Serendipity

  Photo: AA My mum took the first dose of her Covid-19 jab yesteday, it was the AstraZeneca vaccine administered at a primary health care centre. This first phase of vaccinations covers different groups of people including healthcare workers and all emergency responders, security agencies, the judiciary, teachers and folks aged 70 years and above. There was an information poster on the gate at the entrance to the health centre with information about all eligible groups and procedure for getting the shot. A generous piece of real estate on the poster was reserved for an image of the local government chairman for that area; perhaps a reminder of his benevolence for delivering the vaccine to his propitious constituents.   The entire process from arrival to getting the actual jab took a little over an hour and this happened with a very light influx of people. The entrance to the health centre was manned by individuals who I would guess were local government employees but whose...

Photo:fahrenheitmagazine.com   I once opined that Africans should be careful seeking validation from foreign standard keepers; I argued that we should develop our own high value reward systems instead. I also do remember quite vividly in 2008, during the first ever MTV Africa Music Awards –aka the MAMAs – as Trevor Nelson unveiled Fela as the recipient of the ‘Legend Award’. In his remarks, Trevor had said something along the lines of it practically being a given that this honour for the inaugural edition should go to Fela; arguably the biggest artistic legend to come out of Africa. I hadn’t given the matter any much thought since then until I came across Seth Godin’s take on Fela’s nomination and possible induction into the Rock and Roll hall of fame. Perhaps because of my disposition, I had not been that excited about the prospect of Fela’s inclusion. Fela was to me and I want to believe for many Africans, the greatest musical legend ever. Seth argued for greater diversit...