The Research Rant

I question research a lot of times..or rather some peoples motives for being science researchers. Do they really want to change the world or is it just for professional gain/advancement? I am a scientist because i Love it. Simple. I am passionate about it thats why i do it. Do i need money? Yes..because thats the only means of survival..but will i do research for the money?..NO!...if i wanted to just make money i will be an investment banker by now..Probably working at the front office at JP Morgan...and trust me id fit right in. BUT for me, fulfilment is more important than a six figure salary. I don’t want to be 60 years old and end up feeling VOID. I want to build a legacy...i want to contribute my bit to the world..i want my Grandkids to say ‘Grand ma was an awesome Scientist’...i want my name to live on after i am gone. Thats fulfilment.

Why all this story?  From what ive experienced in my short life, a lot of research organisations that say they want to help Africa are not DOING ENOUGH. You don’t need an eyesight to see the gaping holes. A lot of people (mostly from the west), get nice paying jobs in an international organisation based somewhere in Africa. They Love it there.  They live both their European lifestyles and get the perks of being in Africa at the same time. What do i mean? They are paid loads of money, accommodation is cheap, food is great and cheap, they usually live in towns where other expatriates are so you will most definitely find lots of fine restaurants, bars, grocery stores, cinema, malls etc. At the same time they enjoy the wild life, hiking on mountains, swimming in hot springs, rural road trips and to top it all up, MAID SERVICE which includes cooking, cleaning, washing etc. A service they NEVER get in the west unless of course you are Blair Waldorf and live on the Upper East Side in Manhattan.

What i have seen is a lot of these people don’t IMMERSE themselves into the community they are meant to be carrying out ‘interventions’ on. How can you not immerse yourself in a community you are trying to help? How will you understand the problems the locals face if most of your time you are behind a desk on your laptop or having barbecues and going on hikes?

There is a HUGE DISCONNECT.

From what i have seen, its no wonder some of these interventions never work anyways. But who cares? Their governments will still raise funds for more research and they will be on to the next big African disease.  A lot don’t spend more than 1-2 years in one organisation; they hop from one African country to the next, building their CVs and publishing papers without actually building capacity. Now i know in some countries, ‘capacity building’ is just theoretical...it takes time and commitment from international organisation for this to actually happen. ..sadly...until i experience capacity building in Africa first hand...its still theoretical to me.  Maybe it does happen..but im not one to speak about what i have not experienced. Sure, i see people speak about doing this in papers but from my experience, i have not seen it YET.  I have seen it happening in Thailand...not anywhere in Africa. Seeing is believing...until then.