Seeing as though I leave for South Africa in about 30 hours, I bring you all this very special World Cup-themed posting. I’m not sure how many of you saw the official World Cup kickoff concert from Johannesburg yesterday (I think it was on ESPN2 in the US), but as it was simultaneously broadcasted on almost every TV station in Ghana, it proved quite unavoidable for me. The whole production was very entertaining for some obvious reasons, and even more entertaining for some less obvious ones. Allow me to explain.
“'This is not our World Cup,' explained Greg Fredericks, a senior manager for South Africa’s World Cup organizing committee. He noted the dominant role of FIFA, soccer’s Zurich-based world governing body. 'It is FIFA’s World Cup. We are just the organizers. We are the stage.'”
That is an excerpt taken from a two week-old NY Times article discussing some of the issues that have arisen in the run up to the first World Cup to be played on African soil. The main struggles stem from South Africa’s desire to make this tournament as “African” as possible, and the difficulties that FIFA and its billionaire corporate sponsors face in acquiescing to those wishes, like some gigantic yet tacit game of tug-of-war. This was first seen in public fora when FIFA discussed the possible banning of the vuvuzela horn – a much complained about and annoying-sounding plastic instrument that is a staple in all South African football crowds – from all matches. Eventually, Sepp Blatter, FIFA’s outspoken President, made the uncharacteristically correct decision* to allow them to stay. But in no place was this give-and-take more evident that on the stage last night.
When I first flipped on the TV, I was greeted by Alicia Keyes singing a song about New York: very appropriate. Then, after a set change about halfway through the show, the announcer came on the PA to declare: “It’s time for Africa! It’s time for Shakira!” If this blatant hypocrisy doesn’t make you laugh, then I can do nothing further for you, and you should probably just stop reading. These two sentences together perfectly underscore the backlash FIFA received after selecting both the Shakira cover “Waka Waka” (This Time for Africa) as the official 2010 World Cup anthem and the original line-up for the kickoff concert.
The NY Times article goes on to quote Oupa Lebogo, general secretary of the Creative Workers Union of South Africa, as saying “It’s like waking up in your house and finding people in your backyard saying ‘This is what we’re doing,’ without talking to the owner of the house.” The comparisons to international development are easier than breaking a sweat in Ghana. Luckily for everyone, the double helix of a typical South African looks something like this: cytosine—outspoken dissent—thymine—questioning authority—guanine, and all it took was the Union’s threat of hosting a rival concert in protest for FIFA to reconsider. When the final concert lineup was announced, more African acts had been added to complement the original Western-dominated one of Shakira, Black-Eyed Peas and John Legend, to name a few: crisis averted. But music has not been FIFA’s only misstep in South Africa.
Just a few weeks ago, ticket sales in South Africa (and the rest of Africa in general) were well under predicted estimates, and estimates for the rest of the continent had fallen by 77%. Many “experts” blamed the recession, the high cost of flights between African countries, and various other factors, but the true reason remained an enigma. In reality, the problem was with how FIFA had structured the system to obtain the tickets: online. Like many Western entities operating on the continent, FIFA remains completely oblivious to the on the ground realities of everyday Africans and failed to realize that prerequisites like computers, internet access, credit cards and bank accounts were barriers that made purchasing tickets out of reach for the majority of people. These same “experts” would probably use Swiss estimates to launch a brand new sun screen product in Africa, and then bewilderedly look at each other when only the rich white minority showed up to buy it. Once again, it wasn’t until irate fans called in to radio programs to complain that FIFA caught their drift. Originally, to buy tickets with cash one had to apply for them by submitting a written application at a bank: a procedure deemed too costly and complex. But all is not lost, as FIFA finally realized their error and began selling tickets over the counter on April 15th. According to the NY Times article, “Lines were so long that some likened them to those for South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994.”
Things are also looking better on the Shakira front, as well. As it turns out, her official World Cup song will end up being completely eclipsed by the one chosen by Coca Cola as their official World Cup song: “Wavin’ Flag” by Somalian-born K’naan. This was evidenced by the riveting performance he gave last night and the crowd’s reaction, which utterly upstaged the Columbian superstar. Sorry, Shakira. No one will argue that your hips don’t lie, but they’re just not African hips. Plus, it’s just a flat out better song with a can’t-get-out-of-your-head catch. And it’s that catch for which Coca Cola shelled out the big bucks. But that’s not the end of the story. Coke also paid K’naan to change many of the lyrics to take it from a dark song about his native Somalia and make it into a feel-good football celebration.
Example of original lyrics:
“So many wars, settling scores
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor
I heard them say, ‘love is the way’
‘Love is the answer,’ that’s what they say
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn’t hold us
‘Cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers
But we struggling, fighting to eat
And we wondering when we’ll be free
So we patiently wait for that fateful day
It’s not far away but for now we say”
Example of Coca Cola-friendly lyrics:
“Give me freedom, give me fire
Give me reason, take me higher
See the champions take the field now
Unify us, make us feel proud
In the streets our hands are lifting
As we lose our inhibitions
Celebration it surrounds us
Every nation all around us
Staying forever young
Singing songs underneath the sun
Let’s rejoice in the beautiful game
Then together celebrate the day
We all say”
These are the behind the scenes issues that made last night so entertaining, especially considering that K’naan sang the original lyrics on stage. I’m not sure Coke ok’d that. As I write these last lines, South Africa has just scored the opening goal of the 2010 World Cup on a fantastic upper 90 shot (that’s football speak for top corner of the net), and my coworkers, watching the game on the TV in the other room, just went crazy. There’s been so much talk about how important this milestone is for the continent of Africa, but I don’t think FIFA realizes just how big it truly is. Every African is rooting for every single African team. Yes, even Algeria, which is saying something. I can hear the non-stop vuvuzela horns eminating from the TV in the next room as all of Africa celebrates. Let the tug-of-war continue.
*A fun game to play is to google “Sepp Blatter, stupid comments” and see what comes up. It’s a wonder he still has a job. Enjoy.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
My Snap of the Fingers, Blink of the Eyes Wish
In my short time here, I’ve spent a lot of it thinking about development in Ghana. Be it economic, political, or any other kind, development inherently moves at a snail’s pace. We would all like to be able to point to rapid and drastic progress being made in terms of weeks and months (especially when your funding comes and goes at the whim of politicians on election cycles), but the fact remains that development timelines are measured in years, and most large-scale progress is only visible when you take a step back and look at how far you’ve come over a longer period of time.
But midway through last month marked my six month semi-anniversary here, and I started asking myself: what if this wasn’t the case? What if I could snap my fingers or blink my eyes and something about Ghana would be instantaneously changed. If I had that power, what would my one thing be? (Normal people fantasize about fame or fortune or attractive celebrities, but these are the fantasies of those of us working in development. We don’t get out much.)
For the last few weeks, I’ve thought long and hard about what this one wish would be, and I think I’m finally at peace with my decision and ready to share it….drum roll please…..Sorry, you’re not gonna get it that easily. I think this would be best if done in a suspense-building countdown of my top three. Also, as an added teaser, none of my top three have anything to do with eradicating malaria! Crazy, I know, and also added intrigue. So, without further ado, here goes. If I had a proper three-wish-granting genie, these are what they would be:
#3 – Universal Primary Education (that is actually free)
This is pretty self explanatory. Health and education are the cornerstones of development, the two most important things, hands down. No one gets anywhere without them. Primary education in Ghana is supposed to be free for all, but this is not the case in practice. Not only is there a serious lack of teachers and other resources (as in most developing countries) preventing all children who want to go to school from having an adequately-staffed one, but also for those who do have a school to attend, it’s never actually free. I cannot tell you how many stories I’ve heard of students being sent home from school because their parents are unable to pay the $3 per month in school fees. This needs to change.
#2 – Universal Access to Information and Interventions to Promote Reproductive Health Rights
I almost didn’t include this one, because it involves changing cultural and societal norms of equating more children with higher status (and I tried to stay away from changing cultural and societal things), but this one is too important to ignore. Recent and future trends show declining population rates in developed countries and significantly increasing population growth rates in developing countries. This is almost exactly the opposite of what an ideal scenario would be and further exacerbates the development challenges faced by the world’s poorest nations.
I know this will not be a universally popular choice, as my small-but-loyal readership spans the political spectrum. But this is not really about personal views regarding condom use and abortion or the purpose of intercourse and when a human life truly begins. This is about individual freedom and math. If you want to talk about the sanctity of human life, I’d like to ask if there is anything sacred about a family that can barely feed two children having seven. I am constantly amazed by the young women sleeping on the curb who, without homes of any kind, still managed to find private places to have sex and produce the multiple children sleeping next to them, or the teenagers hawking goods in the middle of traffic, breathing in hour upon hour of automobile exhaust and fumes, with babies wrapped around their backs breathing in the same air.
And this is also related to wish #3, as statistics indisputably show a correlation between the level of education a person has and his/her number of children. But all of this stems from a lack of information about, and access to, modern contraceptive methods and family planning interventions. This wish is not advocating extreme measures like limiting family size in China. This wish is just meant to make all women and families AWARE of these options and able to access them if they CHOOSE to do so. That knowledge and ability can make all the difference.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the number one spot.
#1 – The Miracle of Urban Planning and Maps
I wish that every street in Ghana had a name, that every home and business in Ghana had exact, differentiating street addresses, and that the government made use of such things for all administrative purposes, especially TAX COLLECTION. I know that after all that build up, this might seem like a boring one, but wow is it important (and mind-numbing to see that it remains undone). For the purposes of this blog, let's call this Map Ghana (MG).
Right now, I would estimate that less than 5% of the roads in Ghana have names, less than 5% of the people have home addresses, and less than 10% of the businesses have addresses. These figures are just estimates, but you get the idea. The reasons for this are cultural, so I am breaking my own rule again, but I would invoke the importance clause again. Ghanaians, I’ve been told, have never used road names, and never felt the need to; they are a 100% foreign import. If you ask a Ghanaian for directions, you better know your landmarks, because all anyone speaks of are signboards (billboards) and buildings. Even those few main roads that do have names are not widely known amongst most locals. As a general rule, Ghanaian knowledge of approximate distances, cardinal directions, and other map-related things leaves much to be desired. I was also publicly laughed at when I asked to buy a map of Accra in a bookstore.
Whenever I bring up MG in conversation, it seems to fall on deaf ears, and Ghanaians seem to be of the opinion that road names and addresses would never catch on. It is a foreign import that was never adopted by the native African tribes for centuries. To this, I would say that the same thing was probably said about Democracy, and that seemed to turn out ok for everyone here.
For everyday living, the efficiency gains of having a system of named streets and addresses are too numerous to count. However, these gains would pale in comparison to those that would be accrued to the government, and this is why it is number one on my list. Yes, the obvious winner would be the postal system (which is quite abysmal by Western standards). Currently, if someone wants to send me a package, I have to tell them to address it to our office (because my home is impossible to find), and because our office lacks a proper address, I have to tell people to write the neighborhood name, the closest named street, “near” a locally-known landmark, and the phone number of our office. Theoretically, the package goes to the national office, then the regional office, then to the smaller neighborhood office where they will either call you to come pick it up, or call you in the midst of delivery so that you can provide exact directions. The fastest I have received a package from the US is about a month after it was sent, and the slowest was two and a half.
While MG would be the biggest game-changer in the history of the Ghanaian postal system, the biggest winner in all of this would be the IRS. Yes, they have an IRS here too, and no, it does not do a good job. Think about the difficulties inherent in tax collection without the ability to systematically locate most of your country’s population or businesses. The vast majority of the private sector here is what we in development euphemistically refer to as the “informal sector” meaning the non tax-paying kiosk type shops and businesses that line almost every road in Ghana. And all the income generated from these and other businesses would be called the “under the table” non-taxable kind. All this is to say that the government is left high and dry trying to provide public services to the entire population (including a new National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS), which is just about bankrupt), when only a small fraction is actually paying taxes for them.
In my seventh grade social studies class, I remember learning that after the American Revolution, the new nation formed a weak government under what was called the Articles of Confederation. It was weak for several reasons, the most paramount of which was that it did not have the power to tax. For over a decade, this government struggled and ultimately collapsed, prompting the writing of the Constitution in 1789. While America seemed to learn its lesson early on, maybe we wouldn’t have if we had donors constantly subsidizing our lack of tax-generated revenue.
Like most countries, Ghana has a tumultuous history of raising and lowering taxes, and as with tax issues in any country, MG would be classified high risk/high reward. In recent history, Ghana implemented a highly-contentious value added tax (VAT) in 1995 to try to mitigate the lack of income, property, business and other taxes it should have been collecting. Akin to a sales tax, it was set at 17% and repealed shortly thereafter due to public protest. After an extensive public education campaign, it was reintroduced in 1998 at 10%. Two years later, the VAT was raised to 12% by those same politicians who railed against it while in the opposition party in 1998, but who had now taken over power by 2000. It still stands at 12% today, with a 2.5% NHIS tax on top of it. The problem is that Ghanaians really enjoy not paying taxes, and any measure that might be seen as a means to eventually create or raise taxes is not politically feasible. Last week, due to public outcry, the head government statistician had to come out publicly and say that the new census Ghana is trying to implement is not intended for tax purposes.
But MG would also be high reward, and should really be considered a prerequisite for any modern sovereign nation-state to effectively govern itself. (This is why people attain graduate degrees in urban planning and why Google Maps is so amazing.) The direct gains of administrative efficiency and tax generation are obvious, but it would also have myriad indirect effects of increasing accountability of government to its citizens (and vice versa) and spur much-needed consolidation in the informal sector (Everyone and their brother runs a kiosk shop selling oil and tomato paste to each other, but this would certainly change if everyone all of a sudden had to pay taxes to run their business.) just to name a few. The rewards are endless, and I can guarantee that Ghanaians will learn the names of roads and addresses if the government and the IRS lead the way. Ghana would then have money to finance family planning initiatives and universal primary education, where students could learn about maps! It’s so perfect that it brings a tear to my eye. These are the things I fantasize about.
But midway through last month marked my six month semi-anniversary here, and I started asking myself: what if this wasn’t the case? What if I could snap my fingers or blink my eyes and something about Ghana would be instantaneously changed. If I had that power, what would my one thing be? (Normal people fantasize about fame or fortune or attractive celebrities, but these are the fantasies of those of us working in development. We don’t get out much.)
For the last few weeks, I’ve thought long and hard about what this one wish would be, and I think I’m finally at peace with my decision and ready to share it….drum roll please…..Sorry, you’re not gonna get it that easily. I think this would be best if done in a suspense-building countdown of my top three. Also, as an added teaser, none of my top three have anything to do with eradicating malaria! Crazy, I know, and also added intrigue. So, without further ado, here goes. If I had a proper three-wish-granting genie, these are what they would be:
#3 – Universal Primary Education (that is actually free)
This is pretty self explanatory. Health and education are the cornerstones of development, the two most important things, hands down. No one gets anywhere without them. Primary education in Ghana is supposed to be free for all, but this is not the case in practice. Not only is there a serious lack of teachers and other resources (as in most developing countries) preventing all children who want to go to school from having an adequately-staffed one, but also for those who do have a school to attend, it’s never actually free. I cannot tell you how many stories I’ve heard of students being sent home from school because their parents are unable to pay the $3 per month in school fees. This needs to change.
#2 – Universal Access to Information and Interventions to Promote Reproductive Health Rights
I almost didn’t include this one, because it involves changing cultural and societal norms of equating more children with higher status (and I tried to stay away from changing cultural and societal things), but this one is too important to ignore. Recent and future trends show declining population rates in developed countries and significantly increasing population growth rates in developing countries. This is almost exactly the opposite of what an ideal scenario would be and further exacerbates the development challenges faced by the world’s poorest nations.
I know this will not be a universally popular choice, as my small-but-loyal readership spans the political spectrum. But this is not really about personal views regarding condom use and abortion or the purpose of intercourse and when a human life truly begins. This is about individual freedom and math. If you want to talk about the sanctity of human life, I’d like to ask if there is anything sacred about a family that can barely feed two children having seven. I am constantly amazed by the young women sleeping on the curb who, without homes of any kind, still managed to find private places to have sex and produce the multiple children sleeping next to them, or the teenagers hawking goods in the middle of traffic, breathing in hour upon hour of automobile exhaust and fumes, with babies wrapped around their backs breathing in the same air.
And this is also related to wish #3, as statistics indisputably show a correlation between the level of education a person has and his/her number of children. But all of this stems from a lack of information about, and access to, modern contraceptive methods and family planning interventions. This wish is not advocating extreme measures like limiting family size in China. This wish is just meant to make all women and families AWARE of these options and able to access them if they CHOOSE to do so. That knowledge and ability can make all the difference.
And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for: the number one spot.
#1 – The Miracle of Urban Planning and Maps
I wish that every street in Ghana had a name, that every home and business in Ghana had exact, differentiating street addresses, and that the government made use of such things for all administrative purposes, especially TAX COLLECTION. I know that after all that build up, this might seem like a boring one, but wow is it important (and mind-numbing to see that it remains undone). For the purposes of this blog, let's call this Map Ghana (MG).
Right now, I would estimate that less than 5% of the roads in Ghana have names, less than 5% of the people have home addresses, and less than 10% of the businesses have addresses. These figures are just estimates, but you get the idea. The reasons for this are cultural, so I am breaking my own rule again, but I would invoke the importance clause again. Ghanaians, I’ve been told, have never used road names, and never felt the need to; they are a 100% foreign import. If you ask a Ghanaian for directions, you better know your landmarks, because all anyone speaks of are signboards (billboards) and buildings. Even those few main roads that do have names are not widely known amongst most locals. As a general rule, Ghanaian knowledge of approximate distances, cardinal directions, and other map-related things leaves much to be desired. I was also publicly laughed at when I asked to buy a map of Accra in a bookstore.
Whenever I bring up MG in conversation, it seems to fall on deaf ears, and Ghanaians seem to be of the opinion that road names and addresses would never catch on. It is a foreign import that was never adopted by the native African tribes for centuries. To this, I would say that the same thing was probably said about Democracy, and that seemed to turn out ok for everyone here.
For everyday living, the efficiency gains of having a system of named streets and addresses are too numerous to count. However, these gains would pale in comparison to those that would be accrued to the government, and this is why it is number one on my list. Yes, the obvious winner would be the postal system (which is quite abysmal by Western standards). Currently, if someone wants to send me a package, I have to tell them to address it to our office (because my home is impossible to find), and because our office lacks a proper address, I have to tell people to write the neighborhood name, the closest named street, “near” a locally-known landmark, and the phone number of our office. Theoretically, the package goes to the national office, then the regional office, then to the smaller neighborhood office where they will either call you to come pick it up, or call you in the midst of delivery so that you can provide exact directions. The fastest I have received a package from the US is about a month after it was sent, and the slowest was two and a half.
While MG would be the biggest game-changer in the history of the Ghanaian postal system, the biggest winner in all of this would be the IRS. Yes, they have an IRS here too, and no, it does not do a good job. Think about the difficulties inherent in tax collection without the ability to systematically locate most of your country’s population or businesses. The vast majority of the private sector here is what we in development euphemistically refer to as the “informal sector” meaning the non tax-paying kiosk type shops and businesses that line almost every road in Ghana. And all the income generated from these and other businesses would be called the “under the table” non-taxable kind. All this is to say that the government is left high and dry trying to provide public services to the entire population (including a new National Health Insurance Scheme NHIS), which is just about bankrupt), when only a small fraction is actually paying taxes for them.
In my seventh grade social studies class, I remember learning that after the American Revolution, the new nation formed a weak government under what was called the Articles of Confederation. It was weak for several reasons, the most paramount of which was that it did not have the power to tax. For over a decade, this government struggled and ultimately collapsed, prompting the writing of the Constitution in 1789. While America seemed to learn its lesson early on, maybe we wouldn’t have if we had donors constantly subsidizing our lack of tax-generated revenue.
Like most countries, Ghana has a tumultuous history of raising and lowering taxes, and as with tax issues in any country, MG would be classified high risk/high reward. In recent history, Ghana implemented a highly-contentious value added tax (VAT) in 1995 to try to mitigate the lack of income, property, business and other taxes it should have been collecting. Akin to a sales tax, it was set at 17% and repealed shortly thereafter due to public protest. After an extensive public education campaign, it was reintroduced in 1998 at 10%. Two years later, the VAT was raised to 12% by those same politicians who railed against it while in the opposition party in 1998, but who had now taken over power by 2000. It still stands at 12% today, with a 2.5% NHIS tax on top of it. The problem is that Ghanaians really enjoy not paying taxes, and any measure that might be seen as a means to eventually create or raise taxes is not politically feasible. Last week, due to public outcry, the head government statistician had to come out publicly and say that the new census Ghana is trying to implement is not intended for tax purposes.
But MG would also be high reward, and should really be considered a prerequisite for any modern sovereign nation-state to effectively govern itself. (This is why people attain graduate degrees in urban planning and why Google Maps is so amazing.) The direct gains of administrative efficiency and tax generation are obvious, but it would also have myriad indirect effects of increasing accountability of government to its citizens (and vice versa) and spur much-needed consolidation in the informal sector (Everyone and their brother runs a kiosk shop selling oil and tomato paste to each other, but this would certainly change if everyone all of a sudden had to pay taxes to run their business.) just to name a few. The rewards are endless, and I can guarantee that Ghanaians will learn the names of roads and addresses if the government and the IRS lead the way. Ghana would then have money to finance family planning initiatives and universal primary education, where students could learn about maps! It’s so perfect that it brings a tear to my eye. These are the things I fantasize about.
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