The council of elders is feeling exposed, My take away #FIFAfrica2016

#FIFAfrica2016

Attending an African traditional leadership session  the first thing you learn is the position of the elders in the clan. Elders are never wrong and they are always right, they make the key decision for the well-being of the clan and they preserve values that protect the clan from the curse of the ancestors which might lead to calamities and disasters. Time has changed, over the period of time Africa has witnessed different elders; the traditional elders, the colonial rulers, postcolonial leaders, the puppets and the current government. One thing has never changed still the elders are right and everybody else is wrong at least in African culture perspective. 

 The internet freedom in Africa has been suffering the same fate that anything new to the African society has faced before, getting along with the elders. The internet has been trying to correct the elders in public something which is a serious offence and might lead you to be kicked out of the clan. It’s a shameful act which requires stern measures. The internet has been able to give the access to the clan members to contribute their thoughts and held the clan leaders accountable for their actions if they are leading the clan astray. Something that the clan leaders doesn’t like. They have never been questioned about their authority before and in the manner, they deemed to be inappropriate. They feel the internet is a curse to the clan and it should be avoided. 

Attending #FIFAfrica16 very interesting @bunihub @SparkSahara @HatuaProject Internet Freedom is a basic right. pic.twitter.com/hXmsD3OEQF

— Jumanne Mtambalike (@J4Mtambalike) September 28, 2016

But why so? Is it the approach? Is it fear of change? What is behind all these? The only way to understand this is to go back again to the African culture values. How do you approach elders when they are wrong? You sit down respectfully and talk to them. The challenge is you may not be matured enough to seat in the council of elders or at least the elders may think that way. Fighting for the right to have access to the unlimited and uncontrolled internet is like requesting elders to have a seat on their council. It is not an easy issue but it is not impossible. Organizations fighting for internet rights should sit down with the government and help them to understand the internet is not a curse to the clan but it is a blessing if it is to be spent nicely. A healer can be a witch and a medicine can be a poison if the instructions are not followed, that is exact what the internet is. Requesting internet freedom should go hand in hand with helping people to become responsible for their activities online and helping the government understand the positive side of the internet. 

 The informed council of elders will understand it is not about them it is about the clan too. If the clan feels they are benefited from the internet blessings more than the curse it has brought then they have the right to continue using it. The control and the decision should be made by the individuals within the clan rather than the council of elders. The council of elders should be there to advise, educate and protect the clan from the curse that might come from the internet and not prevent them completely from accessing it. If the council of elders themselves is using the internet to push the agenda from the council meetings, why individuals clan members should not enjoy the blessings of the internet? 

It is the human nature when you are attacked you become defensive. On the effort of promoting free and uncontrolled internet access, stakeholders should focus more on selling the internet as the tool for social and economic development rather than the tool to exploit and expose the weaknesses of the government. To the elders, the internet is the curse which as came to destroy the clan and to make them look weak. At least in Africa, nobody exposes the weaknesses of the council of the elders instead you educate the elders about the consequences of their decisions and help them to make a better one. They say culture eat strategy for breakfast. Maybe this is the right time to check if our traditional culture is eating our digital strategies. 

The clan members should understand, they can’t make the decision of the clan without the council of elders. You need to get them involved. It is also the right time for the elders to start listening. The time has passed and things are changing very fast they can’t continue on the old ways of thinking everything new is the curse to the clan, some are blessings and there are no needs to resist. They can’t always be right, and that is the reason we occasionally offer sacrifices to the ancestors to ask for forgiveness for a wrong decision made by the council of elders.  Informed council of elders makes better decisions for the clan than the one which is not informed. The question is how do you want to inform the council of elders by attacking them or by educating them?