The heart of the matter is the matter of the heart
Unknown
“This country doesn’t have a money problem. It has a values problem.” That comment was somewhat confounding to me.
But then, I stopped and pondered on those words. “Yes, think about it.” I was having a conversation with a policy consultant who got me thinking.
It is true that the vast majority of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) are found in Africa. Actually, 35 of the 37 countries on that list are in Africa. The other 2 are in South America.
In spite of the fact that over $1 trillion has been disbursed to Africa in form of aid over the past 70 or so years, the continent remains largely under developed and is constantly plagued with instability. Poverty and disease remain the order of the day.
One of the reasons that can explain this paradox is the rampant prevalence and institutionalization of corruption.
If you look at the Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 report released by Transparency International, the most corrupt countries in world are in Africa and South America. Uganda was ranked 146th out of 180 countries.
Corruption, if you look it from a different lens, is a symptom of a bigger issue that my policy consultant friend was attempting to highlight.
It points to a failure and breakdown of the fundamental fabric of who a society is – their Value System.
A value system is a set of connected principles that describe what people think is import and the correct way to behave
Oxford Learner’s Dictionary
Another cancer that is plaguing Africa is sheer laziness, poor work ethic and a lack of agency. It has even been said that there is no hurry in Africa!
The World Economic Forum has been ranking Uganda’s labor productivity among the bottom 25 out of 144 countries. In East Africa, a survey ranked the country as the laziest in the region.
So, as a country and continent, our value system is wanting. We have built a culture of apathy, indifference, selfishness and a “to whom it may concern” attitude. We litter, spit on the road, leave chewing gum stuck under seats and have no respect for green belts. In fact, people find ways to walk on the grass and destroy flowers even when walk ways have been provided.
It has now become clear to me that unless we can change our value system, no amount of aid or money is going to fix this continent. Perhaps, we can learn a thing or two from Japan. Japanese culture and value system is built on hard work, honor, respect for the elderly and politeness. Japanese believe that individuals are less important than the group.
Japan is a conformist society where harmony, mutual respect and group consensus are valued. Other values such as collectiveness, diligence and conflict avoidance are actually the results of the need for social harmony. Japanese religion also has an influence on common Japanese values. The values of purity and cleanliness come from Shintoism while perfectionism and minimalism come from zen Buddhism. Additionally, the spread of East Asian teachings in Japan may have affected the culture. It is said that the values of long term thinking, perseverance, respect for social hierarchy and respect for the elderly come from Confucianism.
When I looked up Japan’s corruption perception index score, it ranks in the top 20 least corrupt countries in the world. It also doesn’t come as a surprise that Japan is a highly developed country and the third largest economy in the world.
There’s a clear co-relation between a country’s value system and its level of development and prosperity. By adopting a value system that cherishes hard work, excellence, honor, puts the collective interest before self and values long term thinking, we can fix our broken continent.
I am convinced that half of Uganda’s – and the Africa’s problems can be solved by simply changing our value system. Will this be an easy thing to do? Absolutely not. Can it be done? Absolutely yes.
But there has to be the will to do it, and that will starts with you and me.
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