Business Update from John Birchall in Africa
Bulawayo is a strange place. Yes, it’s Africa but not as I know it. The streets are extremely wide, an illustration of how Cecil Rhodes wanted his ‘Africa’ to look. Each main road in the city has to be wide enough to allow a bullock cart, drawn by six of the animals to turn around without reversing. The city has an air of fading grandeur and it’s way of life is a strange mixture of rural Edwardian middle class England – everyone seems to go to bed at 9.30pm and a disjointed attempt by its African population to establish how they would like to live in a city. Needless to say the place is full of contradictions.
Early one evening I decided to go for a walk and to my amazement found Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets, Nando’s and other fast food shops. Each was full of young people enjoying the very food we are now trying to persuade both young and old in the ‘west’ to eat in moderation. Here, in a city where less than 20% of adults have a full time job people were spending large amounts of money on what we call ‘junk food’.
The fact that many of Bulawayo’s citizens struggle to exist seemed a forgotten fact as crowds queued for burgers, chips, coffee and lots of other ‘products’ that don’t exactly fit into the ‘healthy eating’ category.
The power of branding, the ‘cool’ society and the spread of US soft power was there to be seen in a country without its own currency and dependent on the US$ and South African rand.
Source: http://thr36ixty5ive.files.wordpress.com
The influence of modern marketing was amazing to see and for those teaching Business Studies it was a perfect example of ‘ethical trade’, the influence of big business, social responsibility etc.
Was it me being a typical ‘liberal’ European who felt slightly guilty that in the post colonial era Africans are continuing to provide profitable outlets for some of the more ‘questionable’ global corporations? Or should I simply let people enjoy themselves? PSHE (sorry) does not exist in Zimbabwean schools and young people like to congregate and talk, listen to music etc but should it be in the very surrounds were fear may make our next generation less healthy that it’s predecessor?
I returned to the Bulawayo Club, which all young British kids should see – a real blast from the past and wondered just what the power of the French fry and bean is doing to young Africans, Indians etc. Was I right to be so concerned?
John
(Back in the UK after five days of waiting in Harare)