How does it feel to be left out?

This author argues that a unifying theme in all the freedom movements and protests et al. is that a group of people want to be included, to be seen, to be heard, and to be considered as part of the others who enjoy some form of benefits or privileges.

What does Inclusion mean to you?

Let us go back to all the struggles for independence that African nations fought over the years — the decolonization of Africa. These agitations stemmed from unequal resource allocation, the standard of life, distribution of wealth, exploitation, and marginalization.

There is also a trend of exclusion that characterized the protests of the black communities in America — the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King Jr’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech. You must have heard of this guy:

But let us also come home to more recent events. We’ve had the BLM movement (black lives matter ✊🏾), LGBTQIAPK+ movements, and the list goes on… And yes, there are some nuances in these instances but the goal is the same — a fight for inclusion.

But we don’t want to fight now, do we? Just like The Cavemen sing about being our brother’s keeper, we should also consider the people around us that may be feeling left out. Take a minute to think about Kwaku the traveler that drives you to important meetings and picks your kids up from school, or James that keeps the compound and the gates, and does your laundry so you can look sharp like Martin up there. Let’s not leave out Mrs. Patience who tends to your domestic needs 24/7; keeps the house spotless, and still manages to patiently cater to your two kids as well as her own four kids at home.

These people are left out of a myriad of privileges many of us enjoy under the cover of formal employment. How does Mrs. Patience cover medical bills when her kids are really sick? or when school fees are due and her husband has just been recently put out of work? My guess is she will probably come to you for a loan that you are unprepared to give out but have to because she is very important to you and your family as well.

It would also be of immense benefit to Kwaku and James if the ”informal” work they do for you can be validated with payslips that will give them access to a better life; and benefits only available to people that work in large corporations. It’s the right thing to do, and Martin would agree. Don’t you Martin?

I think he does 🙂. Now we’re all about reducing the barriers to entry for Africans to be able to access a world of endless possibilities, and we are iterating, feature by feature until everyone is included.