“Each generation must discover its mission, fulfill it or betray
it, in relative opacity.”
- Frantz Fanon (1961, The Wretched of the Earth)
"Any individual or group that would aspire to lead society
must be ready to pay the costs of leadership: to accept the responsibility, to
suffer calumny, to surrender security, to risk both reputation and fortune. If
this price, or some important part of it, is not being paid, then the chances
are that the claim to leadership is fraudulent. Society is never redeemed
without effort, struggle, and sacrifice."
- George S. Counts
“The education process is going on. Every day people are getting
educated into the situation by the dynamics of the situation itself.”
- John Garang deMabior
For quite some time, I did not say anything specific about the Nafeer
initiative, in my circles of opinion-sharing (which include personal and public
associations as well as the cyberspace media). I did not do more than sharing
some of their updates and a bit of promoting their assistance from outside of
the country (by the Sudanese Diaspora, not the Qatar government). The reason
for my relative silence was not quite clear or refined. Perhaps that is the
reason itself – I did not have a clear reason, or a clear opinion, to share
about Nafeer. I do not think that I do now, but I have become increasingly
interested, in the past few days of Nafeer’s prolific activities, in the example
of ‘spontaneous leadership’ that the young women and men of Nafeer personified
recently.
Let me be clear: I do not intend to write a praise of Nafeer
here, nor do I intend to criticize it as an initiative. I do not think it
is time for any of that (but I surely do support the principle of their
operation—i.e. helping those affected by the recent floods with the civil
society means available). I intend to write about leadership, with Nafeer as a ‘case
study’. Also, I do not intend to hold Nafeer accountable for more than it
can, or claims itself, to bear. I understand it as an initiative that
emerged to respond to a certain recent crisis of ‘humanitarian’ nature; nothing
more nothing less. It would not do Nafeer justice by taking it out of context.
Glorification, just as devaluation, is not good for the cause.
What is Leadership?
The literal (English) definition of the word does not say much: “the
action of leading a group of people or an organization, or the ability to do this”
(Oxford Dictionary). Wikipedia promotes a more conceptual definition: “[Leadership
is] a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and
support of others in the accomplishment of a common task.”*. Also “[the
ability of] organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal”. Most
important to note here is that leadership does not have to be ‘formal’ or
‘official’ leadership. Surely, not the kind of leadership I am talking about
here (if anything, Nafeer’s leadership has emerged because the so-called ‘official’
authority/leadership failed to step-up to the challenge). Anyway, no need to
dwell much on definitions and alternative definitions. For the purpose of
this small article, Let us just notice that leadership is comprised of social
influence, on the one hand, and ‘initiative’ on the other hand. By
initiative I mean the ability, and courage, to take different routes from the
commonly expected, promote new patterns, and/or innovate new solutions.
It is then quite safe to say that leadership is a social catalyst
of renewal, whenever needed, in society. It is a catalyst for change. However,
social change has many forms and measures, and so does leadership. There is
small-scale leadership, large-scale leadership, and a number of levels in
between. There are also leaderships of different kinds: artistic, economic,
scientific, professional, and, of course, cultural and moral leaderships, and
others. Wherever you can identify some social change taking place, you can
probably identify some type/level of leadership in the midst.
The Depository of Leadership in Society: Difficult but not
Difficult
Leaders do not exist in a vacuum of context. There are no ‘default
leaders’ that can be put in any place or time and they will still be leaders.
Furthermore, leadership itself has no meaning outside the affair where it is
operational.
In Nafeer’s case, the young women and men of the same generation that
the Sudanese society in general did not give any good attention, emerged as
leaders when a certain type of disaster happened. Therefore the depository of
leadership(s) in society seems quite often to need crises before that
depository supplies. The price society pays in order for leaders to emerge is immense,
and therefore it is fair that society expects those leaders to be worth the
price paid. In return, what leaders usually get is a level of social
significance above the average. By social significance I do not mean ‘fame’,
wealth or ‘power’ (while these three may sometimes accompany some types of
leaderships). By social significance I mean the chance to leave a deeper
footprint in the terrains of society—a ‘whiff’ of immortality not offered
equally to all members of society. It is a symbolic reward more than anything
else, and it is not always guaranteed of course. This is not to say that
leaders are typically motivated, particularly, by this reward of social
significance. Indeed many genuine leaders are motivated mostly by more noble and
‘selfless’ pursuits, and many incur much risk and suffering in their paths, but
society is not indifferent to their contributions as individuals (even when it
sometimes feels like it is).
The most important point is this: leaders always exist; in every
society, every generation, and every walk of life. They emerge by the dynamics
of social conditions. They are capable of appearing from the least expected places, and
in the most hopeless situations. Their innovative energies are stimulated by
crises more than anything else, whether these crises are primarily socially-,
or personally-defined.
The second most important point is this: Do not mystify
leadership. Do not assume leaders come from the sky in dramatic ceremonies.
Leaders who are not born out of the same conditions they seek to rectify are usually
not genuine leaders (and false leaders are many, to be sure). While it is true
that there are usually exceptions to social rules, these exceptions cannot serve
as guidelines for expectations, let alone for action. And while it is true,
to a certain degree, that leaders shape situations, it is equally true that
situations shape their leaders. Therefore it is a waste of time to await
saviors (in the passive meaning of ‘waiting’), and more productive to stimulate
action and dynamics that will eventually call upon the leaders to step up, and
they cannot but answer the call. What this essentially means is that the
leaders are you, her, him, us – as sentimental, over-commercialized and
‘cheesy’ as this may sound – because the leaders are not going to emerge from out
of this circle.
A Message of Hope?
Indeed it is; although I will not support the dramatic
‘glorification’ of any infant initiative before giving it enough time to prove
durability, resilience and consistency. (After all, we shall also not forget
to be self-critical, and ask ourselves the difficult questions, such as: why
haven’t the more dire conditions in the margins of Sudan, where people are being
dehumanized and slaughtered by the numbers, received similar, if not more,
attention?). It is also a message of ‘no excuse’ to all of us who await
change from ‘without’, and not from ‘within’ (the same self and same society).
After all, the tides of history provide special accommodation to no one, and
the ‘floods’ of change are too visible to pretend not to see. I cannot help but
quote one of Bob Dylan’s famous songs here:
Come gather ‘round people, wherever you roam
And admit that the waters around you have grown
And accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time for you is worth saving,
Then you’d better start swimming or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changing
…….
The line it is drawn, the curse it is cast
The slow one now will later be fast
As the present now will later be past
The order is rapidly fading
And the first one now will later be last
For the times they are a-changing
_____________
Gussai H. Sheikheldin
(published in the Citizen Newspaper, Sudan, August 19, 2013)
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