Back in the real world, roads remain pothole-riddled, unemployment remains excessive, healthcare queues grow longer and citizens become more fearful of an uncertain future
DOUGLAS RASBASH
Special Correspondent
How often have you attempted to meet or speak to an official and was told, “Sorry, she is attending a workshop.” Very often, right?
Once upon a time, in the bustling heart of Botswana’s government, productivity flowed like the peak of the Okavango Delta flood in the winter months of June to August and officials were deeply rooted in the realities of everyday challenges. But then, a new scourge swept the land, casting a long shadow over our diligent civil servants. We speak, of course, of workshops. Yes, dear reader, workshops, that bureaucratic Bermuda Triangle where productivity goes to die.
More often than monthly, our well-intentioned officials pack their bags and set off for yet another workshop. The lure of catered lunches, the promise of plush conference-room chairs, and the thrill of icebreaker activities – who could resist?
“Productivity? Reality?” they muse, as they peruse the agenda, a beacon of bullet points promising enlightenment and a prayer to the Lord to guide their fruitful deliberations. If only enlightenment could be achieved through PowerPoint slides alone!
Interminable discussion
Our workshop devotees spend hours in these sanctuaries of interminable discussion, procrastinating about abstract policies, pondering the existential dilemmas of strategic frameworks, programming, monitoring, evaluation and key performance indicators. Meanwhile, back in the real world, roads remain pothole-riddled, unemployment remains excessive, healthcare queues grow longer and citizens become more fearful of an uncertain future.
The workshops are drenched in the language of empty clichés – sustainability, inclusivity, capacity building, gender-rebalancing, ecosystems, landscapes, entrepreneurial this and that, and more. It’s a buzzword bingo where everyone is a winner, yet mindlessness abounds. Terms are thrown around with the reckless abandon akin to confetti at a wedding, creating a veneer of progress while masking the absence of real action.
Self-perpetuating cycle
One might think that workshops would spark innovation, perhaps a brilliant solution to our water management issues or a breakthrough in education reform. But alas, the only thing that seems to multiply is the number of the workshops themselves. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle, each workshop spawning another, like some administrative hydra.
Indeed, it would be truthful to suggest that workshops perpetuate conventional wisdoms, not radical change. Should anyone dare suggest positive change, you can be sure that the workshop chairperson would jump on it. Let us not forget the most coveted prize of all the attendance per diem and for some the certificate of attendance.
Ah, the shimmering paper that proves our officials were physically present, if not mentally engaged. These certificates, framed and hung with pride, have become the new status symbols. But what of the tangible outcomes? Were notes taken and records kept, policies implemented, problems solved? Well, those are as elusive as the end of a workshop’s coffee break.
Tragicomedy of bureaucracy
And so, while our esteemed officials are locked in conference rooms, glued to flip charts, and fervently jotting down ideas on tiny free hotel note pads, the real world waits. The citizens of Botswana, with their very real needs and pressing issues, remain mere spectators in this tragicomedy of bureaucracy.
Dear readers, it’s high time we declare a moratorium on this madness. Let us channel our collective energy away from the allure of the workshop wasteland and back into the heart of our nation. Let’s roll up our sleeves, step out of the air-conditioned bubbles, and immerse ourselves in the gritty reality that awaits.
Only then can we turn the tide and reclaim productivity, grounded in the real world where it truly belongs. In the end, we must remember that no number of catered lunches or perfectly designed PowerPoints can substitute for genuine progress and hands-on action.
Let there be a mindset change. Here’s to fewer workshops and more real work! Let’s use online conferencing as much as possible. Let’s truncate the endless spiral of workshops. Let officials get out there and feel the vibrant pulse of Botswana’s daily life, making and not avoiding decisions.