One Minute Sociology

Few days ago, my phone beeped. A credit alert. Arrears from our newly negotiated salary. In this battered economy, any alert should provoke gratitude. Money is money no matter how small. But instead of joy, I became angry. The alert arrived while I was still haunted by what I had witnessed on my way to…

Digital workspaces promise flexibility, efficiency and freedom from the traditional office. Employees can work remotely, collaborate across continents and communicate without sitting in the same room. Yet beneath the convenience of digital work lies an overlooked reality: online workplaces have their own social rules, power structures and unwritten expectations. From WhatsApp groups and Microsoft Teams…

Some years back, I heard about a colleague who was appointed Head of his department. On his very first day in office, he called an emergency meeting and addressed his “subjects.” “There is a new sheriff in town. I expect everybody to fall in line.” Silence filled the room. A few people nodded. Someone said,…

If our knowledge never leaves the campus gates, we are not changing society. We are talking to ourselves. Let’s stop pretending. Many universities in Africa have become less like living centres of inquiry and more like museums where yesterday’s ideas are carefully preserved, defended, and occasionally cited. Inside our university gates, academic boards are busy…