Uburezi and entrepreneurship: the Tuareg way

THE Tuareg, or the Imohag as they call themselves, inhabit the Saharan regions of North Africa - Niger, Mali, Libya, Algeria and Burkina Faso. They are famous for their blue-turbans that have earned them the nickname ‘the blue veiled men of the Sahara’.A nomadic community, the Imohag (which means freemen) are reknown traders in salt which they mine across the Sahel region. Their camel caravans have been plying their trade routes across the Sahara for centuries.Salt may well be man’s earliest addiction. Due to all the technological advances we have today, it is not highly regarded. It is, in fact, one of the cheapest products one can think of and is often taken for granted. But it is and has been important over the years. In the past salt drove economies, opened trade routes and even sparked bitter wars. But for the Tuareg, salt trade is more than just a business; it is also a rite of passage. This was captured in an interesting al Jazeera documentary about the Tuareg. In the documentary, Ahmed, a young Tuareg boy of about 14 years, joined his father and uncles on salt trade caravan across the Sahara. This was his rite of passage to manhood and as you can imagine it was not easy. The arduous journey took almost two months.During the desert journey, Ahmed learnt resilience, courage (a mock attack was staged against the caravan to test his reaction). He also got tired and had to overcome the temptation to wander off and play, like any fourteen year old boy would. He had to overcome these, as he learnt determination and focus.They then reached the salt source where he watched his father and uncles choose the best quality salt and negotiate with the miners. They then took the salt to a market where they sold most of it before heading back home with other goods alongside some salt. Ahmed did well and successfully crossed the chasm from boy to man. He was given a hero’s welcome.Ahmed’s story could take any form in a typical African setting for bringing up children. It could take the form of the farmer or the grazers or otherwise. This is a classic uburezi example. It would also be a great way of developing entrepreneurial abilities in our young people.The first lesson from the Tuareg example is the need for entrepreneurship education (and other education, really) to be practical/ demonstration-based. Endless workshops and conferences about the Trans-Saharan salt trade would not have helped Ahmed much. This is true in our case as well.Two, we should seek to make it as natural part of life. The learning from the practitioner beats any education one can get elsewhere. It also reduces the chances of making mistakes. Apprenticeship is a sure bet. Ahmed was under the care of both the father and the uncles. This gave him a wider spectrum to learn from. We should give serious consideration to the involvement of the private sector in the development of entrepreneurship. It will give rise to a more creative, if less bookish approach. This would be more effective. But this is not to say that understanding of concepts is not important. It indeed is, but not alone.Four: as is clear in Ahmed’s case, the primary responsibility in uburezi is with the parents (in this case the father). This is true in education including entrepreneur ship education. We must strive to expose our children to a world of opportunities and guide them through the risks in life. This is especially true for fathers. The influence fathers hold is enormous. Perhaps this explains the rise and rise of huge family based businesses the world over.Five: when do our children move to adulthood? The traditional system had definite steps to be taken singularly or in groups. This awareness that someday you will be responsible for something creates a wonderful sense of responsibility. The eaglet must leave the nest and conquer the world. The accompanying challenges must be met. This is the heart of character formation.Interestingly, a European reader pointed out last week that the gist of uburezi, African as it is, would be applicable to Europe too! We really need to re-examine ourselves and our cultural systems that we, in the folly of modernity have dismissed as obsolete. It seems we have slept and are sleeping on a gold mine of ideas that can really get us to take off. Point of caution though; ‘cut and paste’. We have to be creative as we incorporate our cultural ‘gems’ and adapt it to them to the situations as they arise. It has to be a matter of teaching, showing and involving.As we say; kuzaa si kazi kazi ni kulea (the work is in the upbringing, not in giving birth to a child).