Creativity in Nigeria
“You are welcome”—a phrase which I misunderstood to imply that I should have said thank you—has been the greeting from every Nigerian since arriving in Calabar, Nigeria to work with Oliver Ngodo, Rosemary Egut and the One Sky team. As I bake in the tropical sun, breath in the fresh surrounding vegetation, adjust to the seemingly infinite number of dialects here, and cleanse my pallet for another bowl of green leaf or fish stew, I look for moments of clarity on my purpose here. On paper my primary role is very clear: “in charge of setting up a sustainable One Sky Nigeria”. And when I think of the vision of One Sky Canada – “to promote sustainable living globally”—and look at my own life’s history and vision, there’s absolutely nothing in the world that I would or could rather be doing than this.
Before coming to One Sky, I was a United States Peace Corps volunteer in the Andes of Peru. I had spent three years integrating into the Peruvian culture, assessing the strengths and needs of the community, and working with institutions, leaders, and youth. I was a liason between the national park service and other institutions in the province. A youth group requested my support, and so we secured funds and established an environmental leadership project similar in concept to the “Leading From Within” Retreats. I first connected with One Sky when I met Gail Hochachka on a field course to One Sky’s partnership in Cuzco, and I consulted Lisa Gibson on how to incorporate transformative retreats into my project in Peru. And now serendipity has brought me to One Sky Nigeria.
“But why is your role so unclear?” I find myself asking among the myriad of emotions, fluctuating energy levels, and awkward social interactions. Almost simultaneously, another voice responds by asking me if I’d prefer it any other way. I’ve come to realize that this is all a process: a personal process of growth, an organizational process of birth, a process of sustaining the direction of One Sky Nigeria. Even though I’m tempted to lay out a clean strategy for my job, I’m reminded that such processes have no fixed or simple interventions. They require dynamic interaction and creativity among those involved. In other words, I must listen, read, learn, and discover all there is to know about One Sky’s experiences in Nigeria. I must ask questions, opening my mind to the possibilities and imperfections of such an innovation in Africa—integral leadership training. I want to absorb the culture and resonate with the “heartbeat” of Nigerians. A question arises: where do the strengths and the needs of the organization match my gifts and insights? And when do I need to humble myself to a process much larger than myself and the organization? Yes, while in Peru I worked with environmental leadership training, project management, organizational development, and inter-institutional cooperation. But these experiences must be adapted to a completely different context. I am thankful for all those who have welcomed me to the One Sky team and I hope to be of service during my time here. In the meantime, I’ll continue to learn how to eat with my hands.
By David Cicerchi
