A Dollar Out Of 15 Cents: A Story of Supermodels, Helicopters and the Creative Economy

By Garikai Nhongo 

I was 16 years old when my physics teacher bolted into class and asked,

"Do you know how to make a million dollars?"

No I didn’t! But I wanted to know! My mind raced and my heart beat excitedly in anticipation. I expected that he had created nanotechnology that could heal a disease we had never heard of or perhaps he had come up with a Nobel Prize worthy formula for the earth's rotation. Before you condemn me for being overly excited, let me give you the context. This guy looked like an African Einstein. I can't vouch for the contents of his head but he kept plenty of greying unkempt hair and a 1930s mustache with a dusty lab coat completing the look. When you saw him he always looked like he was thinking of something beyond this world. I always imagined that his mind was like a projector beaming complicated calculus that only he could see. Clearly, I can be forgiven for thinking that the look went hand-in-hand with some higher cognitive ability.

You can imagine my utter disappointment when he offered his answer,

"You plant a million cabbages and sell them at a dollar each."

I was shattered. How could my “Einstein’s” million dollar idea be “cabbages”. Don’t get me wrong, agriculture will always be important. People will always need to eat but his solution was basic and impractical (he hadn’t factored in production costs – duh!) Moreover, it's as creative as shelf packing. A man who was meant to fill our minds with a desire to conquer the unknown wanted me to plant cabbages! As one may reasonably expect, now much older, I am yet to forgive this man.

The State of Traditional Economies 

If you look at it closely, this characterizes most African economies. Perhaps this is why our continent is only beginning to tap into the potential of its natural resources, a full century after the West and the East mastered the art. Despite being integrated into the global economy, possessing knowledge of our desires and needs, and even revamping our education systems, we seem hesitant to push our entrepreneurs to explore uncharted territory. Instead of providing them with the necessary support and resources to cultivate their creativity and turn it into successful enterprises, we simply tell them to stick to the status quo—to "plant cabbages," so to speak. What we truly need to do is to inspire them to dream big and relentlessly pursue those dreams. We should be actively fostering the growth of the creative economy.

Embracing the Creative Economy

Let me elaborate on what I mean by the creative economy. Essentially, it encompasses the socio-economic trade of creativity, knowledge, innovation, and information, transforming these into tangible, problem-solving economic entities and products. To put it simply, it's the ability to create something substantial out of nothing or very little and then having the foresight to monetize it—making a dollar out of 15 cents, if you will. In more academic terms, the creative industries, spanning from advertising to software development, are the lifeblood of this economy. When nurtured effectively, the creative economy becomes a catalyst for structural economic transformation, socio-economic progress, job creation, and innovation, all while promoting social inclusion and sustainable human development.

You see, cabbages aren't just cabbages in my world. They're a metaphor for the mundane, the ordinary—the stuff everyone's been doing forever. It's the classic dilemma: you're either a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or something else with a fancy title. If your job doesn't have a name, does it even count? This existential crisis haunted me for three decades until I finally figured out what I do. Maybe I needed therapy, who knows?

I stumbled into the creative economy by accident, feeling like a square peg in a round hole for most of my life. I'm the guy who played football as a wingback despite being slower than a snail (running-wise, let's be clear), who tackled rugby despite not being built like a tank, who excelled in commercial business and organizational development while scribbling poetry in the margins. Imagine my torment when asked what I wanted to be in school. Everyone else had their sights set on being doctors, lawyers, or accountants, but I knew that wasn't for me. I was expected to fit into a neatly labeled box, and I rebelled. I made stuff up. At one point, I fancied myself a "painting poet," then a supermodel (hey, I won a modeling competition at 13!), and once, much to the dismay of those around me, I wanted to be a cabbage planter. Not a full-fledged farmer, mind you, just cabbages.

Inspiring Creative Minds

The psychologist in me will tell you that my journey was as much a cry for help as it was a pursuit of definition. I spent years trying to fit into a world that insisted on boxing me in, a world where if your job didn't have a name, it didn't exist. That, to me, is the saddest thing. How many young, creative minds have we stifled by convincing them they belong in a box, that they should stay in their lane? We've watched as their potential withered away, as if we were witnessing the slow suicide of their brain cells. But have you ever stopped to think that Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer—all in one? These things don't fit together in today's world, but it's time for Africa to embrace a creative economy, where people need not be pigeonholed.

We must encourage our entrepreneurs and children to open their minds and explore possibilities. Only then can we build more fulfilling enterprises and create new things for the world to admire—and hopefully buy from us. In case you're wondering, I've found my definition. If someone asks me what I do, I simply tell them: I create value.

The Role of Policies and Institutions

The problem goes much deeper at a macroeconomic level. We can't ignore the role that policies and institutions play. Governments should have an unwritten contract with their citizens: if you create something viable and new, and it works, we will help you protect it and ensure you earn handsomely from it. This understanding is fostered by policies and institutions that support those bold enough to venture outside conventional comfort zones.

Take, for example, the story of a 15-year-old student in a Southern African country who built a working rifle for a science fair. He was told it was dangerous and illegal, and he must never do it again. Now, he works for a top arms company in the United States. Or consider the engineer who built a helicopter at home and was threatened with arrest if it rose 10 centimeters from the ground. Today, he consults for an aircraft company in Germany. Then there's the 17-year-old boy in another African country who made a radio using cardboard, wood, wires, and Coca-Cola bottle tops. He's now a lab technician in an underfunded hospital.

It's heart-wrenching to see how we stifle progress and creativity. While we have policies and institutions to support traders, cabbage planters, and those who dig up stuff, we actively suppress creativity. Can we not understand that by embracing creativity, we can achieve so much more? Creativity is an equalizer; a single idea can leapfrog a business or an entire economy 20 or 30 years ahead.

We're quick to tinker on Facebook or Google, forgetting that not so long ago, these were just ideas that seemed implausible. They were born from the crazy imagination of people not so different from you and me. Imagine if the concepts of Facebook and Google had been mooted on this continent. They might never have seen the light of day. But it shouldn't be the case. Let's learn from these examples and encourage ourselves to become so much more.

Conclusion

I wrote this piece to rally support for the misfits—individuals like myself who don't fit into neat, predefined boxes. We're the ones who refuse to be constrained by labels or economic circumstances. Despite the odds stacked against us, we have stories of victory to share, and we need more of those stories. It's time to harness the potential of creative economies. By doing so, we can compete more vigorously in this rapidly advancing world. We must open our minds to new possibilities, to boldly go where no one has gone before. So, let's forget about cabbages and labels. Instead, let's embrace the challenge of creating something extraordinary out of nothing or very little. And if we can't do it ourselves, let's have the courage to support and encourage those who come after us to make a dollar out of 15 cents. It's time to unleash our creative potential and shape a brighter future.