THE SOUND OF ONE HAND CLAPPING

In my entire life, I have never heard only one-hand clapping. That would be a mystery. Everybody knows that it is two hands that do the clapping. As the thought of one hand clapping may not make any sense, in Africa, full of idiomatic expressions and proverbs that too could have a meaning.

If one can fold his fingers and clinch his fist without going all the way to the palm or clip the folded fingers with the thumb, one can produce a beautiful sound when hitting against the face of the drum. I do not think words can describe the sound of one hand. One cannot play a piano and produce a profound melody using one hand, but it is simply possible with the African drum.

In many quarters of the African continent the sound of a clapping hand on the drum is called “ingoma” (a song) or “tambour” in French. What is music to the eyes of Africans made from a clapping of one hand may mean something else in other parts of the known world.   Half clinched fist is associated with melody whereas a fully clinched fist is associated with power. In South Africa the majority of people who support the liberation movements would shout Amandla! (All power!) The response would be “Ngawethu!” (It is ours!). This basically, means that power belongs to the people.

The philosophy of one hand clapping can mean hitting somebody in the face with the purpose of either waking them up or punishing them for what they have done wrong or making someone listen. They are many inferences that can be drawn. However, when clapping a drum it can be very symbolic in Africa. This could mean dancing, joy, happiness, wedding ceremonies, sadness, sending message, performance of certain rituals, invitation to meetings, waking people up or enlightening them about something. There are many reasons why drums were played in Africa.

 Source image: www.ngomaafrica.com

PREPARATION IS A FORMULA FOR SUCCESS.

Success is normally defined as the process of achieving the set goals. However, success should be viewed also as the by-product in the event where people fail to plan and prepare because they would reap what they have sown. Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Jerome Amisi, 87 a year old Congolese gentlemen who was married with 17 children, 27 grandchildren and 40 great grandchildren died in 2011 after managing only Grade 8 studies. He felt at 78 he needed to go to school. He started in Grade R, which came in as a great shock to many in the French speaking countries.

Amisi did well in his studies, but age caught up with him. He could not walk. He could not see. So, he could not read his books which he loved so much. He died living a great example of dedication and imagination.

The new generation needs to look at the life of Jerome Amisi and draw some lessons. One might be equipped with natural intelligence, which made Jerome a great father and grandfather, but having not gone to school might have been an emptiness he suffered throughout his entire life. Preparation is the way to reach the point of a good success in life. It could be financially, physically, psychosocially and mentally beneficial.

To gain or develop high self-esteem it takes courage and cultivation. Jerome is a testimony to that. Because Amisi was a great visionary he left a good example of effective strategic planning. God wanted to use Jerome to teach us that school is a good preparatory ground for ones brain so that young people should not to waste time as they might not be as lucky as Jerome Amisi.

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NOT ALL WHO WANDER ARE LOST.

Many horrible things have happened in our lives day in and out. Death and sickness might be part of our lives, but we are all afraid because of our lives are in a continual wander. Our souls are searching through the myriad spheres of earth. Life is full of problems.

When Princess Diana died in a horrible accident, the entire universe came to a standstill. Everybody wondered. Questions were asked, and most of which never got any response to them. Every day in our little corners, we experience death. We lose loved one due to illnesses that could not be accounted for. We lose our princesses and princes.

Maria de Lolo, an HIV positive young, intelligent and vibrant woman from Uvira in DRC died of an unknown illness carried through by an insect that lives in a thick rainy forest.  Her death came as a relief to some local authority as she was a thorn in the flesh - criticising them on the grounds of poor health conditions, corruption and maladministration. As she was born in the royal family, she had been opposed to their style of leadership.

However, many poor villagers cried over her death. Eric Katula, Coordinator of the Uvira Yetu, an NGO that takes care of the sick and homeless, said “tulipotesa leader wetu. tusaidiyane batu na batu” (we have lost a leader. It time to stand up and help ourselves). 

To lose a great visionary in the stature of Maria de Lolo is painful and has to stop. Maria has been a pillar of strength for the poor of the poorest in DRC.  Therefore, government, medical researchers, donors and philanthropists should speed up the process of identifying and supplying drugs to deal with many dangerous illnesses in the tropical region of Africa.

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'' PLEASE HIV AND AIDS DON'T KILL ME''

HIV/AIDS does not kill people, but people kill themselves with ignorance. Everyday this monotonous message is getting drummed across, “a human being must be aware that HIV and AIDS kill people at any time. So stop playing around. Watch out!”

Africa has become famous for many HIV related deaths to an extent that you often hear people praying and begging, “Please HIV and AIDS don’t kill me”.  In order to escape consequences in your entire life consider a great potential in truly preventing sexually transmitted disease such as HIV and AIDS, Gonorrhoea, Herpes, etc.  This game of lovers without any control of mind and soul is killing our future.

Consequently, HIV and AIDS is a sickness that gets worse day by day at the moment because of a large number of youth is engaging on unprotected sex, which continues to account for most infections globally. Campaigns against HIV and AIDS around the communities need to unite people and sex without condom should be driven directly from an individual’s consciousness. It is high time that everyone starts this important internal campaign against infectious diseases.

Key principles in life come with many options that can help people to stay out of danger. These principles are to be found in the native social texts and cultural contexts. “Be faithful. Abstain” is well acclaimed in the scripture, and is promoted in many biblical sermons. Only an internal campaign can play an important role in reducing the occurrence of HIV and AIDS in a generalised epidemic.

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HOW DO YOU STEP FROM THE TOP OF A 100-FOOT POLE?

Most successful rich men and women living in this world have been criticised for the neglect of the poor in many quarters. Some business people have been accused of losing grace from God. Because of their attitude toward employees companies have suffered from a lot of negativity and bad spirit in the workplace.

Be a big boss somewhere in a big company that does not want to step down to get a sense of what is happening in the floor and stand a chance to lose more profits. The sheer neglect of other people because you are used to them as being subordinates instead of teammates your are setting yourself up for failure. However, there is no formula in life but considering the wellbeing of your employees is a key for your company’s success.

Being on top does not mean taking a high-level office in a modern building. It means being among the people who make productivity and profitability possible. It means being on top of your game.  The surprising attribute of a good manager is that one who understands the ups and downs of the company’s life including the daily struggles and experiences of his or her employees. Trying to meet the expectations and fulfil the worth of your dreams come through stepping down a 100-foot pole.  

A number of managers, administrators and CEOs can learn a lesson a magnate such as Bill Gates. He demonstrates a friendly behaviour despite being one of the richest people in the world. He has a

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WRONG JUDGEMENT.

You must go back to your country!

At Bloom shopping in Belville in the department of Safety and Security leading by HR manager Eric Bwalya, the foreigners who are working there are neglected at their workplace. This is a sign of discrimination, but what can they do as people because they are from the other country seeking a better life and make peace in South Africa especially in Cape Town?

However, some of them at Bloom Shopping lost their jobs last week without any valid reason, or a simple warning. There is a protocol one has to follow before dismissing an employee and in this case it hasn’t been followed. The company forced the foreigners with their two attorneys by writing each everyone a letter that states that their contracts are expired in two days even you have more than six months, than to be a permanent employee.

For this case based on their workplace issue, “this is how my company has been operating and behaving and has been successful so no one can come and change the rules and regulations of this company” Said the HR. This company offers jobs to foreigners to create ways of helping a number of people from other countries while our citizens’ struggle at home without money for bread.

WE ARE WHAT WE DO

In life, we must know where we belong in order to avoid certain problems. It also means before talking to someone about anything, it will include a rational contract in terms of life. The matter proves that a person must judge himself instead of being judged by others or society in general. Respect should be a crucial factor in engagement between individuals. Factors for effective conversation should include knowing the person or the audience, relevant subject and environment.

Familiarize yourself with local etiquette and also practice it frequently. A consequence of limited knowledge of etiquette could result in maltreatment of others.  Everyone is born with a sense of right and wrong and etiquette is formed with this knowledge as a basis. How can different cultures co-exist peacefully and who decided what culture is the supreme right? The topic mentioned above shows that we are what we do, which is wrong sometimes.

This statement is a very philosophical in terms of logical life these days. It concerns to build an aiming to each and everyone in order to reach massive audiences by adopting the nature for the future and help address major social and environmental issues. At the end of the day, a new link between a person and nature is the understanding that telling people what to do doesn’t work. Therefore, our creations are things people simply like, which incidentally help them to do more.