TRANSFORMING CHANGE Part .1

The   “change we need” slogan has indisputably become one of the most popular, if not the most reknowned, in recent world history. More than a slogan, ”change we need” has become a credo to billion of souls across the globe. The enthusiasm,optimism and hopes raised and/or re-enkindled in this people by this slogan is legendary and is  a clear illustration of  how “powerful” the word  “change” can be.

 

Times Magazine last week honoured the youths of the world by naming “the protester” person of the year 2011. This due to the numerous protests that wwere registered during this year.The word on every lip during these manifestations was change.

The year  2011 will be remembered in Cameroon,Africa, and the world as that year in which the desire for change was at its optimum. Social uprisings in in many parts of Africa, the Arab spring, the occupy wall street movement are among countless others the most  popular modes through which people have expressed their desire to see”change”. But the word change means diverse things to different people and one will not thus to be surprised to see people having a mutually exclusive definition of what they think change is at the same protest or even voting the same candidate in an election.

Surveys I carried out in November 2008, while the “change we need” slogan was at the peak of its popularity and another I conducted during the  October 2011 presidential elections in Cameroon, revealed that two main schools of thought existed when it comes to giving a meaning to the word “change”.

The first school of thought holds that change is synonymous to dismissal, displacement, and replacement. In fact to those in this school of thought, change is essentially physical and unless made to manifest in this way , they don’t consider it as change. “Change must be visible they say”.

The second school of thought on its part  sees change as going beyond a physical manifestation and argues that, the most important evidence of change is that which is within a person and not without her. This is because, they say, “a snake may change its skin but its Vernon remain poisonous”.

Before taking sides, it is necessary for us to know what  according to Barack Obama, the “change we need” slogan  author, change really is. The 44^th president of  the United States of America(USA) in his inaugural speech made the following declaration: “This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the evidence for us to make that change and that cannot happen without you”.

Very explicit isn’t it?This declaration  was no doubt an  to people who believe  change in its major part is physical and in support of those who hold a contrary view.

Why not listen to the "wind f change" while I bring you my take on the "real change to believe in" in the second part of this post.