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| Written by Evans Phiri | |
 In recent months, I have come in contact with many Africans from different countries and backgrounds. One thing I have come to find out is most times we dont believe in ourselves as a people because of a conditioned mind.I began to ask myself why? Why is it easy for us, depending on where you are in the world to say things like "because they are British" or "because they are American" or even "because they are White".
1. He believed in himself You need to do that for you to succeed. One of the best ways to become successful in life is adapting to your enviroment, know how to apply for things, buy property, take a class or two on any subject that you are interested in. You will find out that no matter where you are, regardless which country you are from, no matter what colour you are, YOU WERE BORN TO SUCCEED. Thank you for reading,join me next month when expand on this subject and talk about the condition of your mind. Visit me on-line.God Bless you. Evans Phiri -Pastor New-Life In The Word Church
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Comments (12)
  written by MC John Chinode, April 07, 2007
I agree totally to this article from evans phiri am a zambian in diasapora and i have come to learn and observe that black people tend to get intimidated with white presense i dont no if its a slave syndrome we went through you here people telling me that ba chinode ifwe tuli basungu meaning us we are white so its true its a fact we are conditioned to think like that white stock has brain washed our minds but my take on this to all africans is be proud of your origin dont condition yourself to be what you are not cause you end up looking fake and confused god bless
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 written by Lorna, April 09, 2007
Its funny how black people always equate having many churches to being successful. It is way much easier to get a church than it is for someone to start a company that actually produces something.
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 written by felix, April 09, 2007
Iam in total agreement with what the pastor from Ohio is saying and I feel that every striving African should take time and meditate on this important topic at hand.
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 written by JEFF, April 11, 2007
its true,mostly we get frustrated and discouraged in these countries,i for one am in australia,things are hard here,and i do understand that this topic covers the bussiness aspect aswell,please this is what we need,a little refresher.thanks
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 written by Joe McZambia, April 18, 2007
WRONG! Sorry Pastor. I agree to the mind conditioning aspect of your argument, but your assumptions are based on incomplete reasoning. If you present individuals with an abundance of opportunities and means by which to attain their objectives, a large majority will succeed in their endeavors. And I qualify this assertion by stating that not every endeavor is suited to all environments (Try and open up some successful Christian ministries in Saudi Arabia, or a mosque in the Vatican). Mind conditioning is present in Australia (where I reside) and most Far East countries I have worked in. Most Asian societies promote single mindedness approaches to work and life in general. Most Australians have a traditional mindset to work and own a house or two. Anything that strays from this mindset is seen as risky and uncertain. Yet, Australias economy booms year to year, likewise in the Far East.
To cut a long story short, the premise is ґwork hard in whatever you do, and you will be rewarded. I have friends here who are bricklayers, electricians and plumbers that earn more money than professional accountants. In fact, there has been a surge of plumbers migrating from the UK to Australia in order to cash in on the skills in demand. The fact is that there are far more opportunities in the West and East, than there are in Africa. These opportunities result in higher chances of success, and you can only fail if you donҒt try hard enough. This does not apply to all environments, and hence this is why I think you are being unreasonable towards struggling Africans. I am yet to meet a serious African who does not want to work and earn his/her keep in any society. If you have, then they are in the minority. Again I must qualify my statement. I am not referring to unfortunate Africans who do not have green cards in the US or illegal aliens anywhere else who are unable to get jobs and acquire property for fear of being caught out and deported, I am talking about legitimate residents. There are refugees here from the Sudan and Congo; they are working in factories, restaurants, mines, construction, finance and enrolled into Universities etc. Six months ago some of these people had no hope and were on the brink of death. So what sort of mindsets do you reckon they have got? What has changed their perspectives?Opportunities. I deduce that the mindset is relative to a given environment, and is not wholly incumbent upon individual choice. The question you should be asking is why are people in Africa so pessimistic about their futures or capabilities? I had to travel away from my beloved Zambia to find out. The answer is social, economic and political environments. Unlike most people, I believe that almost anyone can achieve anythingŅ..provided they are given an OPPURTUNITY of course. report abuse
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 written by Mubita C. Nawa, April 20, 2007
I agree with Pastor Evans. I think sometimes as Zambians we can not listen to a fellow Zambian without trying to bring them down. Yet if the same words are spoken or written by a foreighner, we "penuka"(widen) our ears like a bat. I think the time has come for us as yong Zambians whereever we may be to not only discuss our challenges, but also to listen to those that may know a way out.
Way to go Evans. report abuse
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 written by Marcus Beita, April 20, 2007
This topic is revealing some strange trends judging by the content of some of the postings so far. It seems that Zambians, or shall I say Africans, exhibit some sort of racial inferiority complexes towards their own kind. This indeed seems to be a rare phobia, most races tend to bond together as a natural tendancy, but you all seem to be indicating that it is the opposite in Zambia/Africa. If what this forum is saying stands true, then our problems in zambia are far beyond economic models. I always tell my nephews and nieces to be proactive and seek knowledge, question everything, verify what your are told, and importantly learn from mistakes. Knowledge has no colour or race. I seek knowledge from anyone who has it regardless of the appearance of their skin.
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 written by gertrude kilongo, April 22, 2007
hey whats up my name is gertrude kilongo i live in the united state but i came from zambia 8 years ago i think u guyz are doing a great job god bles u .u can call me at 480 233 2203 thats my phone number
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 written by Pastor Collin Mbango, August 01, 2007
After reading some of the letters in response to Pastor Evans phiri\'s letter, I thought I should use this opportunity to say a word or two.
Its very clear that everyone has their own way of looking at issues. And having been a Pastor in the United states for some years now, I can firmly say that there are a number of factors which determine how successful anyone will be in their lifetime. Some of the factors are how you think about yourself, how much you desire to succeed, how BOLD you are, and most of all, how much you truly desire to seize the opportunities which come along your way. The truth is, as long as you are willing to be what you belive you need to be, no man and demon in hell can stop you. Of course, you will face opposition and even rejection, but its all about getting up and not staying down. And after all has been said and done, the one thing that I would like to point out is that as long as you have the oppotunities to better yourself in life,and you learn not to abuse those opportunities, you can do so, but it depends on you as a person taking up a willing attitude. Living in the USA, I see opportunities to become what one would dream of becoming, but just because the opportunities are there does not mean that everyone in the USA has taken advantage of them because believe you me, there are a lot of Americans who struggle, which mind boggling for a person like me who has seen my own people in africa struggling, not because they are LAZY, but its mostly because THEY LACK THE OPPORTUNITIES that can help them become better. For example, here in the USA, once a person finishes high school, they have a choice to go to college or not, which is not a diifficult choice to make because there are a lot of financial institutions that offer college loans. And the truth of the matter is, if most african countries offered college loans, most of our people would have THE CHANCE TO GO TO COLLEGE and become better academcaly. To make a long story short, opportunity is the main key that helps people advance in life, and I do not care what anyone would say, the bottom line is that most of our people back home do not simply have much of it;PERIOD! (Besides, the devil also is an opportunist who is always looking for an opening which he can use so as to bring Gods people down) Give an african an oppotunity to succeed, and as long as he wants to, he will do so as I have seen alot of africans in the USA who have succeeded in life, all because they found the opportunities here and took them. And I also strongly believe that if the same oppotunities were accorded to the people back home, and they worked hard as well, they would also succeed as long as they wanted to.. report abuse
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 written by Brian, August 03, 2007
Someone once said the difference beteen a poor and rich man is how the see things as both have eyes.As long as someone sees themselves as disadvantaged and defeated they will never amount to anything.Everyone in the world has a good reason as to why they shouldn\'t strive to succeed but many have decided to forget the past and move on in life to achieve goals they have set for themselves and implement generation impacting visions.If we go overseas or outside Zambia and become successful it\'s only right to pour into the lives of the next generation and give them our secrets of success otherwise the poor will keep on becoming poorer and the rich richer.The goal is to leave the next generation of Zambian better than ourselves.To me the wrong mentality is crossing to the other side of the road when we see people suffering and in need because we are \"comfortable\".
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 written by Evans, August 04, 2007
Thanks to all of you that are contributing positively to this Article,I totally agree with you,that every person looks at life differently,but one thing we all strive for is to do better.Lets continue to move forward and help our people in Zambia.
The article not only talks about a religious perspective,but also a bussiness view,In other words,whatever you do,do it with passion,its not about White and Black,its about seizing the opportunity and fighting for the vision even when obstacles are placed in your way.keep the peace. report abuse
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