She Got Game!
Address: By Mary Lou Johnson-Pizarro U.S. Consulate General
At The Youth & Gender Network Women Conference/Skills
Acquisition Workshop On Friday, May 16th 2008, @ British
Council, No. 20 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Thank you for
inviting me to participate in this most important gathering
today. Your purpose, as I understand it, is to empower and
position Nigerian women to contribute to national development.
As an American diplomat, a sister, a daughter, and a mother,
I am deeply honoured to be part of the program.
Today, I want to pose one question for you
to ponder. In my country there is a common question frequently
asked "she got game?" While this expression may
not fit the contours of Standard English, it raises fundamental
issues that I firmly believe have relevance to our deliberations
today. The term game has many meanings. The notion that
"she got game" implies that the woman is bright,
skilled, resourceful, innovative perhaps even cunning or
daring. In this presentation, I intend to explore some of
the meanings of "game" and how they relate to
women and girls in today's rapidly globalizing world.
Game is a powerful metaphor for life, in general,
and politics, in particular. There is a field of play. There
are (sometimes) clearly defined rules, coaches, umpires,
adversaries, team mates and outcomes - win, lose or draw.
In this case, Nigeria
constitutes the playing field, the 2006 Electoral Act provides
the rules, INEC is the referee. Your benefactors and supporters
are your team mates. The candidates standing against you
are your worthy opponents.
As a young girl in America, I grew up playing
hop scotch and double Dutch, a form of jump rope I never
completely mastered. These were girls' games and according
to the rules of these games, if you made a mistake, you
had to begin all over again. These rules influenced the
female members of my generational cohort. How? In hop scotch,
for example, if you made a mistake you had to start again
when it was next your turn. What a message to program into
the girl child's head. Upon encountering an obstacle or
set back, she might be inclined to quit the game because
she doesn't want to start all over again.
Fortunately for me, I also played chess and
with my older brother. From chess, I learned to think and
act strategically. I learned to anticipate my opponent's
next move and I learned that losses, such as that of the
queen, could be reversed, if you understood and applied
the rules of the game effectively. If your pawn, for example,
reaches your adversary's last rank, she will become a queen.
Chessplayers know that the queen is one of the most powerful,
agile and versatile pieces in the game.
I submit that "game" also implies
a love or passion for the sport. In my case, the game I
truly love is basketball. It allows for individual creativity
but insists on teamwork. I played guard. An athlete who
loves her game devotes hours to practicing and perfecting
her craft. And her efforts are not in vain. Basketball players
have an expression of being in the zone. I had one of those
games where I made every shot I took. But more typically,
there were missed shots, fouls and defeat.
Students of the game know that loss, obstacles
and setbacks, when used to good purpose, can provide our
most lasting lessons and become very effective teachers.
Indeed, capable and committed coaches and players review
game tapes to learn from their mistakes as well as to access
the strengths and weaknesses of their opponents.
As in life, so in politics -- let's look deeper
into the concept of game together.
As you seek to serve your communities, remember
you must have a game plan. Have you assessed the playing
field? Who are your allies? Your adversaries? Those you
can win over? What are the issues? What impact does poor
governance have on the lives of everyday Nigerians? What
plans and programs do you intend to implement to address
and remedy these problems?
There are three tiers of government ? the
local, state and national. I like to think of local government
as the okada. It is close to the people and takes
you right to your door step. Effective local government
provides essential services. Of course, we all know the
hazards of a reckless, ill-equipped okada driver.
The state government, in my view, can be likened
to the danfo. It is large than the okada
but unlike the okada, it does not provide door-to-door
service. The danfo is accessible to most, but you
must travel some distance to use its services and you have
to compete with a large number of people seeking its attention
and resources.
To extend the metaphor, the federal government
is the airplane. It has a much larger reach but you must
travel even greater distances to engage this tier of government.
My experience teaches me that you need greater capacity
- knowledge, contacts, wealth, etc. to connect effectively
with this tier of government.
Nevertheless, it is absolutely vital for citizens
to engage government at every level because governance is
much too important to be left solely to government. Citizens
must get and stay involved.
For the sake of our conversation, the citizen
can be compared to the member of a team. What is the player's
state of readiness? Is she well-nourished, fit? Does she
understand the rules of the game? Is she well-informed?
Does she know her rights as well as her responsibilities?
Is she a leader? If so, has demonstrated mastery as a creative
problem-solver? Has she formed alliances with like-minded
people to make a difference for good in her family, school,
house of worship, community and nation? I ask these questions
because, in my humble opinion, it is not enough to have
women in high places if we do not see an improvement in
the quality of life for the people.
Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled that for
the first time in the history (herstory) of our two great
nations, women occupy important positions of power and influence
- Speaker Pelosi in the United States and Speaker Etteh
in Nigeria. During her April 2007 visit to Nigeria as leader
of the National Democratic Institute Election Observer Mission,
former U.S. Secretary of the State Albright said she believes
that there is a special place in hell reserved for women
who fail to support other women. I don't know about you,
but I do not intend to occupy that fiery furnace. I pledge
to support the team of people - women and men - who have
the best interests of the people in mind. Candidates and,
later
officials, who share the people's democratic aspirations
and leaders who are dogged in their commitment to make a
difference for good.
So, I ask, are you ready for the challenges
that await you? If so, please remember that when preparation
meets opportunity, they inevitably produce success. And
my favourite definition of success comes from an American
management guru named Paul Meyer; he teaches that "success
is the progressive realization of a worthwhile goal."
You determine what is worthwhile. But remember that it is
progressive - step by step, precept by precept. In the face
of setback of defeat, the player with game continues to
practice knowing that ultimately she will attain mastery.
Consider the following attributes and, if
you find value within them, I invite you to incorporate
them into your skill set and use them consistently in your
game. You may be astounded by the results you achieve. Let's
take the word GAME.
•G - Guts. Intestinal fortitude. Get
up to speak. You must be able to articulate
the aspirations, goals, and priorities of your constituents.
Remember that African proverb that says a stream that forgets
its source will soon run dry. Stay grounded in the interests
of your community and your constituents. In a democratic
dispensation, government derives its authority, power and
legitimacy from the governed.
•A - Achievements. Yes, in this game
we keep score. What have you done to
demonstrate your concern, competency and compassion? A friend
taught me that people don't care how much you know until
they know how much you care. Are the clinics in your community
staffed with competent professionals? Do they have adequate
medication and equipment? Are the schools girl-friendly?
Do they have libraries and labs? What track record can you
run on? If you don't have one, start building it today.
•M - Men, money and a motivating message.
Let's face it, we cannot transform the conditions of the
poor and vulnerable without the support and assistance of
men - our brothers, fathers, uncles, friends. Men matter.
And we all know that you need money and other material resources
to run a political campaign. But in order to be effective,
you
must have a motivating message that inspires people to support
your candidacy with their time, talents, money and votes.
•E - Ethics. To truly make a difference
for good, you must adhere to an honorable standard of conduct.
Your ethics serve as a moral compass and guidance system
to steer your course through the trials and tribulations
that you will inevitably encounter. A great teacher counseled
to "be wise as the serpent and harmless as
the dove."
As you can see, the journey you have embarked
upon is one fraught with obstacles, adventure and, if you
practice and play the game with diligence...rewards. Let
me close with a final thought. Some years ago I prepared
for a discussion on "preparing the next generation."
The organizers gave each panelist a questionnaire covering
issues of education, motivation, etc. I still remember the
last question; it read - when did you know you were a success?
At first, I thought surely this is a trick question. But
as I pondered the matter I came to realize that I considered
myself successful when I could open the door of opportunity
to and for others. During my working career, I have come
to
recognize that when you seek to serve, when you run the
race with diligence and passion, there is always a blessing.
So when I speak of rewards and success, I mean to create
opportunities for individual and national development. In
my view, that's when you know that she got game!
I hope during the Q and A session, we can
unpack these concepts in greater detail. Once again, thank
you for extending this invitation to me; I am deeply honored. |
