Fabulous Failure

Mpho did another event in her home village. This one was for youth. It would be an agriculture project. She wanted to give them something to do, something constructive. Yes. They would grow maize and merogo. The department of culture and youth was issuing funds for such programs and projects. She identified a plot of land with a standpipe and gate. She commissioned a youth to go and spread the word, but no one showed. Julie and I sat at the Kgotla with 5 bagolo (old people) and none of the youth showed. They tried to snag a young guy who was passing by, but he was very very busy. He was on his way somewhere and had to go. No Really. He had to get going. Julie and I laughed at this.
Mpho just didn’t understand it. Why wouldn’t they show?
“Because there was no food.”
“That’s dumb!” her face looked sincere. “If they would do the project, they’d have plenty of food.”
“Yeah but that’s not how people work.” It felt strange to talk to an old person like this.
“Ah! These kids. They’re lazy.”
“I don’t think that’s what it is. Why should they do the project? They shouldn’t do it just because you want them to. Whatever young person you told to publicize probably didn’t. You have to realize, you’re mogolo. They couldn’t tell you ‘no’ so they said yes and went home and forgot about it because they didn’t want to do it.”
Mpho’s one attempt at sustainability failed because she had always failed to realize this: You have to motivate people, make them want it. You have to sell it to them, not bribe them but sell it to them. That’s the only way to make a sustainable project work and you know what, that’s not easy.
In my mind, I saw myself dancing, feet lifted high, arms in the air. A shuck and jive dance. Because now she sees it—or maybe she didn’t b/c she’s likely moved on to another fruitless project—but she got a brief glimpse of it. This, this is what I wanted to explain to her when she wept in the DAC office. This is what I wanted her to understand. I reveled in her failure. Sometimes, failure is good. In this case, I think it was better than success.