ICONS OF CHANGE

DIALECTICS OF CHANGE

In the annals of mankind's history, change has been a recurrent decimal with a dialectical twist. On the one side were the custodians of the prevailing order at different epochs in history, while on the other side were the disadvantaged, from among whom the advocates of change emerged. Between the two poles however, history has not failed to produce advocates for one side from the other side- advocates for the sustenance of status quo from the disadvantaged, and advocates for change from the beneficiaries and custodians of the status quo.

VIOLENT CHANGE ICONS

At the heart of the quest for change, there has always been a struggle. Indeed change hardly occurred without a struggle. Struggles for change have often assumed different forms. In this series, we take a cursory look into the annals of history to hear from some of the key figures with whom change has been associated. We shall focus on the different approaches taken, basically violent and non-violent change. When we speak of violent change, names like George Washington and Che Guevara will feature.

'Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all'- Gorge Washington

NON-VIOLENT CHANGE ICONS

Non-violent change has arguably not been too common in the annals of history. This could well be bacause change occcurs everyday in a manner that is not too obvious, so that in a few years, human society is ahead of where it was few years back both for advocates and defenders of the status quo and the advocates for change. When we speak of non-violent change, names like Mother Theresa and Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan feature.

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Advocate of Non-violent Change, contemporary of Ghandi

BETWEEN

There are those who fall to one divide or the other bacause we can argue that they had no options. Martin Luther King Jnr and Mahatma Ghandi for example, could be argued to fall in this category. As we shall examine in the next few days, certain indicators in the lives of these two tend to show a disposition to violence. Other factors however reined-in to make them ultimately otherwise and strongly so.

'I Have a Dream'

We shall now examine two figures who hve left their footprints indellibly on the sans of time. Hardly do you examine a collection of poster pictures at an average stand without coming across the images of Mother Theresa and Che Guevara- two characters we examine next.

Mother Theresa of Calcutta

Ernesto 'Che' guevara