Are you a window opener?

Intelligence is such a strange thing. It's spread oddly within families, societies,countries. At the cross-roads of genetics and environment, Intelligence needs to be unveiled and nurtured. That's the importance of a supportive environment. Because supportive environments are scarce, everyone cannot be likewisely intelligent.

In the beginning of my university career, i studied cognitive psychology; there was a class where we were asked to figure out a locked down classroom in which children would be parked with no external influence: the windows and the door will be closed down. We were asked to imagine what will happen With time. The answer was simply that the classroom will turn into a dummies' classroom where "the raw genius flows".

And the genius will start flowing in the form of a round of applause given to the first self-reliant child who will stand up and announce"i just discovered the sum of two and two! Guess what? It's five!"

The dummies' class structures itself according to three golden rules:
1- Don't challenge the authority, there's always a wise meaning behind the words

2- There's no other truth applicable to us than ours, our reality is unique

3- We are the lucky ones, but we are not aware enough of that

Since i completed my cognitive psychology classes, the dummies' classroom simulation has remained vivid in my mind.

Two months ago i was attending an international leadership conference in Limbe. I was stricken by a Beninese and a Gabonese discussing about democracy in their home countries; the Beninese was so proud of the new political change that happened in his country, that he was mocking his friend for having kept the same regime for 36 years, with the same "forever elected" president. He then affirmed his own president he was so proud of was elected with no political program but was "a new person bringing new ideas"

I heart the bells of the dummies' classroom ringing for the first time.

Flabbergasted, i whispered in the ears of the Beninese: how the hell can you vote someone without reading through his program? "No one knows his program, he replied, he's supported by very influential people. Sorry, i can't publicly criticize him, he is my president now"

The bells rang louder: don't challenge the authority.

As a reply to the Beninese, the Gabonese said alternance is not what mattered, they kept the same team, thus creating a foundation for stability and peace."Look at Rwanda and Cote d'Ivoire, he then added, see the killings in Sudan and Congo. We live in peace, and peace is priceless. Our regime's delivering,that's why they are still there."

The bells rang frantically: we are the lucky ones, but we are not aware of that.

In the same leadership conference, a bunch of Europeans were asked for what they admire most in Africans, and they said : "La Joie de vivre"(happiness). Africans were enchanted with the answer. We are the lucky ones. The society might be on the verge of collapse because of no social justice or welfare system in a capitalistic world, our kids might be starving, but we are happy and want the world to see it.

The Europeans were then asked for what they dislike most in Africans and they replied "their laziness". Africans went crazy and shouted "you know nothing about Africa, you've been here for just a couple of days! I remembered one very popular political speech delivered in my country when new patterns of democracy were inspired by the Eastern wind in the early nineties. Urged by the international community and the civil society to organize a national dialogue to collectively address some national issues,the head of state declared "Cameroon is Cameroon". Many countries have had such a speech at a period of their history. Outsiders cannot understand us, nor give lessons. Our reality is unique.

Ding... Dong!!!

Apart from happiness, when we look at all the other areas of the economic, social, cultural and political life, Africa gives the picture of the dummies' classroom, where all the less clever pupils were parked for a kind of fast track to the humanly acceptable standards.

Let's take the case of Peace in Africa. Because nightmares like Rwanda are taken as reference, absence of an open civil war means peace to most "peaceful" African countries. That's the paradigm of the dummies' class.

Now imagine a new child entering the classroom and saying "wait a minute: two plus two makes four!!!" Will the others be convinced? Hell no, their way is the way.

For the specific case of Africa, the outsider would question: but can there be peace when women are just superior to dogs and cats? Where basic needs are not fulfilled, where there's no freedom of expression? Where a phone call from an influential person easily replaces any established article of the law? Where young talents have no other option but to fly away?

Peace in Africa means no war. We are the lucky ones, for there's always a person living a worse situation than ours.Don't challenge the authority. Our reality is unique.

Can the breakthrough come from the outsider entering the class? He'll hardly be listened to. He can challenge only superficial paradigms. Our reality is unique. The opportunity is just given for the outsider to challenge his own assumptions and grow.

What about opening the door and sending one of the dummies not to a first class, but just a different class, he'll start challenging his assumptions and come back transformed. No rule of the dummies' class will apply to him. He'll talk to his former classmates, and they 'll listen to him. He will challenge the authority. He would say our reality is unique, yet we MUST learn from the others. He would say you are not the lucky ones, you are the challenged ones. Take your challenge on.

In both options, a window have to be opened. But the second option is more impactful as it injects a change agent withing the dummies group.

For real. For good.

The mission of AIESEC is it not to open windows for Africa, Asia, Europe, America?

Outgoing Exchange is the answer.
It's also my commitment.

Are Africans open to feedback?

I took thirty minutes on the eve of May 2nd to give some feedback to Ahmed, an intern going back to his country after three months internship in Cameroon. Before coming for his internship, he had just six months of AIESEC experience, and based on his working records was sure of being given a permanent job at the end of the internship.

After three months and based on the feedback i collected from various sources including Ahmed's friends, colleagues, and hierarchy following the 360 methodology, it was obvious the trainee lacked initiative and leadership skills. Furthermore, as a person he appeared superficial and immature despite the awesome skills and apparent self-reliance he displayed most of the time.

During the first twenty minutes of the feedback discussion we, I tried to help him reflect on the key personal learning he derived from his internship. To my surprise he came up with superficial comments like not being given the computer, airtime and specific tasks agreed uponbefore his internship.

I then started giving some challenging facts about his behaviour and how people around him felt. At the end it was clear the blindspot of his traineeship was more related to him as a person. The professional side was pretty well dealt with, but his attitude negatively affected his relations with the hierarchy and colleagues.

What amazed me was his reaction. He first admitted all the facts, butstarted explaining himself away by pointing out the others. I remembered the most striking defense mechanism discovered by Anna Freud, rationalization: "I don't admit i'm at fault, I have reasons proving my behaviour is rational and right, others are wrong".

With the passing of minutes his speech was more and more elaborated, he spent 15 minutes explaining what he really is based on facts selected accordingly. At the end of his speech, I could see his angel wings!!he was just surrounded by evil (including me, the bastard lessons'giver:))
After our discussion, i spent a couple of hours reflecting.Did Ahmed's attitude have to do with the culture? Somehow, as Africansscarcely accept being given feedback; the authority to give advice comes from old age.Green hair is a sign of wisdom and provides theauthority to make accepted judgements.

How can people improve under such paradigms? They feel hurt in response to criticism, and those feelings deter them from using the feedback to the best advantage.

The same attitude exist in politics. Since 1989, Cameroon is under adjustment. In 1958 Cameroon had the same development index as Japanand most dragoon countries. Now we are begging for bilateral aid from these countries.

We spent 17 years to admit something went terribly wrong in the political machine. 17 years to admit we needed serious help from Bretton Woods.17 years to sincerely commit to the proposed programmes, specially in the field of good governance. Among the common reactions to "WBI/IMF dictatorship" we could listen : who are the so called experts from Bretton Woods to tell us what to do? Their countries arenot doing significantly better! We do have brighter scientists here! And then came rationalization and denial of reality: We are a blessed country! Look at ivory Coast, Rwanda! We live in peace! The management is outstanding!

With this mindset, the current regime ruled the country for 24 years!!!And he apparently wants more: die up there! In 2004 it came out with a new motto : Together let's built the Cameroon of greater ambitions! Nothing more, nothing less! It took 20 years of mediocrity to finally conceive great ambitions for a totally screwed up country!

And the leader was elected for seven more years to achieve the making of an ambitious country. When elected in 1982 he stood for rigor and ethics. After 20 years of hard work the country was voted most corrupt country of the world by Transparency International. Now comes the era of great ambition and achievement, hurrah!!!

The whole society is organized in such a way there's no dialogue, no feedback : elections are so fake that the national assembly is not representative at all, the judiciary power is not autonomous, there'sa long way to go to freedom of expression, marching is not allowed, top political leaders never meet and discuss the future of the country.

My country is like Ahmed, my intern. Most African countries are alike.people stay in power for decades without performing, and noone can tell them they are not helping their countries!
Culture of feedback has to be embedded in each and every individual at the early stages of his development. That is the price African youngpeople have to pay to themselves if they want to keep a chance of ever changing the face of Africa for the best.

Change can only start with me.