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(NEWZIMBABWE) Interview: Magaisa on diaspora conference

Interview: Magaisa on diaspora conference
by Staff Reporter
14/12/2010 00:00:00

THE recently-formed Development Foundation for Zimbabwe (DFZ) is hosting a two-day conference on the diaspora’s role in driving development in Zimbabwe starting on Thursday in Victoria Falls.

This week, we caught up with one of the trustees of the DFZ, Alex Magaisa, to find out more about the organisation and its aims:
[NEW ZIMBABWE.COM] NZM: What is the purpose of this conference?

[ALEX MAGAISA] MAGAISA: The conference is designed to open up channels for Zimbabweans based in foreign countries, commonly referred to as the Diaspora, to participate more actively in the development processes in Zimbabwe.

Development is not a one-day event and is multi-faceted – touching as it does on economic and social circumstances as well as governance structures and processes whose efficiency is essential to progress. It’s about creating an environment that enables men and women to use their talents to the maximum and we believe the Diaspora is a key resource in the country’s development.

The Diaspora has so far been more of an outsider in the broader developmental process and has sometimes been viewed with scepticism by other key stakeholders within the country. This despite its immense contributions to the country, albeit, so far, at mostly informal levels.

NZM: But why a Diaspora conference in Victoria Falls?

MAGAISA: Well, we are not trying to re-invent the wheel. We have done our homework and we know that a number of Diaspora-related conferences and events have been held in various stations in the Diaspora, including London, Washington and Johannesburg. We realise that it’s high time the Diaspora comes home, not only because it is the home we are talking about when we talk of investment and other ideas but to show confidence to all stakeholders whom the Diaspora is seeking to engage.

In our tradition, the man who is marrying a bride may start by sending emissaries to his future in-laws but eventually he must come out and present himself personally! Also, we realise as fact that some of the stakeholders in the government, for example, are encumbered by travel restrictions from visiting certain countries where Zimbabweans are based, so engagement has not been easy.

This is an opportunity to engage everyone on home soil. We understand that not everyone in the Diaspora can make it to Victoria Falls but this must not be seen as an end in itself but as part of a series of activities and events aimed at engaging the Diaspora.

NZM: Why the focus on the Diaspora? Some will ask, are these not the same people who ran away from Zimbabwe when things got tough?

MAGAISA: It’s very easy to take a disparaging approach towards the Diaspora. A more positive view, however, is looking at the Diaspora as the representation of a country’s competitive advantage on the global economic landscape. The Diaspora has many faces – people left Zimbabwe for a variety of reasons, including the political and economic challenges of recent years.

Human beings, like all animals, learn to adapt in difficult conditions. Just as the herd of zebra travels long distances in the African Savannah to find water and greener pastures in times of need, human beings tend to migrate in response to challenges and the call of better pastures. It doesn’t make them bad people. It simply means they have adapted, and for Zimbabweans, that adaptation is thanks to the fantastic investment made by Zimbabwean taxpayers over the years – funding education, health and other social facilities that helped those in the Diaspora to become who they are.

It’s too much of a generalisation to say they all ran away from Zimbabwe. There are many who left to seek opportunities but that doesn’t mean they are permanently detached from their home country.

NZM: Well, some people who remained at home might say that the Diaspora is seeking to return because it’s tough out there. Your view?

MAGAISA: Well, it is tough in the Diaspora as many Zimbabweans who came out seeking new pastures can testify. Things can be good in the first years - higher salaries, car loans, mortgages for homes, bank loans, credit cards, etc account for that early bliss.

However, sooner or later reality bites! There is also pressure from home because everyone seems to think the Diaspora is an infinite tunnel of gold. You don’t want to disappoint family and friends so yes, one is under constant pressure.

But not everyone is struggling. Zimbabweans are intelligent and highly educated people with a wonderful work ethic and a good proportion is in incredibly good jobs. They get things done and they have done well in their new stations. There is always the odd story that is negative but every nation surely has bad apples? There are many success stories in the Diaspora and it’s a pity that we don’t often showcase our people’s successes.

Often, we highlight the bad apples and so an impression is created that the Diaspora is all bad and desperate. I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think it is fair that those wishing to return are doing so simply because they have found it tough in the Diaspora. They are coming to invest not to look for jobs so surely they must have done well.
NZM: You didn’t really answer why there is so much interest in the Diaspora?

MAGAISA: Well, if you look across the world, most countries and development agencies are fast recognising that the Diaspora is a critical resource for development. Naturally, migrants move in search of better pastures in order to help themselves, their immediate families, their parents and siblings whom they leave at home. They occasionally help their relatives and when they get more they extend their hand to the communities.

Zimbabwean migrant communities -- like the Chinese, Indian, Fillipino, Ghanaian migrants -- have been doing this for years. The World Bank reported recently that remittances to developing countries are expected to reach $325 billion by the end of 2010. This is a rise from $307 billion in 2009. And all this, during a period of severe financial constraints around the world.

The World Bank estimates that with economic recovery taking shape remittances to developing countries will rise even more in the next couple of years. And please note that these are ‘recorded’ remittances. There is more that it remitted outside the formal channels that probably goes unrecorded.

Our idea, which is by no means new and is shared by many in the field of development, is that with better institutionalisation, helping to track the patterns of migration and the flow of these remittances, governments, business and policy makers can tap into this information and formulate policies that help to safeguard and even leverage these inflows for wider development.

A significant point is that these inflows from remittances are double or even triple the magnitude of official aid to development countries.
NZM: So you say this could be a better alternative to aid?

MAGAISA: Of course, there is no doubt in my mind about that. In fact, we in Africa and most of the developing world should be moving away from dependency on aid. Africa does not need more aid, it needs more investment. Aid does not create jobs save for a few in the aid agencies but investment does and creates even more opportunities.

Aid creates a culture of laziness. Investment makes people work and produce. We should be saying ‘no to more fish’ and asking instead for fishing rods, lines and nets. In any event, the old cliché that there is no free lunch applies to aid – all that we refer to as ‘aid’ does not come free. So we have to search for alternatives to promote development and the Diaspora is a key source.

We must proceed with caution, however, because unless channelled properly and converted into investment, remittances can also lead to a culture of laziness in the recipient communities. Ask any Zimbabwean in the Diaspora and they will tell you of the challenges of sending money home every month and how they despair sometimes when however much they send, the folks at home keep demanding more but doing nothing to create other sources of income for themselves.

There is an impression that money shoots out of a natural spring in the Diaspora! It is not like that. People have to work for it and they work hard.

But we are also saying those in the Diaspora sending money home should pause and ask: is there no better way of sending this money home as an investment, create a job for the person at home and make them self-supporting so that in five years’ time, perhaps, I don’t have to be sending money every month? Calculate how much you have sent in the last five to 10 years and ask if there has been any return at all?

In most cases there is no return at all but instead more is demanded of you. That is the challenge and unless we take leadership in formulating and implementing these ideas, we will continue to bleed money.

NZM: Coming back to the DFZ, how do you see your efforts in a polarised political environment like in Zimbabwe?

MAGAISA: You know, when we are stuck or appear to have reached a cul-de-sac on any issue, one of my comrades in these Diaspora initiatives likes to raise an old quote from someone in the past which goes something like, ‘now that we have seen that it can’t be done, let us think of how it can be done’. It always raises my spirits, this reaffirmation of the idea that nothing is impossible. It’s great to have people with so much positive thinking around.

Our country has been challenged over the last few years – economically, politically and socially – there is no denying these facts. In fact, this is why we are taking these initiatives, to help our country resuscitate. There is a choice to sit back and do nothing; to take a ‘wait and see’ attitude but you know what, whilst we ‘wait and see’, many others who see opportunities in Zimbabwe are not waiting. They are taking them. By the time we have waited and seen, there will be nothing of value there.

Our country will continue to be a source of wealth for others and yet our communities will not benefit much from them. Our view is that a let’s wait and see approach is an expensive luxury.

NZM: As with any initiative like yours, it’s just a matter of time before you are dismissed as a political outfit by this group or that. How do you stay above it all?

MAGAISA: One of the most dangerous perceptions in our society is that everything is seen through the lens of politics. You know, this has caused many outstanding individuals out there to stay away from development efforts – because of the risk of being labelled with the tag of politics. We must move away from that culture where everything is perceived in political colours.

We are Zimbabweans first before we become anything else, be it businesspeople, politicians, activists, etc. That is the common and most important thread that binds us – our Zimbabweanness. So instead of saying what are these ‘politicians’ doing, perhaps we should be first asking what are these ‘Zimbabweans’ up to?

No, for the sake of clarity I must emphasise that we are non-political and non-partisan. If any of us chose to become politicians we would have joined political parties and there are many in Zimbabwe but we have chosen to focus on development projects, working with everyone who is interested in advancing this good cause. I like to think that if our country had fewer politicians and more development practitioners and businesspeople we would go very far.

NZM: But Dr Magaisa, as a columnist for New Zimbabwe.com some will say you are a critic of government, politicians. How then do you work with them?

MAGAISA: Someone once said that criticism without offering solutions is meaningless. I think the word ‘critic’ is overrated and often misused. I don’t consider myself a ‘critic’. I just see myself as a son of Zimbabwe who is enamoured with his country and its people and wants to contribute to its greatness. If it means identifying errors and suggesting ways of rectifying them, then so be it.

I like to think those who understand my work in its totality see it simply as part of a whole package designed to advance of our nation. I don’t focus on individuals, I choose to focus on ideas – placing ideas on the social marketplace and debating them with the objective of facilitating growth in ideas and institutions. Through this ‘Ideas Factory’ I have made friends and acquaintances in various forums. We agree sometimes and we agree to disagree at other times and I think that is healthy because no-one has a monopoly of ideas.

So with that in mind, I have never found myself unable to negotiate paths with people from across the country whatever their orientation in politics, economics or other indices. Respect is the key – as long as you respect each other and the idea, then working for mutual success should not be a problem. And I believe this is the same spirit that informs my colleagues in the DFZ and other Diaspora organisations trying to do their bit for Zimbabwe.

If you look back into our history, there is actually more that binds us than there is for division. In any event, I would like us to get to a stage where we deal with institutions, such as the DFZ and the ideas that inform them, rather than the individuals in them who are fallible.
NZM: Last word, Dr Magaisa?

MAGAISA: I would like to encourage Zimbabweans in the Diaspora and friends of Zimbabwe to take more seriously their role in development in all its forms. I know that individual circumstances differ and that various circumstances encumber us and therefore prevent us from doing all we would like to do. But I also know that there is a huge reservoir of interest and goodwill for Zimbabwe.

Things may not be perfect yet, but we must remember that others are exploiting the opportunities in the country whilst we wait and see. Let’s stop being perennial moaners because that may gain us pity but nothing else of substance.

Any one interested in learning more about and being involved in the DFZ’s work, please visit the website at www.dfzim.com and make contact.

Labels: ALEX MAGAISA, DIASPORA

posted by MrK @ 3:07 PM