ABOUT YOU AS A FUTURES THINKER / PRACTITIONER

You identify yourself as an African futures thinker or practitioner. How would you describe to the woman or man on the street what it is that you do in this regard?

I look at the current status of Africa and consider what future outcomes these may yield and suggest alternative paths to be pursued for a more positive and desirable future.

How many years have you worked as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

Two years

In which countries or places have you had working experience as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

South Africa

In what languages have you undertaken futures / foresight related work or research?

English

What is it that motivates you to work or participate in the foresight / future studies / related field

Contributing works that may assist policy makers, corporates and NPO’s in scenario planning sessions.

What goal/s would you most like to reach with your work as an African futures thinker / practitioner?

To bring forth meaningful pragmatic steps which would be adopted for the economic sub regional integration of the continent.

Who or what most influenced your thinking as a futures thinker / practitioner, and how?

My mentor Mr S. Mathews. He has a way of idealizing the future and outlining practical steps towards the achievement of these ideals.

What is your main disciplinary background? (i.e. your primary training / qualification)

Political Science

How do other people describe you and how do you describe yourself?

Others describe me as… remarkable

I describe myself as… pragmatic

YOUR PERSPECTIVE

What is one of your favourite quotes about the future?

“Some men see things as they are and say why? I dream of things that never were and say why not.” - Sir George Bernard Shaw

How would you describe the state of African futures thinking right now?

Steady but requires more strengthening.

What is, in your opinion, the main barrier to uptake of futures knowledge by African institutions and organisations?

The lack of statistically trained social scientists means that there is a lack of empirically based research which is more geared towards future forecasting.

If you were to give advice to someone who wants a career in African foresight / future studies, what would you say to him or her?

Read, learn and study independently but make way for imagination too!

What are your recommended readings for every African futures thinker / practitioner?

“Unite or Perish: 50 Years After the Founding of the OAU” and
Afro centric business magazine articles