impossible is nothing

That's the slogan for Adidas these days: "impossible is nothing." Since I'm not super into sports brands, I heard that for the first time last week.... and it took me a bit my surprise to be honest. Because in Uganda, a phrase I commonly hear is "it's not possible."

I have countless examples of this.... but I'll give the most recent one I heard of. My boss, Liz, is here from the states and went shopping the in craft market last week for some paper beads. She found a necklace she liked, but it was too short. So naturally, she asked the woman selling it if she had a longer option. The woman adamantly replied that it was not possible to make a necklace like that in a longer fashion. Liz was shocked, and not convinced. She thought that it was completely possible.... and wanted to try. She asked the woman to hand her two of the necklaces, and then instead of clasping them individually, she clasped the pieces together to form a necklace twice as long. All the women in the market were hooting and hawing, as Liz held up the long necklace and showed them all that it was not impossible.

As I said I have had countless examples of this... I've probably heard the word "impossible" almost every day since I arrived here. And I think I've finally come up with an explanation as to why, when I think about what I see most commonly in my interactions here: I have seen that Ugandans are not lacking in creative thinking; that is not the issue when they say that something cannot be done. I think it is that the culture here is incredibly resourceful, but not innovative.

Now, I realize that those words may sound like synonyms, but there is a distinction and I think that is where the explanation lies. Resourcefulness has to do with the ability to deal skillfully in new situations with what you have, while innovation has to do with making something new, changing what is established, or really any type of forward thinking.

I have seen the most resourceful things here... You would not believe what people can do with old bicycle parts, or how much can be piled on top of a boda boda, or how just about anything that the average American would have thrown out can be reused with some creative refurbishing. This way of thinking seems to stop though when you start dealing with things they don't have... For example, making a fabric in a new color, or printing on a different type of material, or accomplishing something by a certain deadline. This creative thinking pattern doesn't seem to transition into forward thinking, and as an American living in this culture, its quite fascinating.

American companies, for example, are a stark contrast... They tell their customers (maybe to a fault), that with them, anything is possible.... or in Adidas' case "impossible is nothing." Our culture prides itself on innovation and thinking up new things. It is from that context that I found myself entering Uganda, and at first was taken aback when people would say they would "try," instead of just saying they would do it. Or saying that something was impossible just because they had never done it before....

The strange thing is that the more people keep telling you something is impossible, the more you start to believe it. My co-worker, Julie, and I have often talked about how easy it would be to just agree and say "you're probably right... it is impossible to get this done here." But then we have to shake ourselves out of it and continue to issue the challenge to try to do something that's never been done before.... and guess what?! Sometimes, it actually happens! Sseko itself is a testament to that.... But it really has been great over the past year to see suppliers and contacts thinking outside the box to get things accomplished. There are definitely some people here in Uganda thinking creatively about the future, and I hope that during my time here that is something I continue to see.