Culture, change & creativity, an interview with Mozambican musician Wazimbo
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Creativity & innovation, Diversity & culture
In this month’s Rock.Paper.Scissors’ newsletter I interview Mozambican treasure, the musician Wazimbo & get his thoughts on culture, change & creativity. (That’s he & I above.) Stay tuned for the next blog post where I’ll share some resources related to those themes, both serious & tongue in cheek.
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‘Is it natural that men with big bellies decide everything?’ An interview with Mozambican artist Wazimbo
Lee-Anne: One of your songs includes the lyric, “Is it natural that men with big bellies decide everything?” Can you talk more about that? To me, that speaks to power. Can you talk more about your beliefs around sharing power?
Wazimbo: As a musician and a creative person, I wrote this song based on everything that surrounds me. Especially because those people with power, they have corruption. They start to create a big belly. You know the African with a big belly! Then, after that, they leave. They’ve got the power. The thing you see in the men who have the power is that most of them have big houses. I wrote that song and based it on that experience. It’s a way to identify the corruptors. And if you’ve got the money you’ve got the power.
How it applies: Who has the ‘big belly’ in your world? Where is the power concentrated? Have you identified its sources & how it impacts you?
On Creativity
Lee-Anne: What are some of the sources of your creativity?
Wazimbo: I am part of a long process. You learn something – I was born during the Communist period of Mozambique so I saw the transition from one point to another point, to the new government in Mozambique. So that was one school. I learned something. So after that, there was another period after the civil war. So those things inspired me to change and to become more creative and to bring new ideas for his music. So now I use new technology and everything has changed so that helps me be more creative.
How it applies: I really enjoyed hearing Wazimbo referring to different parts of his life experience as ‘schools’ of creativity. If you divided up your life into different schools what would the schools be called? What’s the main lesson you learned from each one?
Wazimbo’s Advice
Lee-Anne: What advice would you give to people that are trying to do good things, to effect positive change in the world?
Wazimbo: It’s hard to change the world. It’s hard to make the world different. That takes time. Even Jesus Chris, he tried and people rejected him. That’s why he was crucified. So it means that all musicians are trying to do, is they’re trying their best. My advice is never give up. Never give up because you can do something. Even if you don’t change the entire world, you can do something.
How it applies: There’s times when working for change comes easily & smoothly & other times when it’s like pushing a mammoth boulder up a hill. What does doing your best to affect change mean to you? What can you do for yourself when you’re tempted to give up?
As the branches of a huge willow tree draped themselves gracefully around us, while providing much welcomed shade, I wistfully said good-bye to Wazimbo, knowing his wise words about culture, change, power, creativity & advice would stay with me for some time.
Now, as I finish writing this article, I know that to be true & hope it’s true for you as well. As for me, I’m going to listen to his hauntingly beautiful song “Nwahulwana” for the umpteenth time.
Note: if you’re interested in finding out more about the first democratically elected President of Mozambique, the incomparable Honourable Joaquim Chissano, check out my interview with him from a while back:
Tags: change, creativity, culture, emmanuel jal, wazimbo
Training & development learning well September blog post round up
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Training & development
If you didn’t catch all the posts this month simply peruse & click what’s below.
Here’s the Rock.Paper.Scissors’ monthly training & development round up for the month of September.
Learn well in the training & development learning well.
Dive deep into the learning well or take a small sip. Shower yourself in training & development or just get your big toe wet.
Refresh & refreshing.
As you wish.
Tags: communication, creativity, humour, learning, life lenses, miranda july, misunderstanding, motivation, salon alpin, the frantics, time management
A forgotten bookmark & the 7 chapters of life
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Training & development, Travel
A forgotten bookmark in a dusty, old book, takes a chance, & well, magic happens.
Like rediscovering an old friend, colleague or first love.
Like rediscovering a love for learning, an appetite for adventure, a yearning for travel.
Like thriving in the fast paced, complex, changing environment that surrounds us.
Check out the captivating video below. I’ve added some ‘chapters’ that represent that encyclopedia we call life.
Chapter 1 – forgotten, stagnant (0 to 1:08 min)
Chapter 2 – an external event happens to kick you in the pants (1:09 to 1:28)
Chapter 3 – ruminating, reminiscing, dare I? (1:29 to 1:53)
Chapter 4 – a small start, a small step equals motivation (1:53 to 2:10)
Chapter 5- diving in, revelling, (2:11 to 4:25 with a special surprise at 3:54)
Chapter 6- reflecting again, this time a little wiser (4:26 to 4:50)
Chapter 7- it’s a whole new world baby! (Which, by the way, was there all along only you’d turned your back on it.) (4:51 on)
Much Better Now from Salon Alpin on Vimeo.
Thanks to Bill Ursel for showing me this video.
Tags: learning, motivation, salon alpin
Perspectives on menstruation. It’s seriously funny. Period.
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication, Diversity & culture, Humor & comedy
“Other” can make people squirm. So can “different.” It’s the cause of much misunderstanding and strife. Watch this hilarious video about the reactions of some commuters listening to a dad talking to his daughter about her first period. Their perspective is very unlike his. It’s seriously funny. Period.
Best case scenario? Someone else’s perspective is wonderful when it illuminates ours.
Worst case scenario? People who look at the world differently from us, people who have another view (opposing or not), can seem odd, weird, unusual, strange even.
Tags: communication, humour, misunderstanding, the frantics
Adding creativity to the juicy mix. It’s a good thing.
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Creativity & innovation
When my friend & colleague Aaron Johannes sent me an email saying ‘This is the best book site ever’ naturally I was intrigued.
It takes a bit to finagle (hint: use small arrows in lower right corner to navigate) but it’s pretty cool. Essentially the author, Miranda July (that’s her above), uses a stove (yes a stove) & felt, to tell a story.
Her website entry page is pretty creative too. Check out that link above.
Making something new out of something old. Capturing attention. Bringing a smile to one’s face after a long, weary day. Adding creativity to the juicy mix.
It’s a good thing.
Tags: creativity, miranda july
Ruminating, recollecting & moving forward
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Training & development
I launched this blog in November of 2009 & have been posting 3 times a week ever since. It’s been a joy. I’ve laughed & learned along the way & hope you’ve done the same.
Lots has changed in the past three years, including a move to Kenya (talk about blog topic fodder).
I’ve been fortunate to work with the United Nations here on a variety of projects like:
- revising & testing curriculum in Cairo with people from some 23 countries
- devising a social media strategy for the GHS 2025 (Global Housing Strategy) &
- doing a participatory analysis of the skills inventory of UN-Habitat staff
I’m tempted to say it’s been a busy year but ‘busy’ is such an overused, bland word & hardly does justice to the last year here.
Instead, I’ve been ruminating & recollecting. Three blog posts are a lot & while I love writing them (I have no end of content ideas & could write 5 a week), I’m going to scale back just a wee bit to two. Starting today I’ll post on Mondays & Fridays.
I invite you to bookend your week with me – starting & finishing the week with some (mostly) training & development musings.
And while I’m at it let me use this announcement to proclaim how much I appreciate you dear reader. You do know you’re uber appreciated right? If not, give your head a shake & pat yourself on the back. I’m grateful for your time & attention. Thank you.
Tags: time management
Peace with pants: an evolved Mountain Life Lens™ is a strategic partner
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Communication
I’m a Carrot Life Lens™ and my partner is a Mountain Life Lens™. I go gaga over details and systems while he loves the big picture and the view from above.
When we were putting away some laundry lately, I handed him a pair of pants.
‘Which category do these pants go with?’ he asked.
My jaw dropped.
For a Mountain Life Lens™ to pay attention to a system and details isn’t necessarily easy or even important to them. That’s why his side of the closet is what I’d call a mess and my side of the closet …. well, let’s just say I have a system for where things go.
He’s an evolved and understanding Mountain Life Lens™ and a very smart partner.
What about you? What does your closet say about your Carrot’ness or Mountain’ness?
~~TGIF- each Friday I rejig & re-post a blog entry from my www.life-lenses.com blog, which is about enhancing our perspective & worldview.~~
Tags: communication, life lenses
Training & development learning well August blog post round up
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Change management & wellness, Communication, Humor & comedy, Training & development
If you didn’t catch all the posts this month simply peruse & click what’s below.
Here’s the Rock.Paper.Scissors’ monthly training & development round up for the month of August.
Learn well in the training & development learning well.
Dive deep into the learning well or take a small sip. Shower yourself in training & development or just get your big toe wet.
Refresh & refreshing.
As you wish.
- Good Deed Feed – what you look for may be just what you find
- What would you do with 148 bad boys?
- ‘A head on approach to tackling water conservation’ plus a brilliant training & development technique
- From complicated report cards to great graphics- how report cards can help us learn what to do & not to do
- Change your seat, change your view – how about this chair?
- 25 years of cataloguing 137,000 Moghul documents
- See ME! Relate to ME! A guide for managing change thanks to Puma
- Theory is when you know everything but nothing works
- Alan Alda’s ‘What’s a flame?’ contest where the judges are 11 year olds
- A creative ode to the linoleum temple (thanks to Elizabeth Gilbert & Balkan Beat Box)
- Is it bacon or is it hot air? – the fine line in miscommunication
Tags: alan alda, bad boys, balkan beat box, ben ames, change management, communication, compfight, creativity, document, elizabeth gilbert, evaluation, feedback, fire challenge, good deed, graphic facilitation, humour, knowledge management, miscommunication, perspective, peter holmes, practice, praxis, theory, Wellness, word clouds
What frames your view? A Life Lenses™ take on provocative video
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Business & organizational development, Human resources, Humor & comedy
Is the video below funny, creative, rule breaking and subversive or a waste of time, waste of energy and sadly pathetic?
Depends on your view. Depends on how you frame things.
A Carrot Life Lens™ appreciates the attention to detail. A Mountain Life Lens™ likes the strategy.
A Destination Life Lens™ approves getting it done. A Journey Life Lens™ is enjoying the moment.
A Heart Life Lens™ might wonder why he’s so disaffected. A Head Life Lens™ things about what tasks he’s avoiding.
A Stop Life Lens™ may worry about getting caught. A Go Life Lens™ says ‘give ‘er!’
What’s your view? The frame around your view is powerful. It affects the view.
~~TGIF- each Friday I rejig & re-post a blog entry from my www.life-lenses.com blog, which is about enhancing our perspective & worldview.~~
Tags: humour, organizational culture
What can you do with the element of surprise?
Posted by Lee-Anne Ragan | Filed under Training & development
Great pic from Larry Norman, which captures the importance of surprise.
Seth Godin says attention is what’s most scarce. The element of surprise can capture attention. It’s a particularly god-sent element for training & development folk.
Surprise a participant & you’ve got their attention (assuming it’s a pleasant, ah-ha surprise, not a ack, painful surprise). When you have their attention you can facilitate leaps of learning.
Ah ha is what comes after your conscious becomes aware of what your unconscious has known for some time. All thanks to surprise.
Surprised?
How can you introduce the element of surprise into your training & development work?
Tags: larry norman, seth godin, surprise