his vision to achieve the MDGs.
MDGs are achievable.
Evans MACHERA.
Evans MACHERA, PICOD Centre