independent skies 9th issue

nineth issue

| 2 | Independent Skies Magazine | Issue 9 Jan 2013

4. WrItten off tebogo ndlovu

10. obaMa 2016, ChIna and the MIddle eaSt

7. IS SoCIal Work a buSI-neSS or a need?

SunIta nayab gIll

13. youth and deCISIon MakIng

dean bhekuMuzI

nineth issue


“I’m not dIsappoInted In you, I’m just a lIl’ upset by what you dId…”


WrItten off | tebogo ndlovu

In other words, people at times write-off those they expected great things from. one foot put wrong and a person is forever mistaken with a symptom. the next step is to chuck the per-son into a category. a diagnosis is declared, “here we have a rebellious teen.” or, “an un-trustworthy friend.” or, “an inconsiderate man who is just like all the others.” or, “a racist victimizing the minorities.” (how stereotyping ruins relationships)

at times it’s a matter of misunderstanding the other person’s intentions or viewpoint. parents with the most obedient children have suspected their children of the most unchar-acteristic behavior because, for example, of one time when the child came home later than usual. the parent was livid, not worried; only to discover that the child was helping to clean up after a school function.

It should not be difficult to trust that the child one raised may just be a great specimen of humanity. neither should it be impossible to help a friend at a low point instead of leaving them for damaged. how about stepping back from our own feelings, needs and expecta-tions and imagining what the other person needs. the person you look up to also needs a friend. the person you gave birth to deserves to be understood as an individual.

Caring for someone unconditionally is stand-ing with them when they have missed our expectations by more than a mile. telling someone we are disappointed in them tends to translate as “you are so much less than I

wrItten offI’d like to believe that people are not the things they do. the things they do are the symptoms of who they have become. symp-toms can be treated so that what remains is who the person really is. Symptoms, figura-tively speaking, are like boils on the skin or scabs from nasty wounds. they show them-selves in places where we can hide them under our clothes. but sometimes, they show themselves on our faces and palms. the more conspicuous boils, scabs and scars are ap-parent to everybody we meet and everybody we shake hands with. the reactions vary. they either withdraw because people tend to gravitate towards beauty, glowing health and success or they empathize and move on. sometimes, they stick around -mostly because they have similar scars and so, cling to those who understand what they are going through. other times, when they share the same scars, they flee the fastest because they can hardly stand their own imperfections.

whatever the case, it is clear that people crave consistent perfection from others even though it is unattainable. one example that comes to mind is a parent and their child. the parent will adore the child until the child errs. expectations automati-cally drop from then on. the parent might act as if the child will surely make the same error for the rest of their life, as if the child is now programmed to brew disaster and heartache.


thought you were”. And so how does that fix the problem? It is better to step back from our own feelings and remember that whatever the person did is not actually about us but about them (and perhaps whatever current battle they are fighting within).

we are not the things we do. the things we do are the symptoms of who we have be-come. It is better to be part of the cure than to be judgmental. but in some cases, the other person doesn’t need curing. they have simply done things differently or we have overesti-mated their ability to be wrong. sometimes I consider how oblivious I am to the people around me. If every one of us were patriotic enough with the next person as we are with our own feelings, there would be much less need for therapy sessions and suicide notes.

how progressive it would be to garner the strength to uplift those around us, even when they have hurt us or let us down. after all, we too want to know what it is to be loved or cared for unconditionally, to be given the benefit of the doubt or the chance to explain and actually be heard and understood. even nature testifies steadfast benevolence: the sun and the earth have had a pretty good relation-ship for a very long time. surely, that’s not just another physics lesson.

Copyright © 2012 tebogo ndlovu

tebogo ndlovu is a Zimbabwean writer ,poet and avid blogger based in the united states.

the link to her blog is http://tebogondlovu.wordpress.com.

IS SoCIal Work a buSIneSS or a need? | SunIta nayab gIll


Is soCIal work a busI-ness or a need?

pakIstan dIfferent soCIal InstItutIons, nGos and Gov-ernments of are workInG on varIous soCIal Issues; but stIll the sItuatIon Is worse.


people living in rural and urban areas are living below poverty line. they even do not have basic necessities of life. people are not properly edu-cated and well aware about their needs and problems. they are unaware about their problems and living vulnerable lives. Government also does not give proper attention to the issues, most people have. people are facing social, po-litical and economic problems.

as we are a developing country, we are struggling for a better democratic and judicial system and we are striving for a better community life. our Govern-ment has fewer resources and the political leaders are also not well aware about the prob-lems and how to cope with these problems? as I men-tioned above that pakistan is a developing country and facing problems like over-population, unemployment, poverty, child labour, illiteracy, health and hygiene, trafficking and ter-rorism. our Government fails to cope with the problems of modern times due to lack of ad-vanced knowledge and needs.

In different countries like aus-

IS SoCIal Work a buSIneSS or a need? | SunIta nayab gIll

tralia, usa and others, they work on social work and take it as a need of their community and try to improve the condi-tions of slum areas and give those basic necessities and their Governments or other sectors also participate active-ly and not take it as a business. like exchanging of volunteers, arranging different volunteers meet-up sessions, workshops, seminars, conferences and expeditions to help the lo-cal communities to cope with the problems they are facing. In developing countries, so-cial work is taken as a busi-ness and they target the slum areas just for taking the funds from abroad. most institutions work on it properly as well.

different nGos, institutions, organizations and govern-ments of various countries help pakistan by proving them financial and technical aid but still the situation remains worse. article 24 (a) of the Constitution of pakistan states that the education is free for children who are 5-16 years old and they still charge them. then doing different educational projects with us aid but the literacy increases day by day. local nGos also work on dif-ferent social issues and for the public purpose but the people

have not any benefit from it. our literacy rate is very poor as belong to other neighboring countries, it is round about 39.5 including those who can read Quran and write their names.

there should be checking and balancing on Governmental departments, nGos, trusts, organizations especially on their endorsement funds that should be provided for the public’s purposes and welfare, and they used it for them-selves. as the trend goes in pakistan, they use it for their personal interests and not for the community’s interests and benefits, which made the con-ditions worse than better. the politicians open trusts to make their black money into white and make their properties safe from Government and tax.

how can we change this worse condition into a better one?

who is responsible for that?

Institutions, nGos, organiza-tions and government need to work on their working ways and development strategies?

need of moral ethics?

Sunita nayab gillPakistan


Obama 2016,China and the Middle east

obaMa 2016, ChIna and the MIddle eaSt

with a dramatic campaign brought to an end, it is reasonable to let loose the festivi-ties and celebrate the second term of the 44th president of the united states. yet, be-hind the stunning smile and the theatrical performances, Obama’s to do list is filling up with major challenges, and celebrating along michelle is far from being the paramount pri-ority of the overburdened president thus far.

from the Iranian nuclear aspirations to the growing Chinese influence in the Middle East, this essay will draw on the time urgency and contextual realities of the mena region in or-der to bring the casual reader a step closer to understanding how the us policies should evolve with regard to the arab world if the us interests are to prevail in the region.

“Iran is now 4 more years closer to the pro-duction of a nuclear bomb”, how familiar this seems given that romney’s foreign policy hovered around this very sentence through-out his campaign, yet, as we see it today, the round of international sanctions championed by the obama are bearing fruitful results and bringing the Iranian regime closer to a finan-cial meltdown. while the economic sanctions might prove to be the way to salvation, re-gional powers dependent on Iranian oil might beg to differ on the us strategic vision to impede the ayatollahs from procuring them-selves nuclear capabilities. the obama admin-istration is faced with the choice of continued sanctions that might prove inefficient given the continual opposition of China (resources driven) and russia (geopolitically immersed

in the safeguard of the Iranian regime), or with the alternative of striking deep down in the Iranian territory. such military venture, as foolish it might be, is rebutted by the former national security adviser and world renown strategist Brzezinski in the following terms:

“a war In the mIddle east, In the present Context, may last for years, and the eCo-nomIC ConseQuenCes of It are GoInG to be devastatInG fOr thE AvErAgE AMErICAn: hIGh InflatIon. InstabIlIty. InseCurIty. probably sIGnIfI-Cant IsolatIon for the unIt-ed states In the world sCene” brZeZInskI to newsmax tvtwo ChoICes, neIther as prom-IsInG as marketed to be, puts the us admInIstratIon In the embarrassInG posItIon of aC-CeptInG a nuClear Iran as a realIty, a realIty that mIGht serve the amerICan Inter-ests In faCt, reGardless of the CatastrophIC ImaGe the IsraelIs attempt to wave In mass medIa In order to fa-vor a preemptIve strIke.”while Israel’s ties to the us are unshakable and enhanced by a certain sense of commonality in terms of political, cultural and historical simi-larities, the arab states converge with the us strategic vision only when mutual interests are involved. these interests range from security (as in the case of the Gulf countries) to eco-


nomic assistance (egypt among others), yet the critical aspect of such interests is that they are not exclusive to the united sates, but are tightly linked to the economic and geopoliti-cal performances of international and regional hegemon. such regional hegemon is embod-ied by China, an aspiring world player with an economy large enough to have its take on international politics and regional influence. China has been absent from the middle east largely due to the us status in the region, yet as the us foreign policy accommodates the growing needs and fancies of Israel (ultimately alienating the arab street), and as washing-ton’s tight policies increase pressure on post-revolutionary governments with a leadership not ready to accept a full allegiance to the white house, alternatives start shaping and arab states are most likely to identify regional powers who can substitute the us in the mid-dle eastern chessboard. China, with an appeal-ing financial portfolio and a reassuring posture in the world scene is prone on undertaking the role of the major player in middle eastern politics, a role that doesn’t stem from choice but from necessity given the growing needs in oil of the Chinese industry and economy.

“ChIna’s presenCe In the mId-dle east has Grown expo-nentIally over the past de-Cade and Is affeCtInG the reGIon’s strateGIC envIron-ment. ChInese InfluenCe Is multIdImensIonal, enCom-passInG eConomICs, defense, dIplomaCy, and soft power.”

In such circumstances, attending to the fancies of a certain ally become less urgent than se-curing states whose allegiance can be lost to potential competitors, thus the middle eastern agenda of barack obama should cut on the support to Israel (not much of a political sui-cide given the fact that the presidential cam-paign is over and the super paCs are not as meaningful now that the results are out), and deploy a strategic vision preliminary aimed at accommodating the post-revolutionary arab states through financial, political, diplomatic and military support. such attempt would le-verage the US interests on two levels: first by providing a stronger geopolitical stance in the region for american interests through us-friendly governments, and second through the establishment of a pressure regional bloc that can downsize Chinese access to oil resources.

such us foreign policy, coupling stronger un-conditional support for post-revolutionary Arab states and firm refusal to bend to Is-raeli appeals will inevitably disarm Iran from its main source of support in the arab and Islamic world, depriving it from popular com-passion and thus disabling proxy factions such as hezbollah from tapping into anti-us feeling as main recourse for recruitment and military support to the mullahs in teheran.

youth and deCISIon MakIng | dean bhekuMuzI


As the night dies away, as the sun embraces the world in a warm hug a new day has come. Grey hearts rise, the world is full of anxiety. The world has already been barricaded by hate, we need that which can make us feel a part of a world that has done more bad than good to hu-manity. Young people across the world cry out to be heard. Life is a beautiful tragedy, however the future of tomorrow utters in de-spair, their cries go unheard, the leaders of today have failed and it is up to the young people to make a better tomorrow. As the thought crosses every individu-al’s mind, hope is reborn when

screaming cries of freedom, liberty are heard. The world is anxious for social justice, a free society.. anxious for change and social responsibility. However, in order for all this to occur, world leaders need to include youths in the decision making process.It is significant to note policies and programs designed after consultation with users are more likely to be effective , as a result one is bound to conclude using youth participation you are more likely to get it right the first time and avoid wasting time and money on services young people don’t want to use. Giving young

people a place in decision-making builds a broader base of citizen involvement and creates stronger and more inclusive communities. Youth participa-tion is necessary in the develop-ment of active citizenship be-cause it balances young people’s social rights with their responsi-bilities. This is to a larger extent the most effective way to make the youths more active because the more we feel accepted and understood by society , it cre-ates an element that binds the society together. One of the most extraordinary things in this world is being a young leader but it is what you do with the

Youth and decision making

Youth and decision making

youth and deCISIon MakIng | dean bhekuMuzI

opportunity that makes a differ-ence. Youths in decision making process contributes to positive youth development and we have challenges like violence, drug addiction , lack of social respon-sibility and the primary cause being the youth. In reference to my previous statement its signif-icant to note youth participation and being included in decision making process challenges nega-tive stereotypes of young people and help break down barri-ers between adults and young people. Involving young people in decision-making can improve attitudes towards understanding about young people and create

a greater awareness of youth is-sues in an organization.“No one is born a good citizen; no nation is born a democracy. Rather, both are processes that continue to evolve over a life-time. Young people must be in-cluded from birth. A society that cuts itself off from its youth sev-ers its lifeline; it is condemned to bleed to death.” —Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nation. Words from a great man reports from United Nations state that youths in decision making implies a radical change in youth-adult relationships in all spheres of life including the family, schools, local communi-

ties, programs, social services, and local, regional and national government. A commitment to respecting the participa-tory rights of young people is incompatible with the age-old propensity. It is vital to note giving youth the power in deci-sion making does not necessarily mean we are divorcing power from the adults, including the youth is a sign of social develop-ment that can lead and grow to many things such as better deci-sions and outcomes.

Dean Bhekumuzi Bhebhe


dear friends,

on behalf of the Independent skies team, we would like to wish you all a happy new

year and may it be full of joy, health and prosperity.

may this year also be a big step towards achieving your dreams and a step towards

world peace.

thank you all for your continuous support for Ism and it is because of that we feel

honored to raise your voice to the world.

I personally feel that I should share my feel-ings with you all at this great time of the

year and tell you that this is a great time to celebrate and be with family but please do not forget about the millions of people out there that need a drop of water to drink, a piece of cloth, a tiny piece of bread, a roof to hide from the rain…. and not forget our beautiful earth, look around you and think

“don’t I want my grandchildren to see this?” she is beautiful, let us work on keeping her

this way.

almustafa mahmoud khalid (founder of Ism)

I shall leave you with a great poem by w. s. merwIn

To the New YearWith what stillness at lastyou appear in the valleyyour first sunlight reaching downto touch the tips of a fewhigh leaves that do not stiras though they had not noticedand did not know you at allthen the voice of a dove callsfrom far away in itselfto the hush of the morning

so this is the sound of youhere and now whether or notanyone hears it this iswhere we have come with our ageour knowledge such as it isand our hopes such as they areinvisible before usuntouched and still possible

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independent skies 9th issue

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