gathinga wrote:
Interesting issue on brain drain. Professor Calestous Juma from Harvard University shed some light on this during one of his lectures at the mindspeak club.
The good thing about his take on the issue was it came from him as part of his lecture and was not an answer to some question. So its likely to be from the heart.
Apparently, the biggest reason why brainy and 'thomed' chaps refuse to come home has nothing to do with money, pay, its all bout respect.
He gave an example of himself. He is doing stuff with KCA University and Multimedia University in Kisumu. Since they are involving him at a fairly high level, he feels they respect him, even though they dont pay, and therefore is more committed. He therefore splits his time between KCA and the paying harvard job.
Another example he gave was Ngugi Wathiongo. The guy came home as promised after Kanu was removed from power. He intended to start projects in literature and thespian education. The humiliation he underwent put paid to those dreams. He was more humiliated by the rape of his wife than by being detained by Moi...
I think respect is an issue.
What the diaspora keep forgetting is that the people they left behind formed a network. A network of engineers, lawyers etc and those networks have to feed each other. So the new up start who want to revolutionize things back home has to break in to the networks or go through this networks.
And please don't try and think those networks don't exist in the west. Those succeeding in the west are using the networks they cultivated there to succeed! Why should it be different here!
But i do agree we have a horrible heirachy that stifles progress.