Cultivating John Dumelo’s folly: How different is your mindset?

John Dumelo is as controversial as they come. A budding actor, he was bold enough to stick out his neck for ex-president Mahama during the last election cycle.

As if his career ending foray was not enough, he is alleged to have unethically accepted a vehicle from the ex-first lady, Lordina Mahama.

The storyline reads that, he tried to cunningly salt away the vehicle dash until Abronye the vigilante, caught up with him. Now, here we are, this same controversial Dumelo, making the headlines by posting on Instagram, a picture of his KNUST (Kumasi Legon) mate, hawking delicious baked bread, in the hot Ghanaian sun. Dumelo’s arrogance is beyond description. To expose a mate to ridicule because of his chosen line of work is downright dirty.

The gesture by Mr. Dumelo, has invoked the ire of many. The righteous indignation, pinned to his reprehensible act, many will argue, is justified. I opt to take a more nuance attitude towards what Mr. Dumelo did.

I think it was very insensitive and actually unwise to post his mate’s picture anywhere, without prior consultation, especially, a mate assumed to be down on his luck.

However, I will be slapdash, if I don’t reiterate the fact that, we should pursue without prejudice, all the subtle implications of what Mr. Dumelo said and did. Note that, I am not in any way endorsing what Dumelo did. All I am saying is that, let us take advantage of his folly. Let’s delve deep into the dark corners of his thought process to uncover some of the sad and stark truth about who we are as a people. How different is Dumelo’s mindset from yours and mine?

I am convinced without a doubt, that, the troubling mindset that piqued and pricked Dumelo’s conscience, forcing him to post a picture of his university mate hawking bread, is emblematic of Ghana. Indeed, I will take a safe bet and venture, to say that, this mindset is rife, if not prevalent in Ghana. From this purview, we will do ourselves immense harm, if we skip this opportunity to explore. We need to carry out a thorough inquest into what nourishes such bumptious and twisted outlook or worldview.

My theory, though not scientifically validated, is that, we inherited this attitude from the British. This colonial attitude, reads that, a college graduate must not dirty his or her hands nor start from the lower rungs of life’s ladder. Therefore, a university degree automatically entitles one to a lofty perch. Oh how sad!!!

You see, the post-colonial African intellectual, affectionately dubbed the dysfunctional elite, acquired with juvenile glee, all the privileges and entitlement attitude, enjoyed by the British civil servant. The British civil servant, sent to the colony, was mainly from privileged class. They were paid very well and given rich benefits to go fulfill their hairy narcissistic fantasies. They came to the colonies with an attitude of entitlement.

Unfortunately, Africans, and in this case Ghanaians, are masters at aping decadent, and in most cases, destructive behaviors. I am talking about behaviors gnawing at the interest of a developing country. You don’t have to look far to observe the legacies of this death wish, in our current democratic experiment. When issues such as ex-gratia for the ruling class, bungalows for state officials, gold watches for bankers and SUV’s for the dysfunctional political elite sprout, know that it has its roots in the Dumelo mindset, gladly bequeathed by the sick colonial snobs.

It is not unusual, to observe stay at home Ghanaians, making disparaging remarks about their brothers and sisters who, with sterling academic epaulets in most instances, still take on "menial” jobs overseas to get by. Some of the gassy and inflammable riffs and rants, allude to Ghanaian diasporans, wiping the backside of Caucasians, to make a living. Some even implore their brothers and sisters to return home, instead of taking on such demeaning jobs. Is it not rich irony, that, these same sick stay at home mocking birds, are the first to either ask, or gladly receive handouts, emanating from the toils of the arse-wiping diasporans?

Why in God’s name, must a country, fondly cultivate, a mindset that looks down on people who take on any job to get by? Does the employ of a person, define his or her destination in life? Must the job of a person, define his social status? Should a college graduate deny him or herself an opportunity to take on any job in a country that is job starved? What is wrong with us? Why can’t we free ourselves from mental slavery?

Not long ago, yes in Ghana, a young girl passed her university entry exams with flying colors. She refused to honor her admission to one of the top universities in Ghana. She claimed it does not serve her purpose to further her education, only to graduate to a threadbare job situation. Instead, she chose to hawk with her mom. I thought she had lost her marbles then. Now, she seem to make a lot more sense to me. I bet she cannot continue to hawk wares with her mom, or will at least feel guilty hawking, if she had pursued a university education.

Why are we, as a country, allowing one’s level of education to get in the way of employment? How much is this attitude holding us back? Given a stern unemployment regime, are we willing to continue this turgid silliness? Can’t we feel the hurting unemployment bulge and stop the seeping bilge?
Sadly, I get Dumelo’s point. The country and out parents invest a lot of resources to produce university graduates. Therefore, once you hit that milestone, you must acquire a job to match your education.

Dumelo’s question was, “what happened”? Why is a university graduate on the street? Well what happened Mr. Dumelo, is that, you got/are miseducated. You need a Russian style reorientation to erase your sick mental maps and put in its place, an appreciation for humility and entrepreneurship.

Dumelo is a university graduate (questions about his graduation), yet so shallow. What kind of education did he receive? What did Dumelo learn about entrepreneurship at the university? Are our universities and indeed the entire school system, teaching ethics at all? What about critical thinking? What about life skills? Is this a personal flaw that Dumelo labors under or an indictment of our educational institutions? How are we preparing the next generation to take on the daunting challenges through genuine entrepreneurship? Do we teach and nurse a positive and realist view towards work/jobs? When will this culture of titles ebb?

I believe Dumelo’s folly could convincingly be partly linked to parenting in Ghana. I say the latter because I went to school overseas with a kid whose parents owned a restaurant chain. What I noticed, was that, every summer, he worked for his dad washing plates. While in school, he was never given a lofty position in his father’s business. This taught him humility and allowed him to learn from ground up.

It also gradually exposed him to the nook and crannies of the business. Sadly, and unfortunately, some, if not most Ghanaian parents, raise their kids to be ignorant kings and queens in their empires or ecosystems. They forget that, to lead, you must be a great follower. We beeline to Dumelo’s mindset if we don’t get the necessary grounding about the realities of life. The latter is why so many are not able to deal with adversity or serve in apprenticeships, designed to prepare them for life-long success. If you want to understand the instant gratification mindset of the Ghanaian, look no further.

ADKAR is a change model that speaks to awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. To change, we, as a people, need serious awareness as a first step. Awareness that nudges us to the simple conclusion that, we are not above any job. If your self-confidence is calibrated properly, you wouldn’t care what work you have chosen to do. So long as you are happy doing what you do.

Most leaders and people we admire have at one point in their lives, taken on jobs that could be considered beneath their qualifications.

Barrack Obama had a Harvard degree but was a community organizer. Look what it got him!!

Ask Kennedy Agyapong about washing plates and driving taxi. Today he is a provider for many!

We need to change our attitude towards work, remain realistic and meet life where it greets us. What you do now must not define your destination in life.

It takes a real man or woman to accept reality and make lemonade out of lemons.

I am thrilled that Dumelo’s mate has forgiven him. Hopefully he will learn and sin no more.