The 48 Laws of Power

Sqoop May 23, 2009
Book: The 48 Laws of Power
Author: Robert Greene
Publisher: Penguin Books
Available at: Leading Bookshops
Price: Shs35,000
Reviewer: Joshua Masinde
Politicians or leaders who have rooted themselves in power for long are known to be shrewd, charismatic or tyrannical. Ambitious up-coming leaders or politicians have, with wit, cleverness, manipulation and unwavering determination, managed to win over the masses, outshone political incumbents and attained the heights of power.
The endeavour to attain any such power is not a bed of roses. It is riddled with risks and menaces that would scare one to death. Retaining the same power is an uphill task. It’s not easy. But, there’s a precise remedy for those whose penchant for power is an abyss. The hooks and crooks come in handy in The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.
The book is a decisive counsel for those who want power, watch power or want to arm themselves against power. It is a book, whose research has been dug out of works that have existed for as many as 3,000 years, is a precise case of how power has been used, manipulated to win over masses, defeat opposition, and or win over or suppress the enemy.
A peek into some of the laws will present an opportunity for you to “shine”, like most of the African leaders and politicians who have almost outlived their welcome in political dynasties. If you ever wish to attain considerable heights of power, “Never outshine your master,” so goes the first law of power. Make your master feel superior by avoiding situations which will make him feel insecure.
He also cautions anyone who wishes to use power effectively and to their advantage, not to put a lot of trust in their friends. “… They will betray you more quickly, for they are easily aroused to envy.” An enemy has more to prove than a friend, hence he is more loyal.
Greene dissects the laws astutely from the first to the last law, “Assume formlessness.” His research is based on the deep of the hierarchies of power in our society.
This understanding is pegged on more references to historical figures like Otto von Bismarck, King Louis XIV, Talleyrand and others as an illustration of the use of power in real life and time. Each law might seem familiar to anyone reading them.
However, there is more than meets the eye in their understanding and application. Greene argues that learning the craft and art of power, and how to use it at the opportune time is a timely defence mechanism in preventing people from manipulating you.
However weak you might be, mastering such critical laws of power and how best to use them will level you out as astute, charismatic, mischievous and a scheming leader who knows the Achilles heels of his opponents. And for any sort of success in life, the laws will help you attain it.
A graduate of classic studies, Greene gives a balanced diet of power play in different settings, drawn from his research at the art school of Fabrika in Italy in 1995, where he says in the preface, The 48 Laws of Power was born. It was at Fabrika that Greene came in contact with the writings of Niccolo Machiavelli.
He blended this with his readings of the Japanese and Chinese history. He used such literature and classic writings on power for the last 30 centuries from Ancient Asia to contemporary America. Some illustrations are also drawn from Africa, especially on former Ethiopian Emperor Haille Sellasie.

Business boom in roast chicken

The obsession of chicken roasting and consumption at Wandegeya is an abysmal business trend that seems not to have been shaken by the global financial chomp. The business centre, on the periphery of Kampala city, is often times vibrant and jam-packed with customers and revellers from all corners of Kampala, ready to spend their hard earned cash on the readily available roast chicken meat. The virtually 24-hour business zone has never been any dull, as business goes on at full swing, escorted by the reprieve of loud music from the different pubs and restaurants therein.
The chicken vendors have invested in TV chicken (an enclosure in which chicken is roasted electrically, as seen through a glass window), which seem to attract even more customers by the hour. Some posters like ‘Chicken Tonight’ attest more to the vibrancy of the chicken roasting business, though the clients buy the chicken at any time of the day.
And business has been good. One of the chicken vendors confirmed that the chicken business is good because of the constant supply of customers. He claimed he sells over eight roast chickens on a good day, although he purchases at least twenty of them in a week. His main source of supply of the chicken is Makindye, a Kampala suburb. He stated that there seemed to be no sign of the source withering as the supply is always constant.
Responding to a question why it is called TV chicken, a vendor who calls himself David remarked, "Because the chicken keeps rolling inside as you see." This raises the enthusiasm of the customer as they await their order of roast chicken to be ready. Some TV chickens are opaque but they still attract a substantial number of customers. Such novelty, which comes at a cost of between Ushs 700,000 and Ushs 2 million, according to several chicken vendors, rears a rare impulse buying effect on passers-by, as it consequently attracts most of them to buy the roast chicken when the craving strikes. The TV chicken is more than just an electric oven where the chickens keep rolling as they automatically get roasted. This sufficiently suffices for a marketing scheme to catch the eye of any prospective customer and lure them into purchasing the roast chicken.
David gets his supplies from Kalerwe. He acknowledged that on a good day, he buys ten chickens, most of which he roasts and sells by 10pm. At the cost of Ushs 9000, it is not an unfair bargain.
Simon Mubiru, another chicken vendor, has been in the business of chicken roasting for close to three years. He also acknowledged the business is good. Just like his competitors, he has a TV chicken. However, the TV chicken was not working because there was no power. He was instead roasting the chicken on charcoal.
On a good day, especially during the weekends, he claimed he sells up to about fifteen chickens, each costing Ushs 9,000. During the weekdays, he sells between eight to fifteen roast chickens.
Uniquely, much of the chicken roasting business is done by young men. Most of them have TV chickens, which are more efficient and cost effective, while some have charcoal stoves for roasting their chickens. With a TV chicken, it only takes one hour to roast about ten chickens at once, according to Vincent Lukyamuzi, another chicken vendor at Wandegeya.
Many other chicken vendors, who are mostly young men and many of who own TV chickens, get their supplies from such places as Makindye, Kalerwe and Nakasero. Simon Mubiru gets his supplies from Wandegeya, near University Hall at Makerere University.
"There are times when the supplies become scarce but I still wait until there's more," he said as he blew the burning charcoal to catch more fire.
It was dark by the time this writer visited some of the TV chickens. Business was not all that rosy, perhaps until when power would be back. A young man approaches Mubiru's TV chicken and strikes a bargain. The chicken is appealing, but the bargain doesn't seem to augur well. He is willing to buy one piece a price lower than nine thousand, yet the allure of the chicken prompts him to pay for it, anyway.
Roast chicken sales are usually overwhelming whenever the University is open. A big percentage of the clients of the chicken vendors are students from Makerere University, some of who are permanently addicted to the allure of roast chicken. The presence of many clients often gives the chicken vendors sleepless nights conducting their trade.
But, with the global credit crunch still crunching many economies, and wounding others, the chicken business at Wandegeya seems to be firmly girded on its feet as customers are as many as the roast chickens in the TV chickens. The allure for roast chicken meat will keep the chicken vendors in business for long.

Joshua Masinde

No end to learning

Tapiwa Kamuruko was barely 17 years old when he fought in the Zimbabwean guerrilla war against the British colonial establishment in Zimbabwe. That was way back in the late 70s. When Zimbabwe was granted independence and Robert Mugabe’s ZANU/PF won the election in 1980, Tapiwa, together with other guerrilla fighters was disbanded from the force.
His only option was to go back to school. Since then, he has never stopped studying. Even when he has held various posts of both national and international stature, he has not stopped attending school.
“I have tried the delicate balance of working and studying,” he said, adding that his boss was particularly very considerate as he often granted him study leaves.
Courtesy of his unending penchant for learning, the Mass Communication department at Makerere University could be on its way to produce a first international PhD student through him. A Zimbabwean citizen, he currently resides in Germany where he works with the UN Volunteers that is administered by UNPD as the Deputy Chief, Africa region.
He enrolled for an undergraduate degree course in Development Studies at the University of Zimbabwe in 1983, before pursuing a diploma in Mass Communication and another course specialising in communication at the same university. Later, a working stint as the head of a unit in the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications inspired an opportunity for studying in Uganda.
His former Minister at the Ministry of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Dr. Nathan Shamuyarira, gave a mention of Makerere University as a favourite destination of study, despite being an alumnus of Dar-es-Salaam University. The mention of Makerere University first, over Dar University as a hot spot for higher education spurred Tapiwa’s interest in studying at Makerere University.
“Makerere has a historical tradition in higher education,” Tapiwa acknowledged. “Most of our leaders have passed through the university.” Better still, he had the options of undertaking his PhD studies in Australia and the United Kingdom, where he was offered partial scholarships but opted for Makerere University. He pays approximately US $2000 as tuition each academic year.
Despite his decision to pursue his PhD at Makerere University, Mass Communication department, he still considers Zimbabwean universities as some of the best in Africa in terms of teaching and research. Most of them have links to industries. Its graduates are in high demand throughout the world.
He also worked with the National news agencies in Zimbabwe, especially in the research confines. One of the researches he did on the feasibility of community media led to the setting up of various community newspapers. This project, funded by Friedrich Naumann Foundation, was as an appreciation of media in community development.
In the early 90s, he pursued a Masters degree at Leicester University in the United Kingdom on full scholarship. After his second Masters’ degree at the university of Malmo in Sweden in 2001-2002, where he studied Communication for Development, the UNDP, an organisation he works for, sent him to Indonesia for a professional programme he confesses was one of the most difficult during his study epoch. A number of professors from the universities of Harvard, Columbia and London School of Economics tutored them in the course of their study in Indonesia. However, many of the students dropped out of the professional course.
Having been in Uganda for about two years, he thinks of country as one of the promising media environments, compared to many countries including Zimbabwe.
“Am extremely impressed about Uganda,” he said, considering the enormous number of FM and TV stations in the country. “I think Uganda has one of the most promising media environments in Africa,” he added, basing on his comparative media studies in different countries like Zimbabwe, South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda itself.
As the former head of UNDP’s governance project in human rights in Uganda, he says he didn’t face any major challenges. With active participation from local leaders, group volunteers and the community members, he was able to implement civic education programmes on human rights in areas like Karamoja and Bundibugyo.
The research for his PhD thesis pivots on ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and Development, with a focus on Uganda and Zimbabwe. He looks at ICT as the soul of social and economic development in any society. The trend and pattern of its usage and consumption, especially by various sections of the community could be a limelight to the unexplored opportunities that could positively transform community members. In Uganda, he is focusing on Nakaseke Telecentre in Luwero as the case study for his thesis.
Comparatively, but ironically, Zimbabwe with the second highest literacy rate at 90.7% after Tunisia, has an unemployment rate of 80%. However, by the time Tapiwa left Zimbabwe in the early eighties, his country was a beacon of hope and a food basket of Africa. But, the academic, professional and work pursuits summarise him into a well travelled man, locally and internationally.

Joshua Masinde