Good for you man and welcome back

Chichi

since most if not all postings on this site are anonymous who is to say for sure that you, Ayatollah are indeed a Malawian? but if and only if you are one of us then congratulations on your success but if I may, would like to give you some advice, success looks best when it is noticed by others not when it is told to others. for all we know ndinu okwedza katundu pamwamba pa bus!

I think this guy is trying to be a living example and walking the talk rather than just talk.Based on the fact that we are all malawians we have something in comon. The thinking should be if he achieved so much why cant i, not who does he think he is.

sepu sepu

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Originally posted by: skillzmanifest
"First of all, I'd like to take the liberty of welcoming myself to this forum. Judging from earlier postings, this seems like an ideal site for one to release random thoughts. It's good to see my fellow Malawians connecting with one another and sharing ideas. Although I must admit, I was most amused with the debates and brutal words thrown back and forth. Calling a truce was wise because people were getting too destructive. It's not everyday that I see Malawians brutally exchanging words at that caliber. It sort of reminded me of the times when issues were blown out of porportion in parliament and some of the mp's would get at each other's throats. It would have been better if they displayed the same level of eloquence during disputes, instead of acting like secondary school children.  I also enjoyed the piece on success. However, I'm a little skeptical of the term "learned individual". I'm currently on the  slave ship of indoctrination, ironically called the "education" system. When you say you are a "learned individual", what do you mean? One that has made it through high school, associates degree level, bachelors. I guess what I'm inquiring is; at what level would you consider one to be "Learned". Break it down for us bro. You've made it quite obviously clear that you're well accomplished or as you put it, "made". For me, It is very rare that I hear of a Malawian making it as big as you've depicted yourself to have done and out of all places, the big apple. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's impossible or even improbable. I'm sure there are Malawians in the US who are "made". I'm just curious to know your story and what line of work your in?  "

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i int trying to hate, but just out of curiosity. what actually do you do brav ayatollah?

and what have you actually achieved? , may be we can all learn one or two things..

quote:

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Originally posted by: skillzmanifest
"First of all, I'd like to take the liberty of welcoming myself to this forum. Judging from earlier postings, this seems like an ideal site for one to release random thoughts. It's good to see my fellow Malawians connecting with one another and sharing ideas. Although I must admit, I was most amused with the debates and brutal words thrown back and forth. Calling a truce was wise because people were getting too destructive. It's not everyday that I see Malawians brutally exchanging words at that caliber. It sort of reminded me of the times when issues were blown out of porportion in parliament and some of the mp's would get at each other's throats. It would have been better if they displayed the same level of eloquence during disputes, instead of acting like secondary school children.  I also enjoyed the piece on success. However, I'm a little skeptical of the term "learned individual". I'm currently on the  slave ship of indoctrination, ironically called the "education" system. When you say you are a "learned individual", what do you mean? One that has made it through high school, associates degree level, bachelors. I guess what I'm inquiring is; at what level would you consider one to be "Learned". Break it down for us bro. You've made it quite obviously clear that you're well accomplished or as you put it, "made". For me, It is very rare that I hear of a Malawian making it as big as you've depicted yourself to have done and out of all places, the big apple. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's impossible or even improbable. I'm sure there are Malawians in the US who are "made". I'm just curious to know your story and what line of work your in?  "

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Skills, I liked the temperament of your posting and thought you are sincere and objective. Just to clarify, when Ayatollah talks about being learned, he is referring to only those that have achieved atleast a Masters Degree. However note that there are exceptions to this rule but they are very rare. A good example would be a people that acquire Professional Certification which are regarded highly among the society at large. A good example would be a Chartered Accountant who probably does not even have a bachelors degree. You will agree with me that the rigours of acquiring such a qualification are very high and it is only fair that those with such a qualification be accorded the respect they deserve.

Ayatollahs story

Ayatollah is a living example of Kamuzu's dreams. Ayatollah went to School at Kamuzu Academy back in the day when Academy was known as the Eton of Africa. After "A" levels Ayatollah was awarded a scholarship to London School of Business. Graduated with flying colors and got an opportunity to come to University of California at Berkely (UCLA). Got a job with Goldman Sachs in Los Angeles before moving to New York. I have spent much of my human capital focusing on "Mergers and Acquisitions". It's very demanding but lucrative at the same time. I love it and I haven't looked back since the day I started my career. I wish you well on your academic journey. Know what you want, stay focused and you will do well. Life is just but another journey.

-- Edited by Ayatollah at 06:51, 2005-03-26

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Originally posted by: money low
" you can fool people sometimes, but you cant fool them all the time. brav pinocchio, youve just made a fool of yourself again, by exposing the fact that youre just a big fat liar. so you, went to london school of business? i find it hard to believe, due to the simple fact that, the school only offers post graduate degree program e.g M BA , masters in finance and phds in different areas of business. i find it hard to see, how a dude whose just finished his  A levels, would qualifty for any of the programs the school has to offer, coz he simple wouldnt meet any of the requirements to enter into the programs on offer( all the doubting thomases can view the schools website). by the way its london business school not london school of business. next time do a bit of research, before exposing youre foolishness in public. next time get youre facts right before acting all pinocchio all up in this place. brav you need a reality check, youre dreams died with the late great ngwazi. check yourself before you reck yourself. dream on playa......... i ve gat nothing but luv for you goodbye.........have a niceday holla back.  -- Edited by money low at 13:35, 2005-03-26"

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Makobidi opelewela, It would be silly for me to be arguing with you about names of places where I have been. London School of Business offers a special programme for gifted students who have distinguished themselves from the efulefu's like you. They admit A level students for a combined programme that leads to a Masters in Finance. This is a five year programme. I remember there were a few of us from the Academy who joined this programme. I know two who also ended up in the States just like me. You are the one who needs to do research before jumping into issues you don't know jack about. Son, you  better get you facts straight.

what combined programme plis break it down,i went to london business school maself but i wont say much.

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Originally posted by: skillzmanifest
" Firstly, let me express my gratitude for sharing your story and your kind wishes in my journey of learning. Skillz also received secondary education under the great kachere, of which I call KA, and was delighted to hear about your success. Every now and then I find myself reminiscing the crazy times spent in my 5 years at KA. I remember looking sharp in green and gold attire for the annual founders day event. I remember singing “I vow to thee my country”.I’m now realizing how it holds deeper deeper meaning in my life. As I sit here contemplating on the founder’s dream, this quote from the OLM governor comes to mind.   Quote:   He believed in education. He once said to me, "I have often wondered how many Plato’s, Mozart’s, Shakespeare’s, Aggrey’s and Einstein’s have been born and died in Malawi and have never realized their potential". From that thoughtful and emotional statement emerged one of Dr. Banda’s greatest legacies, Kamuzu Academy. "Education is the key to everything. I mean to educate my people. The future of this country depends upon education. Education has always been my doorway to ignorance. The more I learn, the more I realize how much I do not know, but I always keep trying to learn more and more to enrich my mind."  Bear in mind that these words were spoken at a time when there were very few Malawians that received a secondary school education. As some of you may know, the school was founded in 1981 and only accepted the country’s most academically able students. The goal of building such an institution was to prepare these students for higher learning. But with the all that one could learn, I predicted geniuses would flourish in every field. One thing I always used to hear was that the academy would produce leaders of the future. Well….it’s been 24 years, where are they? Where are our Mozarts, einstiens, shakespeares ? Have they reached their full potential and died in foreign countries with Kamuzu’s legacy? So far, I’ve heard of plenty of success stories. However, I don’t see any impact they have on Malawi. Some certainly do lie within the context of the founder’s dream, but it’s a bigger picture than just producing accomplished individuals. Another thing that comes to mind is the Chilowa house motto, “officium nobis minimum interesse”.(forgive me if the latin is not spelled correctly, it’s been a while) Translated in english to mean our smallest obligation is to play our part. Of course the west offers plenty of opportunities, but when is it time to start playing our part for the well being of our country? And this does not only address KA students, but all citizens who want to see a brighter future for Malawi.There of course plenty of reasons why Malawi suffers a brain drain and  I’m not implying that you leave your jobs…heck no…I wouldn’t. I’m only trying to encourage you all to get actively envolved i.e something that will benefit the economy. If you are already doing so, then I encourage you to continue. If not, then I urge you to do so in whatever capacity you have. Anyways that’s my word, take it or leave it.    "

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Skills, wow! Your posting took me back and after reading it, I sat for a moment, reminisced about some of the memories back at KA. Yes, I even reminisced about that pretty Madinga girl who was a year or two ahead of me and I just could not convince her that I was worthy enough to be her boy friend. God bless her heart and I wonder where she is these days.

I also remember how other Schools used to passionately hate us. When ever we went to visit Schools like Robert Blake, St Johns Bosco, Mtendere etc we never got any love. Has this scenario changed over time? I still wonder why every one seemed to dislike us even though we were so down to earth.

More important than that, I agree with each and every point you raised. You are right that there are many of us who have enjoyed resources provided by Malawi. There are many geniuses out there but the problem we have is that most have forgotten where they come from. Most people either do not care or just don't want to give back for one reason or the other. There are a lot of smart young Malawians all over the world but my experience has been that most are frustrated by the system. For example, imagine for every dollar I may donate through the Ministry of Education to effect some School improvement, only two cents will actually be used for the intended purpose. If you send quiet a substantial amount, you will hear that people at headquarters are in Mangochi on a one Week Seminar just so they can discuss how they are going to allocate your donation. By the end of the day, a mere fraction is used for the donors intended purpose. The system sucks and Malawians need to change their mentality. As far as development is concerned, Malawi's worst enemy are Malawians themselves.

-- Edited by Ayatollah at 06:33, 2005-03-28

I will join the trivial pursuit!

Ayatollah if a "Madinga girl" was two years ahead of you at KA; I know a "Madinga girl" that got her "A" Levels in 1993. You must have goten your "A" Levels in 1995 then. You joined the Masters in Finance program at London Business School [which you persistently call London School of Business] straight from KA; you must have graduated from LBS in 2000.You went to UC at Berkeley [on another PG program ? No ?]; let's say 2001/2. You must have started work at Goldman Sachs 2001/2/3.

So after 2/3/4 years of work; you are "made". Congratulations.

By the way, for someone as talented as you profess to be and someone who went to top-end Universities; your level of self expression smacks of mediocrity as far as I am concerned. No ?

You have made my day!

Ayatollah i do hope you and me done passed beef,dont take this personal but Gwan has killed you in your own Game,even your response betrays you mon,now you are saying there were two madinga gals at KA,dont underestimate people on this forum its better to be honest,you know what they say about honesty.stop contradicting yourself man,be real.