They that take advice blindly, will drink disinfectants

I did the blind followership thing once, out of desperation. Driving a friend to some temporary lodgings, she took me to a part of the city I was unfamiliar with and proceeded to get disoriented in our narrow unlit streets.

So I did what I thought was a great idea: I followed a car in front of us that was proceeding with tangible confidence. The trip went so well that we ended up tailing this car right up to the gate of a house where it stopped. The occupants came out of the car and asked us gently why we had followed them home?

We told them the truth: We were lost and they looked like they knew what they were doing so we followed them right up to their gate. Like sheep.

They laughed, told us how to get back to a main road and gave us directions to where we were going.

But I have never forgotten the lesson: Yes, of course you should follow people sometimes. But only in so far as it makes sense, and only for as long as it is useful.

When US President Donald Trump fumbled confusedly through some incredibly bad suggestions that people find a way to get light inside their bodies as well as disinfectants to fight off Covid-19, of course I laughed in disbelief and made jokes about it. But really, I felt grateful and at peace.

Finally, finally the Leader of the Free World had gone too far and proved that simply occupying a leadership office doesn’t actually make you a leader in fact. His actions and inactions have imperilled his citizens and they are now at liberty to walk away and try to fight this pandemic as best they can.

Tanzania is in a similar situation: For all that the international press has complained about a lack of clarity about the Tanzanian model, imagine what we think of it? A model implies a strategy, intent, actions. We lack several elements of a model, demonstrably. Being unable to produce data is a symptom of a greater disease in our public system.

I have followed them right up to their gate, but no further. I am at peace. It is time to reverse this car, get back on a main road, and follow the directions of the people who are trained to try and chart a course through this difficult path: Scientists – natural and social.

And that’s just fine. It is arguably the most natural form of democratic and active citizenship there is.

When did we forget that one of the ideals that helped us build this nation was ‘self-reliance?’ It got us through disastrous economic policies and basic goods shortages before.

It has never meant anarchy: Quite the opposite. It has demanded that at the individual, family, community levels we help our governance system by making smart choices, through sacrifice and hard work and most importantly common sense.

So let us be at peace in fighting Covid-19 by not following blindly into a cul-de-sac.

Let us be at peace, for we know we do not want to drink disinfectant nor shine light into our bodies. Let us choose life, with no apology for doing so.

Elsie Eyakuze is a consultant and blogger for The Mikocheni Report: E-mail: [email protected]