The Fallacy of Humility

5 downloads 0 Views 691KB Size Report
these landed in Southern Sudan where it transformed some Kenyans into instant 'Billionaires'. In the last .... At about three in the morning, I accidentally pressed.
Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES:

The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect: An Autobiography.

Yusuf Hazara Ebrahim. ISBN: Code: ER122000 Retail Price: Kshs. 1,990/- (US $35)

Ebenergy Enterprises

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 1 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES: BOOK 12: PART 2:

BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: A DILEMMA OF AN ARCHITECT: Autobiography of Y.H. Ebrahim.

Yusuf Hazara Ebrahim. AUTHOR: DEDICATION: My Family: Wife: TO:

AND:

Ebenergy Enterprises

Code: ER122000 ISBN:

Hawa Abdulrasul Achu Ebrahim, Sons: Ebrahim & Imran Y. Ebrahim, Daughter: Hannan Y. Ebrahim. ‘Thank you for your patience and perseverance during this period of turbulence and uncertainty. Also for your faith and belief in the ordained’ My Extended Family: To: My Late Mum: and Late Dad: Mrs. Lillian Lela Ebrahim Orloff. Mr. Ebrahim Atma Singh Hazara Singh. (01/05/1936 to 01/09/2000) (02/01/1934 to 04/06/2004)

Late: Elder Sister Shamim E.A. Abdulkayum, Her Children: Sabrina A.A. Abdulrahim, Abdulkadir Abdulkayum & Siraj Abdulkayum, Surviving Sister: Shama E. Matharu, Her Children: Simran Matharu, Sharman Matharu, Sonan Matharu & Sanny Matharu, Brother: Ayub H. Ebrahim & wife Dolat K.A. Ebrahim, Their Children: Deleila A. Ebrahim, Mariam A. Ebrahim & Arfan A. Ebrahim, Brother: Twalib H. Ebrahim & wife Sultana T. Ebrahim, Their Children: Saadah T. Ebrahim, Mohammed T. Ebrahim & Salmaan T. Ebrahim, Youngest Brother: Nazir H. Ebrahim & wife Zulekha N. Ebrahim, Their Child: Ameera N. Ebrahim. ‘Forgive me for all my trespasses, excesses and for not achieving my potential. For I’m only a mortal and Almighty God knows best for all of us’.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 2 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Yusuf H. Ebrahim can be contacted: Address: Ebenergy Enterprises, Unit 1, Ebrahim House, 4th Avenue Parklands, P.O. Box 34838, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya. Website: www.ebenergy.net or [email protected] Email: [email protected] or [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: +254 020 3751239 Mobile: +254 722513617.

©Yusuf Hazara Ebrahim. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transcribed, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.

Ebenergy Enterprises: Code: ER122000. ISBN: First Published: 2009.

Published and Printed by Ebenergy Enterprises. Disclaimer: Views and opinions in this work are those of the author alone and are NOT shared by the institutions mentioned NOR of the personalities therein. Readers are advised to take due consideration and the risks associated with application OR use of the same, rests solely with the reader. No legal or personal action will be entertained against Ebenergy Enterprises OR the Editor.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 3 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

e-LEARNING LISURE SERIES: BOOK 12: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: PART 2:

THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: A Dilemma of an Architect. (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim).

Authored by:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim, B’Arch. Hons (Nbi), M’Phil. (CANTAB), MAAK (A, ED).

Ebenergy Enterprises Nairobi, Kenya. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 4 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Forward Letter: Ebrahim, Sorry for the delay in providing comments on the draft for this book. It provides good reading to students in regards to planning for the subject, programme and revision for examinations that provides students with great challenges. It is a book that should be recommended to not only students of Architecture but also to students pursuing other disciplines of study. The introduction and preambles section has highlighted the evolution of architectural and building science education system in Kenya. The presentation makes an informed reading. The brief history of building science examination at the Department of Architecture and Building Science, University of Nairobi has covered the development that started in 1978 and is still continuing. Information about General Examination Techniques is well presented, discussed and provides important limits to students. Generally a very innovative idea that should be encouraged and supported. Prof. Washington H.A. Olima, Dean, School of the Built Environment, University of Nairobi.

5th February 2008

Forward By Editor: This will be the third year since commencing my venture into writing and developing softwares. It actually started as a mistake and an attempt to salvage a failed effort on academic lines. In 1987, I had won a Cambridge Commonwealth Trust Award to do a two year masters program at the prestigious University of Cambridge, England and on my return to Kenya, secured a lecturing job with my former university in Nairobi in the department of architecture. Thereafter, I taught for about 6 years and took a break to concentrate on my profession until my eventual return in 2003. It was only logical for me to continue where I had left and to cap it with a doctorate degree. I have been struggling with this idea since than and I need to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Robert Rukwaro for giving me words of encouragement and giving me leads where necessary. Daktari1 1

“Daktari” is a Kiswahili word meaning Doctor and is used to show respect, while “Mwalimu” stands for Teacher. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 5 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Rukwaro as I’m fond of calling him, gave me a page of requirements for writing a research proposal and which could be used as a check-list for the same. Prior to this, I had bounced ideas with other luminaries like Professor Saad Yahya, Professor Jerry Magutu, Professor Ngau and others who I must beg their forgiveness as there are too many to list here, but pray that one day they will feel happy in the thought that they contributed in lighting the heart of a soul in search of academic nourishment. Towards the end of 2004 came with a break in the form of a written proposal entitled “Influence of Heat Island on the Comfort of the Building Users – Case of The City of Nairobi”. In here, I had tried to articulate my ideas of collecting data using initially manual devices and once the philosophy was understood, revert to more sophisticated method as funds become available. Using domestic resources where possible, as these are readily available and funds pose logistic challenges in this part of the world. The use of spreadsheets would help to sequence the data and would be used to link into other computer platforms. This exploration into linkages was taken a step further with attendance of a certificate course into Geographic Information System (GIS) with a colleague, Eliud Liku, at the Department of Survey (UON) in early 2005. My doctorate proposal was widely circulated both locally and internationally. However, it was difficult to read and many couldn’t comprehend its contribution to new knowledge. Little did most know that this was the forerunner in the making of the First Copyright for software in Kenya. On 23rd February 2007, The “Ebenergy© Software” received a moratorium for 10 years exclusive use under Trade Mark Number 60701 and the Attorney General (AG) Chambers would help in translation and administration of the patent. Towards the mid July 2007, Nairobi was hit by a series of tremors and pandemonium broke loose in the Central Business District (CBD). A former student of mine, Millicent Muthoni, was now working for The Standard Newspaper and her colleague, Maore Ithula, rang me for comments as we had earlier met to discuss various topics to be included in The Real Estate Section which features as a pull-out every Thursday. Based on my experience on the construction of two houses in the mid nineties in Buch (Catch Province, India), I suggested ways of dealing with this challenge. The response to this article2 was tremendous and it came as no surprise when Peter Donde of UN HABITAT rang me on behalf of Professor Anna Tibaijuka on the next day to arrange a meeting to discuss ways of cooperation between my parent university and the UN. 2008 was a difficult year and we are just coming out of the doldrums. Let’s see what the future holds in stock for us. Yusuf Ebrahim - August 2009. 2

Refer: The Standard, Real Estate, Thursday 19th July 2007, Page 25 – 27. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 6 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Introduction of this Part by the Editor: e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies and Autobiographies: Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). Is the second part of a series of books dealing with ‘Themes of Living’ or ‘Insights of a Profession’ and is a follow-up of “The Power of Deceit” and again is a collection of brief writings by the author on diverse subjects, strung together using the line of time and a common theme. It is based on the experiences of an architect trying to live and work within the confines of the law in a developing country. Characters and events are real and an attempt is made to depict issues as they affect the author, who has the advantage of viewing the events with hindsight. Thus, it is easy for him to analyze the facts as they stand and make value judgment based on sound research and dictum. He has chosen to group the writings based on short titles or themes and brings in episodes of his life at selected intervals, both as a way of creating drama and also to give relief from otherwise normal life that he lived in. Ones life is touch by many and these form a body of knowledge that one can draw strength at times of need and learn from. Not all of us can be architects, just like not all of us can be lawyers. Yet we can read the goings on of a profession and live our fantasies or work in another career happy in the thought that you could have made a mistake joining that career. A theme helps one to explore the subject in a confined area and one can than zoom in or out as the case maybe. Future revision can be done to keep up with new knowledge and with technology. As the subject matter may be emotional in nature, this will also help in regulating such emotions to suit time and space. Various words are used in the title and the translation from the standard form of English is used here. Words from the local dialect and those from Kiswahili are translated for the user where they are used in the text. This unit has been divided into the following chapters for ease of presentation as follows: Chapter 1:

REALIGNMENT: NUMBERS: KENYAN REVOLUTION: LIFE IS A SONG: IF WISHES COULD BE MADE TANGIBLE:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 7 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2:

INTERNET REVOLUTION: HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM THE INTERNET: BRONKS OR GETTO CULTURE: PRICING OF PRODUCTS:

Chapter 3:

LESSONS FROM THE PAST: MAN CAN NEVER LEARN FROM THE PAST: SOUR TASTE OF DECEIT: NEW MANIFESTATIONS FOR PUBLIC PROTESTS:

Chapter 4:

CAMOUFLAGE: UNHOLY ALLIANCE: CROCODILE TEARS: STUNNED TO STUPOR:

Chapter 5:

DECADENCE: EXCITEMENT OR ANCIETY: SMALL KINDNESS: BROAD DAYLIGHT ROBBERY:

Chapter 6:

CONCEALMENT: CHESS PLAYER: I’M ONLY HUMAN: YUSUF:

Chapter 7:

PRODUCT FATIGUE: FISH OR NETTING: END OF THE LINE: SMOKING DYNAMITE:

Chapter 8:

ACTION AND REACTION: RESTLESSNESS: TICK SMASHER:

Chapter 9:

FINANCIAL TRAPS: BUSINESS METAMORPHOSIS: CREDIT CARDS:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 8 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10:

FAKE GOLD: ASLI WALA NAKHLI: SAND CASTLES:

November 2009.

Yusuf H. Ebrahim.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 9 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES: BOOK 12: PART 2:

BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: A DILEMMA OF AN ARCHITECT: (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim).

CONTENT: Chapter 1:

Chapter 2:

Chapter 3:

Chapter 4:

Chapter 5:

Chapter 6:

Chapter 7:

Page No: REALIGNMENT: NUMBERS: KENYAN REVOLUTION: LIFE IS A SONG: IF WISHES COULD BE MADE TANGIBLE:

13 14 17 19

INTERNET REVOLUTION: HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM THE INTERNET: BRONKS OR GETTO CULTURE: PRICING OF PRODUCTS:

20 24 25

LESSONS FROM THE PAST: MAN CAN NEVER LEARN FROM THE PAST: SOUR TASTE OF DECEIT: NEW MANIFESTATIONS FOR PUBLIC PROTESTS:

26 27 28

CAMOUFLAGE: UNHOLY ALLIANCE: CROCODILE TEARS: STUNNED TO STUPOR:

29 29 31

DECADENCE: EXCITEMENT OR ANCIETY: SMALL KINDNESS: BROAD DAYLIGHT ROBBERY:

33 33 34

CONCEALMENT: CHESS PLAYER: I’M ONLY HUMAN: YUSUF:

37 37 40

PRODUCT FATIGUE: FISH OR NETTING: END OF THE LINE: SMOKING DYNAMITE:

43 44 52

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 10 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 8: ACTION AND REACTION: RESTLESSNESS: 62 TICK SMASHER: 63 Chapter 9:

Chapter 10:

FINANCIAL TRAPS: BUSINESS METAMORPHOSIS: CREDIT CARDS:

66 71

FAKE GOLD: ASLI WALA NAKHLI: SAND CASTLES:

75 78

PRODUCT PRICE GUIDE:

BOOK 12: PART 2: Abstract:

DATED: January 2008:

e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES: Code: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: ER120000 THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: A DILEMMA OF AN ARCHITECT: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). Is the follow up of “The Power of Deceit” where the author revisits his experiences from preapprentice times, through the formal architectural education and professional period and finally his decision to explore the academic world. He uses this opportunity to explain presentation and marketing techniques that were developed across these divides and the mechanisms that helped him develop software and tools that could alleviate some of these challenges faced by professionals and academics in tropical countries.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 11 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES: BOOK 12: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: PART 2:

THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: A Dilemma of an Architect. (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). Chapter 1:

REALIGNMENT:

Authored by:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim, B’Arch. Hons (Nbi), M’Phil. (CANTAB), MAAK (A, ED).

Ebenergy Enterprises Nairobi, Kenya. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 12 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 1:

REALIGNMENT:

1.0 NUMBERS: “Black Sunday”: 30th December 2007 = 301207 = 3127 = 3+1+2+7 = 13 “Imagine someone who had been invited by you to your home and taking your Old Mother and raping her in front of you. What will you do?” A friend, an old man whom you have grown to respect and trust visits you with other elders. You give him food and wash his feet and hands as a sign of respect. You allow him to enter the inner sanctums of your heart, you open yourself. You tell your wife and children that you trust these men with your life. “They cannot harm you” Alas, like a fool you have allowed the devil in the form of the bush fire and his sons, an in your case, the spirit of hell to permeate and inflict death and destruction for you. Shaka Zulu, the famed South African Leader once said that on being asked by his mentor on the future of Zululand on seizing power from his brother on the demise of their father: Shaka:

“Look at all these people, dancing and rejoicing in front of you” “They don’t know what I’m planning for them” Ngomane: “And what does Shaka intend for them?” Shaka: “War!” Ngomane: “What happens after there are no more wars to fight?” Shaka: “I’ll create them!” “Ha, ha, ha, ha ……… ” Scenes of betrayal and stabbing dagger in the back from the past include: Act 1:

Leonardo de Vinci paints Jesus with his disciples sitting in a row facing the painter (sic photographer). They share bread and water. Apparently, Mary Magdalene was also there. Now picture the betrayal of Judas, the washing of hands by Pontus Pilot, Caesar’s role in the acts.

Act 2:

Julius Caesar in ‘Hamlet’ in his chamber. Who stabs him in the back?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 13 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Act 3:

Shaka Zulu has gone mad. His sister organizes with Ngomane and others to stab him at once in the back.

Act 4:

Abu Lahab was Prophet Mohammed’s uncle, yet he organizes for the 12 tribes of Arabia to slab the prophet all at once by in vain. “Man plans, God plans and God is the wiser”

Act 5:

Dark Chocolate: BBC: A boy meets you at a crossroad and starts talking in tongues in the Cocoa-rich West African Forests. His lips move but no words come out. His eyes face a distant past and images flash through like ghosts in the mist. “What is he saying?” “What has frightened him to numbness?”

Black Sunday 13: The day an old man raped my mother and expected me to applaud.

KENYAN REVOLUTION: After the problems associated with the disputed elections of 2007, many citizens were displaced3 and forced to live in camps and labeled Internally Displaced People (IDP). Almost two years on, many still live in these ‘Shanties’ for fear of their lives if they were to return to their homes and the lack of a structured government system for intervention. Hopelessness has set in and many have resorted to receiving ‘Handouts’ from the remaining few and trying the utmost to survive international aid bodies. In a recent news clip, one such IDP was narrating his ordeal and commented that the only option he felt for any meaningful change in standards of living, would be for a “Revolution similar to the one of the French” He spoke good English and seemingly said this without much malice or wishful thinking. If any other tribe, except for the Kikuyu, had made such a statement, I would have brushed it aside with the comment “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride” But this IDP was a 3

Mild word for forced out of their homes. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 14 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Kikuyu and coming from the same tribe as the seating president, I feel the government needs to take it seriously. In African Customs, it is said that when three people make the same statement, and especially from different backgrounds and status, the statement usually comes to pass. Another Kikuyu gentleman, this time a professional in Nairobi made the same statement as if talking in tandem. We have noticed a marked rise in clandestine activity from vigilante and other illegal groups like ‘Mungiki’ and ‘Kamjeshi’. These mass risings cannot be coincidental or brushed aside as ‘Cries of sour grapes” Citizens have already grouped themselves into the ‘Haves’ and the ‘Have-nots’. The Haves are on the top of the ‘Titanic’ if you like, while the Have-nots are in the belly of the ship. The Haves receive water using ‘Boozers’ or tankers hired from corrupt water officials at exorbitant rates, while the remaining people are starving. Most of the rivers are drying up and climate change is having the greatest negative impact in this part of the world. It is said that about ten million people, almost a third of Kenya’s population are facing starvation. Sixty percent of the population is living below the poverty line. Seventy percent of the urban population lives in inhuman conditions with less than a dollar a day, which translates to about Kenya Shillings Seventy per day. In the last disputed elections of 2007, the politicians made many promises to secure their positions. Promises such as free secondary and tertiary education4, reduced food prices, reduction of unemployment rates, increased housing stock etc. The contrary is happening and this is leaving a large group of the citizens in total disillusionment and many are resorting to crime and taking the law into their own hands. Politicians answer every question with diversionary tactics ranging from throwing many ‘Herrings in the air’ to “Wasn’t me” methods. Guerrilla Warfare seems to be in the making. Everyday is the same. The news media is flooded with gruesome episodes of murder and organized crime. If it is not the killing of the ‘Haves’, it is the killing of the personnel protecting the same. These ‘Armed Forces’ retaliate and it becomes difficult to decipher who is telling the truth and who is ‘Fooling Who?’ In this confusion, politicians eliminate each other and the ‘Have-nots’ are left with a bitter taste of deceit and mesmerize. Everyone worth his pinch of salt wants to leave the country, but where to?

4

Basic education was subsidized in the 2002 elections. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 15 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

In another news clip, the audience was asked by the commentator whether he or she would participate in defending Kenya’s Territorial Border against outside aggression from a neighboring country. On of the audience said that he would not. He went further to ask if there was such an entity as ‘Kenya’. The Government Spokesman had coined a phrase for marketing Kenya. It read: “Najivunia kuwa Mkenya” Read: “I’m proud to be Kenyan”. He tried in vain to stick these to as many car-bumpers with this slogan. Many Kenyans prefer the slogan: “Navumilia kuwa Mkenya” Read: “I tolerate being Kenyan”. Suffice to say, all the countries that Kenyans traditionally migrated to are facing a myriad of their own challenges. Many of our problems are NOT of our making and we are just victims or circumstances. In South Africa, the locals revolted against migrants primarily Kenyan, because they felt that we are over qualified and taking all the good jobs. Apparently, Kenyans are hardworking and enterprising, which in the eyes of the locals is a sin. In other countries, such as America, these economies are in shambles and are facing numerous social and economic issues and cannot afford to receive any more migrants. American like the stubborn child, created havoc in the world, together with the other delinquent Russia. The two cause mayhem in a world which was at peace with itself in the name of the ‘Cold War’ and arms trading. Like a big vacuum-cleaner, they sucked dry the developing world of all their resources and left them to root or die. They are now paying for their sins and bad-behavior. Just like the proverbial ‘Ant’, they built colonies and ravaged the environment. Eventually the same environment is striking back and just like the predictions in holy scripture, nature has its way of self-balancing. Old players are eliminated and new ones are sustained. Yesterday we heard of ‘New Kids on the Block’, represented by the Japanese, Hong Kong and Korea. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 16 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Today it is India and China. Tommorrow? Could it be us? Going by the afore said, I really doubt it!

LIFE IS A SONG: Teddy Pendergrass once sung a song entitled: “Life is a song worth singing, why don’t you, sing it?” Himself now deceased, sang while living, but has since stopped singing. Life is a ‘Play’, while death is the curtains coming down. Men are the ‘Players’ and God Almighty and his Angels are the audience. We are there and created for God’s Amusement. Michael Jackson’s curtain has come down on 25th June 2009. We have to continue with our roles in the play to complete our own stories. Doctor Ramadhan Marjan, a gynecologist based in Mombasa, some 450 kilometers from Nairobi, sent a message that a friend, Imam Siraj had died on 28th June 2009. Siraj was a Chaplin5 and this friendship dates back to the time of Dr. Marjan and me in high school in the late seventies. By now you must be asking yourself that there are no other topics or news coming from Kenya except deaths and misfortunes? Well, there are also weddings. Yesterday was the last day of celebrations of one of Hawa’s extended cousins. Apparently, the celebrations continued for about a week and many relatives came from all over the world to show solidarity and union. Hawa could not attend and of course, I was to blame, and these made her feel dejected and left out. The family of the bride and groom would not make it easier and I believe will retaliate sometime in the future. Coming back to books and the mode of presentation acceptable or expected by the digital age.

5

In Kenya, the armed forces don’t recognize the title of ‘Imam’ and refer to all men of god as ‘Chaplains’. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 17 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

I’m currently marking the end of year examination papers for four units6 spread over three departments in the university for the academic year 2008/2009. I had started marking the ‘Real Estate and Construction Management Paper’ in ‘Building Science’ during the semester, but had stopped due to the teaching and lecturing load. I have now started on the ‘Structures Paper’ in the ‘School of Arts and Design’ and God Willing, hope to start the remaining two papers from my home department7 in due course. The ‘Structures Unit’ was new to me and the last time I had encountered it was when Engineer and Architect Mehraz Ehsani had taught it to me in the second year of the architecture degree program in 1982. Thus in my excitement and material build-up over the years, I produced over 30 books8 for this one unit alone. I’m seating in the Living Room on this fine Sunday afternoon9 with Hannan on her cell-phone reading her text or digital messages on the ‘Face-book’ or ‘Mig’. I’m tackling a paper by a student who had attempted a question related to ‘Structural Principles’ applied to an elective and there were five to choose from. He or she10 had chosen a ‘Ladies High Heel Shoe’ for the elective and went on in a passionate way to analyze the same. So I ask Hannan whether ‘People of Age’ read books anymore and whether a digital format would be better. I go further to tell her the number of books I have authored or edited under the Ebenergy Enterprises Banner for this one unit and she responds: “There are 30 books for this unit and you are expecting students to read!” Suffice to say, I need to change the system in line with new ‘Locus Standing’ and ‘Modus Operendi’ of the generation. She goes further: “You need to post your notes on Face-book for a wider coverage. Even Obama11 does so”

6

One unit was a carry forward from the previous semester. Building Science 2 & 3, Department of Architecture and Building Science, University of Nairobi. 8 And I haven’t even started on Software and e-Learning Products as yet. 9 We don’t have power or water and seemed like a good way of utilizing the time which would otherwise have been useless. 10 Candidates only write their Index Numbers for security and impartiality reasons. 11 President Mbarak Obama of the United States of America. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 18 of 92 7

e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Senator Arnold Schwarzenegger12r of California State (USA) wants to turn his state into a digital one in a few years. All schools would use this format and he believes that this would help the US Economy to turn around from its misfortunes and mismanagement. Our own government also ‘Dreams’ of similar sentiments in the ‘Vision 2030’ and meeting the ‘Millennium Objectives’ set and agreed with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). In a country where the communication platform is unavailable to the majority of its citizens, leaves much to be desired and a sour taste in the empty stomach of the masses. Its like the jokes appearing in the local media, where the ‘Fat Cats’ are seating at the high table and preaching to skinny or barely living souls or the Hyena preaching to the Chicken on the subject of morality and good governance. It would be interesting to take a glimpse into the lives of a typical Chinese or Indian Family at this time of flourishing and prior to it and compare it with ours.

IF WISHES COULD BE MADE TANGIBLE: The first few years of primary school have been blanked off from my memory bank. I remember wanting to be alone and enjoying chasing butterflies in the fields of City Primary School (Ngara, Nairobi). The company bus, provided by the brewery company where my father worked as a mechanic, would arrive as early as 5.00 AM at the usual station near our house at Ruaraka, about 30 kilometers from the school. It was painted white with red numbers, branded in the colors of the brew, ‘Pilsner’ with a head of a Lion as a symbol. Later models would reflect other brands. Everything else seems to be hazy and wish I could go back to those ‘Good Old Days’.

12

Made famous in the movie ‘Terminator’. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 19 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 2:

INTERNET REVOLUTION:

2.0 HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM THE INTERNET: This seems to be the current question on the mind of any designer or developer or producer. Piracy, corruption and contraventions are eating into the coffers of film producers, software designers and generally any developer. Microsoft with its ‘Vista’ operating system tried to produce a product with ‘Self Regulating Mechanism’, but has had challenges in the industry and many bottlenecks or ‘Incompatibility’ with other platforms and softwares. Thus they have had to replace it with another. Another issue facing the designers is the sustainability of our energy reserves. Fossil fuels are running out and its impact on other issues such as climate change and urbanization has had adverse effect on employment, financial stability crisis and economic independence of a nation. We are seeing wars based on ‘Fuel Rights’ in countries like Iraq, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Yemen etc. These wars will get more intense as the appetite for such rights increase from countries such as India and China. There seems to be a shift of power away from countries like Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong etc which are facing a recession, high unemployment and falling markets due to over-dependence on traditional modes of operations. The former developed countries like America and the European Union are just coming out or recovering from an economic crisis, which saw many financial institutions and related industries, crush and being sold off or nationalized. Household names like Leaman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Finnie Mae and Freddie Mac, all got sold to entities like ‘Barclays’. Consumerism, democracy and a general ‘Extravagant Lifestyle’, falling moral values, ‘No Foresight’, bad habits, laziness, ‘Greed’, all contributed to this decadence. America is no more and the future looks bleak indeed. Other wars are coming into play in the name of ‘Water and Food Wars’. Even in Kenya, these are unfolding at a rapid rate. Just a few years back, we had water flowing from our household taps, inflation was at a decent level, unemployment and housing were manageable. Currently, the scenario is quite the opposite and statistics are as listed before. It is difficult to appreciate how a father or mother of say three children with an extended family of say another 3 or 4 in the rural areas, can live on just Kenya Shillings Seventy (Kshs. 70/- or US $ 1) per day or Two Thousand One Hundred (Kshs. 2,100/-) per calendar month. Most ‘Household _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 20 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Helps’ earn say Kshs. 5,000/- per month in urban areas with an additional benefits like housing. The official government minimum salary is Kshs. 10,000/-, but few if any, including the government officials, or the government itself follow such legislation due to the economic crunch. Incomes are erratic and long term prospects are non-existent. The government has started a massive housing initiative at slums like Kibera, Majengo and eventually, Mathare. But with such low incomes, it is difficult to see a future where these units will remain with the income bracket envisaged. Security concerns are abound. The other day, I received an anonymous call from a male caller saying: “Your life is in danger! I have been paid to kill you” The first time he called on my mobile phone, I was frantically working on my laptop and on picking the phone, he hung up or the connection went died. This is not unusual as the local service providers, seems to have over-provided lines and is having difficulties sustaining themselves and their products in a competitive market. Cut throat competition and unregulated monopolies and corruption will eventually force-out some industry players. After about five minutes, he rang again, this time using another line or service provider. I was on my way to pick the kids from school as I remember the time as being 3.45 PM. My wife usually accompanies me on such errands as it gives us time to ‘Join Heads’ or consult on numerous issues confronting the family. I gave her the phone as I was just about to embark on the journey, presumably for her to take a message. Interesting how different people respond to telephone calls. I believe that it says much about your character and attitudes to life. I usually respond with a “Hello” and “Ebrahim” and sometimes, “Ebrahim on the line, how can I help you?” I believe that all my calls must receive the formality they deserve and having worked for ‘The British’ for over a decade, mastered their ways and aspirations. My wife is different. Hers is based on suspicion and being careful. Before we got married, she worked for an ‘Asian’ transporter with regular dealings with government officials and corrupt personalities. She responds usually with a ‘Silence’ and awaits your next move. So I hear her response to this dreadful call, which she later narrates verbatim: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 21 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Habari. Habari yako?” Read: “How are you?” “Nzuri” Read: “Good” She cuts all conversations short. Now that he believes that he has got your attention and that you were not the police or other security enforcing arm of the government, he drops the bomb. My wife reacts in disbelief with the words: “What are you saying; do you know who I’m?” “Ndiyo, nimetumwa kukuua” Read: “Yes, I have been sent to kill you” She repeats her statement while shivering as the phone goes dead. We talk about this incidence until we reach the school compound where, while waiting in the parking lot, start to analyze each event and try to logically rationalize it without success. I initially thought that we shouldn’t tell the kids, but Hawa is relentless and eventually has her way. Thinking in hindsight, these must have been a ‘Bored Prisoner’ at Kamiti Prison, in cohorts with the prison warder’s intent to solicit money or ransoms from fearful citizens. With the advent of ‘Digital Money Transfers’ by mobile phones, these fraudsters have over the years devised countless mechanisms for fleecing people of money and other valuables. Instead of these institutions reforming these ‘Criminals’, it is training them to become ‘Hardcore and Ruthless Gangsters’. Over the next week or so, he tries to send me “Please Call Me” messages using two recognizable lines. In our neighboring country, Tanzania, it is virtuous for everyone including the Police to be humble. When you commit an offence, the Officer would say: “Naoba niku shike” Read: “I beg for your permission to arrest you” Reminds me of my short stint in Cambridge (UK), where the Police Officer would end every statement with: “And have a nice day” In Kenya, these gangsters want you to ring them back so that they can ‘Threaten your life’. As a policy, I never ring back as it is obvious that whatever you want me to ring back for is NOT of paramount importance. I must be crazy to call back to a fraudster. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 22 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Getting ‘Easy Money’ seems to be the cliché. All skilled laborers have either left the country for greener pastures abroad or left this life courtesy of the AIDS Scourge or Heart Attacks. A few years back, many Kenyans living abroad would dream of a time when they would return to their ‘Mother Country’ to retire and live out their remaining days in the ‘Slow Lane’ and be buried here. Likewise, just after independence, my father had the option taking up of either of the citizenships. He chose to be ‘Kenyan’ and I believe that on his visit to England in the late eighties, his ideas were confirmed to be correct. Mzee is dead and gone now, but if he had lived longer, I wonder if he would have had any after thoughts? Retirement is tantamount to death in this country. More than half of the retirees from Kenya Breweries Ltd (KBL), where Mzee had worked for over forty years, died within the first year after retirement and it is difficult to make any meaningful sense of the use of their proceeds or retirement benefits. What do we do with the ‘Internet’ is the question? Down loads are difficult to monitor and the whole system is cumbersome and expensive to run. It is not a core business for universities and has a life of its own. Students have a short-attention lifespan and reading becomes a chore. Browsing and flushing sites like ‘Tweeter’ and ‘Face-book’ seems to be the norm. Email is slow, well rapidly joining faxes and photocopies in the junk yard of evolution. Multi-media handsets now provide all your audio-visual needs in a single stance. ‘e-Learning’ is still a distant vision away, while teleconferencing is the preserve of media houses and large corporations. The fiber-optic subterranean cable has arrived at the Coastal City of Mombasa, with pledges of improving and enriching the lives of the inhabitants. We will see if this meets our expectation. If history is anything to go by, it will face stiff resistance from the status quo as the providers need to recoup their investment using the only tool they are familiar with, ‘Monopolies’ and ‘Restrictive Practices’. “Open the Market” you say. “If only wishes were horses” I observe.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 23 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

BRONKS OR GETTO CULTURE: It is amazing how negative influences travels or spreads to remote areas of the world or economy. President Mbarak Obama of the USA is facing stiff resistance on his education and healthcare policies. On 10th September 2009, he tried talking to the youth in his country about staying in school and how the economic crisis can only be addressed through research and development, good business practice and working together with other ‘Like-minded’ world economies. ‘Skilling’ the population and living within your means seems to be the catch phrases. Cut down on your energy requirements, rationalize or re-engineer work ethics, human relations, ecological balance and reduction of unabated consumption. Reevaluating our priorities and value judgment, asset creation and investment based on national targets as opposed to speculation and ‘Bottom Line’ Ideologies. Re-looking at our institutions and making ‘Goals’ that are achievable with medium term benefits rather than ‘Mirages’ with long term aspirations. In Kenya, the pinnacle of this disillusionment is yet to be reached. Negativities are still in transformation and social ills symptoms still mild and lukewarm. Politicians still push the ‘Dirt under the Rag’ and the ‘Paupers’ still hero-worship the ‘God Fathers’. Discussions still use ‘Horse Trading’ tactics and ‘Holder of the key to the chest of gold, is king’. Such a fallacy and travesty.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 24 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

PRICING OF PRODUCTS: What is the right price for a product to increase circulation and thereby turnover, at the same time, making it sustainable in regards to Research and Development (R+D), Community Participation and Infrastructural Input? Prior to this, microeconomics was governed by the ‘Laws of Demand and Supply’ to decide ‘Price’ and assumes ‘Other Things Being Equal’ to function adequately. ‘Demand’ assumes that the students and readers in the case of publishing houses have the ‘Cash’ and are willing to part with it to purchase that product. It further assumes ‘Static’ or ‘Steady State Conditions’ or sultry ecoweather to achieve directed intensions. Supply on the other hand, assumes a ready source and ‘Non-mutation’ tendencies of the product. ‘Price’ is in recognizable or acceptable denomination of exchange. In today’s academic life, conditions are very different from this idealism. Demand is fragmented and ‘Biased’ full of nuances and qualified. Supply is erratic and bog-down in bureaucracies. Infrastructure is weak and corrupt. Price faces challenges from new platforms and perceptions. Everyone is in a race to ‘No mans land’ and patience and hard work is seen as a vice. Reading is a luxury that youth can least afford and time too precious to be wasted on academic discourse. R+D: “What is that?” ‘Literature Review’ is history for the shelves to collect dust and ‘Hypothesis’ is day-dreaming. ‘Conclusion’ is racist and ‘Recommendation’ for the ‘Future to see’. Everything is politicized including food and sustenance. And ‘man eat man’ or ‘God Fatherism’ the way to the ‘Haves Club’. Tears are for the weak and emotions for the sentimentalist. Personalizing issues has no business in our lives and society is dead and buried. Technology is in flux and environment is ‘Survival for the Cruelest’. Culture and ethics will meet its home in archives and communication restricted to remote.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 25 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 3:

LESSONS FROM THE PAST:

3.0 MAN CAN NEVER LEARN FROM THE PAST: Yesterday evening it was shown on the CNN and BBC World Reports, images of European Farmers spraying milk13 on a farm as a move to voice their anger against the prevalent low milk prices. Some of them, very few we must add gave away free milk to consumers in defiance. “Kufru” would the Arab say in response and “Shame to them” would we the dying of hunger say from here. During the last Ramadhan fasting month, some charitable organizations from Saudi Arabia, donated a shipload of dates for free distribution to the needy. Some rich merchants in Kenya resented this as it would cause the price of dates to plummet and petitioned or lobbied the government which eventually enforced a levy and restricted the import. The other day, the Minister of Agriculture, de-gazetted maize and other cereals and allowed some ‘Selected Few’ to remove ‘Strategic Reserves’ of the commodity for supposedly ‘Free Distribution’ and eventually ‘Subsidized’ distribution to the dying. Unfortunately, virtually all these landed in Southern Sudan where it transformed some Kenyans into instant ‘Billionaires’. In the last budget in July of 2009, the Minister of Finance directed all officials who are entitled to receive a government car to be given one with a maximum capacity of 1800 cc and is facing stiff resistance from the parliamentarians. Kenya is a net importer of virtually everything necessary for its development. From the food its citizens eat to the fuels and machinery for its industry. All its skilled labor is leaving the country and wealth is amassed in a very few who waste it in conspicuous consumption. The general populace is disillusioned and the investment climate is hostile to say the least. Unemployment is at record highs and inflation turning into hyper and malignant. The prognosis is one of ‘Death is Eminent’ and response ‘Cover up’. “Vision 2030 and the Millennium Goals are just dreams and will remain that way”.

13

About 3 million litres of milk. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 26 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

SOUR TASTE OF DECEIT: Perhaps the most annoying part about deceit is the taste it leaves in your mouth. Someone lies to you about the death of his ‘Near One’ and you contribute towards the ‘Burial Kitty’ and finding out of the lie, you feel ‘Cheated’. It is a strange feeling to be found with your “Pants Down” or your guards down. We have learned the hard way not to trust anyone and have built a ‘Force Field’ around ourselves and our properties. Entry is by ‘Trust only’ and so if an enemy penetrates this divide, we are venerable and fight back with all our might. It is only natural that we react in this way to aggression; force meets force; an eye for an eye; you give as much as you take and for every action there is the reaction. But does it always have to be this way? One possible way is to neutralize the acid with a basic. Put your car into neutral, non-action, stationary, life-less and wait for a prompt and your aggressor’s next move. Bruce Lee perfected this art in his ‘Kung fu’ techniques, which are different from other marshal arts like ‘Karate’ or ‘Judo’. Mahatma Gandhi taught about ‘Non-violence’ even though he met his end through this same non-sensible violence. Suggestions please at this stage.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 27 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

NEW MANIFESTATIONS FOR PUBLIC PROTESTS: In his last year in public office, President George Bush of the United States of America (USA) received a rude farewell from an Iraqi Journalist in Baghdad. First was the journalist’s right shoe and next followed his left. While Bush was literally getting the boot, President Mbarak Obama received “You Lie” when he made his proposal for changes in healthcare reforms at the Senate from a Republican Representative. In both cases, the perpetrators received numerous repercussions, but it shows how people are not willing to be deceived by their leaders and especially in silence. At home, a human rights proponent disrupted a Labor Day or was it Madaraka Day Speech by President Mwai Kibaki for trying to ‘gag’ the media. In Iran, a public rally organized by the government to protest the Israeli occupation of Palestine by President Ahmadinajjad, stating that the ‘Holocaust was an illusion’, turned into an antigovernment protest on the disputed elections. Compare these new maneuvers to the old days of coups and assassinations and marvel at the ingenuity of the human mind. Interesting! Interesting in deed.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 28 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 4:

CAMOUFLAGE:

4.0 UNHOLY ALLIANCE: “Let’s make a blood pact between ourselves and at the stake of death, not to divulge the same to anyone outside this circle. Agreed? Agreed” “The agreement is to kill our parents so that they don’t become a burden to us later in life. Agreed? Agreed” You agree with your soul mate to do this and carryout your side of the bargain without delay or remorse. You than approach your partner in crime to see if see has done the same, but shame on you, she has broken the pact and on your inquisition, she reacts violently with the outburst: “Do you think that I’m stupid as you to kill my beloved parents? Be gone with you and please don’t bring up this issue again” Initially, this catches you unawares and you are shocked beyond belief, but later you realize that what she has said makes sense. So next time you do anything, think first of the repercussions before execution.

CROCODILE TEARS: You catch someone stealing from you and he or she starts to cry and shed tears. Praying for your mercy and imploring you: “Don’t fear me, fear God!” Science has over the years tried in vain to erase the word ‘God’ from its vocabulary. Try including this word in any sentence of a scientific or academic nature and face the wrath of the cliché. Yet it would be impossible for a Psychiatrist to explain the presented phenomenon of deceit and denial and transfer of shame and common decency, without the inclusion of the ‘G’ Word. Without this word, how can we explain our relationships? Why would ‘I’ want to share ‘My’ hard earned resources with ‘You’? Where will this Word ‘Us’ feature in any discussion? Now try _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 29 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

‘Them’! There would only be ‘Mine’ and mine alone! For how long would this scenario persist without burn-out or chaos? Let’s explore other words like ‘Ethics’ or ‘Morality’, if you don’t like ‘Religious’ or ‘Sentimental’. It is morally wrong to chase a drunken son or delinquent daughter, but is it right for the same to ‘Expect’ you to carry them and the other ‘Innocent Souls’ they bring into life? What about the other shady characters associated with the drunkenness or delinquency? Or the negative effects it would have on the ‘Good Work’ you have been trying to develop. Again, I repeat and will continue this reminder to the end of my days that I have yet to see a case where a single ‘Good Apple’ would transform a bunch of ‘Bad’ into good. We are told of the case of one man making a difference to a nation. The work of the late Reverent Martin Luther King Junior springs to mind, plus others like him. Yet there are isolated cases in a land now filled with election malpractices and international contraventions. If Christ were to be arisen now, he would be shocked at the extent of decadence and hatred even amongst the House of David and the Children of Abraham. We eat to our fill, while millions die daily from the pangs of hunger and the politician in his naivety believes that ‘Words’ are the ultimate solution. You play ‘Hide and Seek’ with death and distraction with impunity. As a family habit, we normally watch the 7.00 Evening News together in the Sitting Room. The broadcast of 27th September 2009, had an incident in Isiolo in North-eastern Kenya, about the ongoing dry-spell and the ‘Water Wars’ associated with it. It showed an incident when the Red Cross Organization brought a water tanker to this area and was organizing distribution for both human and animal nourishment. Obviously the supply was insufficient and the situation was getting out of hand and both the Red Cross and Local Administration could not cope or contain it. Women and children were fighting amongst themselves and if I had to choose a word to describe this event, perhaps it would be ‘Desperate’ for lack of another. Even the animals had joined in the fray, with donkeys biting each other for the drops left on the ground from the dripping hose pipe. At this juncture, Hawa takes the opportunity to educate the kids on the lesson of patience and human welfare. She narrates a ‘Hadith’ or Sayings of the Prophet, during the Prophet’s time about a similar situation where water was being distributed to the starving. Three such ‘Souls’ were presented with the last cup of water and each requested for the next in line to ‘Taste’ or drink first before himself. The presenter did this in tandem to the third, but alas, on reaching the last in line, _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 30 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

he was already dead. Now he back-tracked to the next in line, but this time, the second had died and also the first. Such generosity does not exit today. Would I do this myself? I think if it was only myself, without my family, I ‘MIGHT’ do it, however with my family in the picture, I ‘DOUBT’ it and even then who I’m I to judge a hypothetical situation.

STUNNED TO STUPOR: If you exert pressure on any part of your body, after sometime that part of the body will be numbed. Likewise for the brain. After many misfortunes and other mental pressures, the brain goes to sleep and you loose sight of reality. You go into a half-death and look like a ‘Zombie’. ‘Negativity’ has this effect on humans and the only way of counteracting it is by neutralizing it with ‘Positives’. Do the opposite, break away, come out of that ‘Cocoon’. In design and creativity, many authors and inventors complain of a disease referred to as “Writer’s Blackout” or “Mental Blockage”. You hear of statements or stories like “I worked all night, but I just stared at a blank piece of paper”. Sometimes it can be manifested with a ‘Cry of Pain’ and than ‘Silence’. While preparing for my Master of Philosophy Dissertation, I worked for about three months on the document on a computer in my college at Cambridge (UK). At about three in the morning, I accidentally pressed the ‘DELETE’ Command on my file. This document was required to be sent to the printers and binders by 8.00 AM and submitted for examination, latest by noon of the same day. The screen went blank and I couldn’t believe my eyes. The Computer Room that I was working in was full to the brim as would be expected at this time of examinations. Everyone stopped typing and looked at the direction of my cry. Time stood still for a few seconds while I struggled to catch my breath. I shook my head and just walled off. I went into the secured park next to my college and walked aimlessly round and round in circles as I weighed my options and calculated the potential risks involved. At long last, I sat down on the _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 31 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

manicured lawn, I can’t remember where, but regained my consciousness and decided that I would recover as much as I could and if that was not enough, than so be it. This line of action had saved me prior to now at the undergraduate level and this warmed my stomach and stopped the snakes playing havoc with my intestines and power of thinking or reasoning. “At least I have the back-ups” I reassured myself and helped to crouch my waving body. It did not matter that they were weeks old and all efforts until now were in vain. “I can do this and start with that”. Things started to look brighter and positivism set-in. “what about the 8.00 AM Deadline for the binding and printing?” In my shock and recovery, about two hours had elapsed and this left me with about three hours for typing a document of almost 200 pages, editing it and adding the analyses, conclusion and add-ons. “At least I won’t get a ‘Zero’” or penalties for absenteeism. “Yes, I can do this” I went to my Hostel Room and lay down on the bed for about fifteen minutes, washed my face and combed my hair. I amazingly felt refreshed and made my way back to the Computer Room. The cry and my documents at this particular workstation helped to reserve the space and I immediately went to work. The work was spectacular and I lived another day to tell this tale.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 32 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5:

DECADENCE:

5.0 EXCITEMENT OR ANCIETY: Hawa asked what the difference between the two is. ‘Excitement’ is the state when a ‘Lover’ sees his beloved one after a long spell of absence while ‘Anxiety’ is when one hold a ‘Gun’ to your head while you calculate the odds of him pulling the trigger. Now find out the difference between ‘Sentiment’ and ‘Sensible’ before you proceed with reading this book. I’ll leave you with this thought while you do a literature search: “I’ll die at my prescribed time and not before than”

SMALL KINDNESS: “A Kenyan’s value has now been reduced to that of a dog” I say “That is why I haven’t even shaved today”. “Why?” asks Doctor Robert Rukwaro in a look of surprise. “Well, if a British National can afford to take his dog to a vet for a periodical medical check-up, but a Kenyan Citizen in the North-eastern Province is allowed to die of starvation and lack of water, which would you give a greater value?” was my answer. “Yes, the other day people were fighting over some spilled water” He eases into the discussion. “Even the donkeys joined in the fray over some drips of the precious commodity” I was just making small talk as we waited for the meeting to start. I concluded my testimony and tried to concentrate at the task at hand. We were sitting in a boardroom from 10.00 AM and had been waiting for a quorum for more than thirty minutes. This is another disease attributed to ‘African Custom’ of not keeping time, one that the rest of the world would find hard to understand or swallow.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 33 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

You call a meeting at noon or even a tender opening and the participants arrive at least forty five minutes late. The interesting twist to the saga is that the ‘Late Comer’ would expect the meeting to ‘Restart’ for his benefit or convenience and in some cases, extend to accommodate his views. “Mister Chairman, I apologize for coming late” He or she would start “But I was held up” for so and so reason. For heaven’s sake, why didn’t you leave early to take into account of the anticipated delay. At least have the decency to keep quite and when the meeting ends, leave discretely like a dog with its tail between its legs to show your shame. You don’t advertise you illegitimacy. Now wait until others come even later than the late comer. He or she would raise hell in the ensuing discussions within or without the items on the agenda. You may even assume if you weren’t privy to his sin, that he was the cleanest, most punctual of the bunch. Seriously, how are we expected to meet targets when the most basic of requirements of time are not even met? How are we hoping to organize a complex institutions or even the government and to tackle the myriad of challenges that life is ultimately bound to throw at us at this rate. The meeting starts sluggishly as it may after the Chairman frantically rings or perhaps the word is ‘Begs’ for the same. “I’m on the way” would be the response of the late comers. “He’s on his way and I’m expecting ‘so and so’ to make the quorum” reassures the Chairman. Some participants leave the room and the rest have taken every conceivable seating posture on the ill-designed seats. Let’s tackle another episode in our daily lives. You organize an event such as your wedding. Your Printers take due diligence to ensure that the event date, content, venue and time are described as necessary for everyone’s convenience and programming. You address the invitations to ‘Mr. and Mrs.’ so and so, and end with the abbreviation ‘RSVP’14. You have counted the invited and your tally is say 200. The Hotel and Event Planner have arranged for this figure, plus say ten percent for contingency. Guess what? You are likely to receive more than 500 people with any confirmations.

BROAD DAYLIGHT ROBBERY: “Mjomba, why don’t you get the NCC Inspector to organize for the drawings, the approval and he can even give you a contractor for your proposed flats?” This is my usual answer nowadays to

14

Regrets Send via Post. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 34 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

inquiries for architectural services where I feel the Nairobi City Council (NCC) would be an ‘Obstacle’ to development. “But you are my son and you understand the process. Please, my son, assist me with some plans and follow-up with the approvals” he pleads. ‘Mjomba’ is a Kiswahili word for ‘Uncle’ and is used as a sign of respect more than an indication of relationship. “These people have been disturbing me for ‘Kitu-kidogo’ and they don’t even have any respect or shame that they are hurting a ‘Mzee’”. ‘Kitu-kidogo’ implying ‘Something Small’ and is a misnomer as over the years, the word has lost its meaning and should be replaced with ‘Kitu-kikubwa’ or ‘Something Big’, something extremely ‘Big’. In order to cut short or end this line of discussions, I’ve devised another ‘Tool’ versatile enough to deal with diverse opportunities. “As you know, I’m at the university and I’m concentrating on my doctorate and academic work. I don’t draw anymore” I apply my ‘Tool’. “But I’m sure that you have not forgotten to draw” “Ata pakaa mzee hunwa maziwa” Read: “Even old cats drink milk”. “I’ve left drawing altogether. I’ve not touched my laptop for years” I lie. “I’m now in softwares and books and the two don’t go together” and end by changing the subject as I know that this conversation would lead to heart-ache and pain, countless days of sleepless nights. My late mother once advised me against taking on consultancy work which would lead to my early grave. Sometimes, saying ‘No’ would not suffice. This usually happens when you are dealing with ‘Merchants’ cum ‘Businessmen’ who can sell ice to the Eskimo or sand to the Arab. You wiggle this way and that way, you apply our ‘Universal Tool’ without success and like being in the grip of a Python or even in the crutches of its teeth, there is only one way, inwards towards its stomach. So here, I’ve devised another tool, one I can sincerely acknowledge other authors. Contractors will never say ‘No’ to any tender invitations or return a ‘Nil’ Offer, unless it is absolutely beneficial to them to do so. Usually they will gauge their portfolio options and depending on their workload, make a value judgment on this opportunity. During ‘Lean Times’, they would offer a ‘Low Tender’ to capture some work for their permanent staff, however, during times of plenty, they would be ‘Arrogant’ and place a ‘Very High Tender’ and wait your next move. “I charged you ‘This’ and I need a deposit of ‘That’ before touching any paper” I would say.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 35 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“But that is too much Ebrahim. Other architects would charge much less and a deposit is out-ofthe-question as you know that I have the money and I can’t run away with your money”. Really, you want me to trust you and the other way around is sacrilegious? You must be joking and I’m too old to be played for a fool or a fiddle. One of the ways of fighting deceit is to kill you slowly with kindness. “Usually I charge higher than that, but because I know you and that is why I have given you this ‘Special Fee’ for you and you alone. Please don’t tell others as they will complain” this is my standard statement to all and sundry. “No, Ebrahim! You need to give me a discount” he haggles with ‘Ebrahim the Potato Seller’. Well, I’m not a ‘Monkey’ and I certainly not going to offer by services for ‘Peanuts’. “Why are you so expensive and arrogant?” he adds “Many architects would jump at the opportunity to work with me”. Well, I’m not ‘Everybody’ and definitely not in the group of ‘Many’. Being unique and Alhamdullilah, not desperate for work, I say “Pay my price and let me do a good job. I don’t play hanky panky and actually I can give you a list of other architects who would jump at this opportunity but not I”. I wish him well on his endeavors and take my leave. Arrogance? No, just plain ‘Survival for the fittest’ or ‘Jungle Warfare’. Look after yourself first before looking after the affairs of others and mind your back as ‘Humility’ has no business in this ‘Business’.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 36 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6:

CONCEALMENT:

6.0 CHESS PLAYER: I’ve never learned to play Chess or Poker, perhaps its due to the Islamic belief that it is ‘Haram’ or sinful to do so. Yet I love the moves and especially when you ‘Check’ and ‘Mare’, whatever that means? After looking at a Filipino Soap-opera, “The Promise” on the cable network, I exclaimed to Hawa “God is still old fashioned and uses a type-writer to write the script of life. He should upgrade to a computer and edit the bleeps in our lives and scroll to the end”. It is absurd that, history continuously and boringly repeats itself. A mother teaches her son bad habits. She harbors a fugitive and he end is inevitable. Twists and turns are a fallacy and authors need to stretch their imaginations to convince the audience that ‘Fiction’ is actually ‘Reality’. “He doesn’t even use ‘Animation’ or ‘Graphics’ to change outcome”. You wake-up, you get conned, and you die. You deceive; you are deceived, no in betweens, plain and simple. Chivalry or humility died with the prophets and ‘Truth’ is a word which only appears in the dictionary of ‘Classical English’. You hold your ‘Cards’ close to your chest. Your moves must be calculated and decisive. You don’t waste time and watch your opponents ‘Eyes’. Don’t blink or give away your thoughts. Deception at it best. ‘Haram’, no it should be made ‘Mandatory’ or ‘Farath’.

I’M ONLY HUMAN: Expression is a medium for testing public opinion. “What do you think about ‘This’ or ‘That’ work of art or science?” If you answer truthfully without malice or a hidden agenda, it will be a form of feedback for the author or inventor. But life is not as simple as that. Can I tell you my thoughts without the ‘Fear’ of repercussions or want of a favor? Will you accept the ‘Opinion’ at its worth or face value. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 37 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

I think, if you are also truthful to yourself, as an author, you will have the ‘Humility’ and ‘Wisdom’ to consider diverse directions and understand that ‘Inspiration’ comes from a ‘Universal Order’ and is not of a personal nature. Likewise, you should have the ‘Foresight’ to identify collaborations and mutual benefits, a kind of ‘Win-win’ Situation and the hind-sight of learning from history, from bread-crumbs from the high-table of luminaries. ‘Loose-loose’ or ‘Loose-win’ Scenarios is good for no-one. Humans come in different ‘Packages’. Some are meticulous, but are derelict in self-esteem. They will look at only the ‘Full Stops’ and ‘Comers’ and insist on their opinions carrying the day. Some will take a ‘Broad Overview’ of the whole before ‘Zooming in’ into the parts. These are useful in identifying the ‘Research Area’ and ‘Hypothesis’. Terms of Reference and Analysis are easy for them. What they lack in ‘Inspiration’ they make up in ‘Perspirations’ as some would conclude. We also have the ‘Know-it-all’, yet will ‘Have-none-of-it’. They waste time sitting in ‘Cloud 9’, with very little time on earth. Many other manifestations exist, the description and justification will give ample research material for a Psychologist to work on. Mine is only to state that all these testing tools are useful to me in my venture for expression. Need for ‘Expression’ comes from unexpected venues or quarters. A seed or cell has no option under the right germination conditions, but to sprout or germinate. It has no choice and its manifestation takes on a prescribed form based on its ingrained genes. You can never grow ‘Wheat’ and get ‘Chuff’. Impossible! It does not follow the laws of nature and short of mutation or bio-temper, “Expectation will meet Destiny”. A cell of ‘Hatred or Dismay’ will lead to mayhem, destruction and darkness. Likewise for ‘Hope and Enlightenment’ to light and prosperity. A seed in the heart of a child will grow into a man and nations of color or lack of it as the case may be. ‘Expression’ can come in drizzles or torrents. It can be a single soul preaching in an open park or it could be a mass-movement in the form of a revolution like an ‘Idea come its time’. An expression like “We Can Do It” or “I have a Dream” can move mountains and stumbling blocks. The latter are wasted and transformed like the smooth pebbles in a flowing river or Isenberg in the wind. I was once asked by a student in a class I was lecturing on Earthquake Resistant Buildings: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 38 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Mwalimu, can one design a building totally resistant to all types of quakes?” My answer referred to scripture that talked ‘Armageddon’ or ‘Day or Judgment’ when the earth would be leveled like a neatly made hotel bed. A revolution is like this! You start afresh and the prefix ‘Re’ is added to other words to create new ones. This affects every facet of the life of man. In management and engineering, we have ‘Re-engineer- or ‘Re-make’ etc. Personal transformation is also possible. You hear: “Did you see ‘so and so’, he has really changed. I couldn’t believe my eyes and if someone had told me of this transformation, I would have said that he was dreaming”. Very simple things can make a big difference. Words like ‘Make Over’ and ‘Image Setters’ spring to mind. Public opinion can make or break a perfectly good product. Culture and phobias are critical to the understanding of public relation and marketing. My Interior Design Consultancy firm was exploring a new direction of product development and packaging. We had commissioned an artist to develop a series of paintings, furniture and fittings for primarily office usage and applications. He developed a ‘Table’ in the form of a ‘Chameleon’. In Europe the reptile is associated with good luck and an expression of love and affection, while in African Culture, Snakes and such like creatures are a connotation of sin and the devil. He told me that this table had earlier been marketed without success and with good reason. Suffice to say, we couldn’t use if ourselves. This form of expression is meant for the museum and art galleries. Others expressions maybe of a utilitarian or functional nature, take the ‘Container’ of a beverage like tea or a soft drink. Other times, it could be transformational in nature with exploration of space, material or fabrication or marketing in mind.

All in all, we need to appreciate our physical and mental limitations at a particular moment in time and space. After all, we are only human.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 39 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

YUSUF: If anyone else had written about this incident, I would have commented that it is a duplicate of the story of Prophet Yusuf and that of his father Prophet Ayub and his brothers. But it is not and it is not a figment of an author’s imagination. It really happened and the characters did exist. Mzee Ebrahim had two sisters and took the helm of the family after his father’s death. He had a brother, but he died in his youth before my time. It is interesting that sibling rivalry and jostling for the love of parent’s especially surviving ones can lead to complicated relationships. After marriage, these negativities reach sword-like heights and can culminate in fatalities. I’m privy to some of these manifestations through the eyes of my mother as Mzee didn’t talk much about his past. He saw these as a waste of valuable invention time and not befitting his macho Sikh mentality. Where action was required, he spared little brain power in execution. Yet hatred and deceit grew in the hearts of his sisters, their husbands and eventually their children. Later on in life, I heard of a case where the husband of his sister conspired with the wife to criminally implicate Mzee. Many such incidences like these left Mzee and his wife with little positive impression of the intension of people around them. Yet they were his relations and such people have ways of playing tricks with your heart and mind. They would shed tears of blood and swear to everything holy that they have learned their lesson and would even at the threat of death, never repeat the crime. Woo unto you if you believe them, let alone give them your back as you will receive a blade as the proverbial Swahili saying: “Hisani ya punda ni matekee” Read: “A donkey will only give you a kick as thanks”. Ironically, it is logical to break a chain at its weakest link. In order to get to a father, it is easier to do so through the son. Mzee’s younger sister had many boys but only one girl. The cunning nature of the mother and the ruthlessness of the father had breed Hyenas and Vultures for children. In the mid sixties, Mzee had been in employment at Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL), Ruaraka for about six years. I had just started my schooling and we had a courtesy call from Mzee’s nephews. This was strange but I believe it was a working day and Mum was alone at home. We had just been given a Junior Staff Quarter at the lower end of the camp. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 40 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

The brewery was located at the other end, next to the Thika Nairobi Highway. A vehicular entrance lead directly to the front end which later turned to be the service entry. Behind this were various cadres of staff quarters in receding order culminating to our house. A service ring road ran on the periphery and lead to the dumping yards and sewerage plant next to the Ruaka River. The river was crystal clear and birds used to sing before the dumping exercise got out-of-hand. The smelly sewer combined with the rot and burning damps of waste hops resulted in a distinctive cloud and stench. It was here where the Hyenas brought the Chicken to slaughter. We took the service ring road and broke out into a route rarely taken by many. Only the Caretaker grew vegetables here and perhaps had some bee-hives in the huge eucalyptus trees. Under one such hive, the Hyenas made a statement to the effect that “Honey was only available in hives”. Thereafter followed a barrage of stones and other missiles aimed at the prize. At age six, it all seemed amusing to me and I was champing with excitement under the tree at the thought of that sweet taste until the whole hive landed on my body. Everyone ran for cover and returned calmly at home. They continued with the chatter and whatever else they had been doing prior to our entourage. Mother was always tired and preoccupied with three other children, the youngest was only four at this time. With a house always full to the brim with extended family and her dwindling health, one missing boy passed unnoticed for hours. The beehive landed on me and for a while I stood or sat in bemusement, until the first sting. It pears through your nervous system and reflex action takes course. I took to my heels in the opposite direction to the one we had arrived from. By this time the whole African Breed had declared total war on this intruder. They covered my whole body from head to toe. It did not matter what part was covered or not. They entered every crevice and my head received the biggest and most savage blows. I ran or walked, turning ever so soften to swing my arms in retaliation and kicking from side to side in futility. The world went round and round, and honestly I felt like I was in a black tunnel with a flash light at the end of it. At this time, there was no more pain, not thought, just the light. It looked so innocent and pleasurable. I walked towards it. Suddenly a flash and an image of a man covered in a white Scholl approached me running. I started to come back to my senses. He wore a white shirt which is what I had seen with a dark trouser. He pulled on the shirt without unbuttoning, covered me with it and lifting me in one hip.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 41 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Running all the while and taking the route with maximum cover to confuse the attackers. He followed the route next to the sewer and ultimately our home. It was presumably in the afternoon as Mzee was at home by now. He took the boy with rolling eyes and rushed me to hospital. I may have been hospitalized or I may not have been. It could have been the company clinic or it could have been a witch-doctors den. Your guess is as good as mine. Nobody talked about this incident again. The most I could get from my enquiries was that for many days later, my mum would comb bee-nails from my hair and that whenever I saw a ‘Fly’, I would run for cover.

Who was this man who saved my life? Nobody knows! I believe he was an angel.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 42 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 7:

PRODUCT FATIGUE:

7.0 FISH OR NETTING: Some wise man must have said: “Give a man a fish and you have fed him for a day, but teach him how to fish and you have fed him for eternity”. Another: “Educate a ‘Man’ and you have educated and individual, while educate a ‘Woman’ and you have educated a nation”. Apt are these sayings to man of vision and with intent of philanthropic work. In a land full of the starving, it is surprising to see food being given without any thought for the future sustenance and empowerment. We destroy our habitat and seem to be impervious to lessons from the past. Universal education is at the core of all my activities, starting from myself and those near me and outwards towards the general. There are many forms of education as elicited by scripture and apprenticeship or heritage. Just like medicine, some are good for a particular need or want, while others are for the greater good. Some you store for the future, while others are for current consumption. Some as seeds while others may be for art or science alone. The healing power of education can be illustrated by an example of a ‘Miser’. He hoards wealth as a ‘Mshiiri’ or Merchant from Hadramuth in Yemen. On his demise, his illiterate and arrogant children will squander everything. History bears testimony to countless companies which flourished at the time of the founders and dwindled with his death. Narrators of the prophet’s Hadith refer to five elements which persist after the deceased passes over. Virtually all of these are some how related to ‘Education15’ and its use.

15

Refer to ‘Sadaqa-tul-jaria’ or offerings for the dead. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 43 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Let the wise choose the ‘Net’ and the starving the ‘Fish’. But remember just like ‘Investment’ requires pain-staking ‘Savings’, which is long-term storage of seeds and assets. ‘Fish’ will perish while the ‘Net’ will speak and fend for longer for the fisherman. “Look after your net and fishing grounds for a prosperous tomorrow”.

END OF THE LINE: In response to the episode of Prophet Ebrahim and his son Ismail, after the Islamic Holiday of Iddul-haj, millions of Muslims worldwide, make sacrifices of animals especially a ram to commemorate the occasion. Years back, I used to conduct the sacrifice as shown by my father’s friend, Ali Mzee. However in recent times, I have developed a phobia as I wouldn’t consume the flesh of animals I have personally slaughtered. Perhaps, it is related to old age as my father had the same symptoms in later years. Nowadays, we pay charitable organizations to conduct the same on our behalf and it has the added advantage as the flesh is collected and distributed to the needy. It is an interesting experience slaughtering an animal. Mzee Ali ushered me into the fold of slaughterers and showed me the signs and parts of the animal that are good or poisonous. Thereafter he demonstrated the skinning, removal of internal organs and delicately dismantling of the body parts. Being a traditionalist, he prepared the Kidneys and Liver for himself and made ‘Muthura16’, and African or should I say Kikuyu Version of the ‘Sausage’ and marinated soup. You clean the space for the exercise. Bring the slaughter to ‘Kibla’ or facing Mecca. Prepare the ‘Knife’ to meet stringent specification and provide the last drink for the goat or sheep before holding the hind legs with your right and the front legs with your left. A helper holds down the rear side of the animal and you place your right knee on the front shoulder of the animal. Your left hand holds the mouth and your right hand places the knife aiming to make a single cut between the ears. “It will cut right through the neck” say Ali Mzee. Anatomically, it cuts through between the Atlas and Axis and you sever the Spine. Don’t remove the knife from the cut as it stops the gashing of blood and allows you to make any adjustments to complete the task. 16

He would use the animal’s intestines and stuffed it with chopped pieces of meat with seasonings and accompaniments. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 44 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

When you first hold the ear of the animal to give it water and hold it down, it is warm and ‘Lifelike’. The eyes speak to you and the movements are reminiscent to a ‘Soul’ and ‘Life’. On application of the cut, it seems like the life drains from the animal. It stops struggling and stretches, culminating with the hoofs. The heat leaves the body with the life and after pouring some water at hand on the cut, you can let it relax and the exercise is complete. Now the eyes are dull and ‘Life-less’. The temperature gradually decreases and the blood clots. I have on numerous occasions tried in vain to imagine this same process in a genocide or murder. It is said that: “You must never look your victims in the eyes as he will haunt your to your grave”. I thank God Almighty for the ‘Mercy of Peace’ and the ‘Profession’ of any other except the ‘Army’ or ‘Police’, as I don’t know what I would do if I was called by my country or religion to defend the same especially in relation to the spilling of human blood. When you conduct the cut, you proclaim: “Bismillahi arrahmanni arraheem. Allahu Akbar” Read: “In the name of God, most gracious, most merciful. God is great”. It seems that this proclamation helps you to focus on the task at hand and in the execution of the order. Just like “Fire” in the firing squad in the army or “On your marks, get set and go” for the athlete. In the case of the sacrifice, it is incumbent on me just like it was for Prophet Abraham17 as a religious duty to perform the same, and likewise for the case of defending my country against aggression. It would be more difficult in cases of dubious or borderline nature. Man has been blessed with an intellect and one needs to use it to decipher right from wrong in regard to violent deaths. Natural calamities and accidental deaths tend to be emotional and irrational, but I will attempt to analyze in an attempt to appreciate ‘Deadly Deception’. My Mother’s death was unexpected as opposed to that of Mzee. 17

Muslims refer to him as Ebrahim while the Christian and Jews refer him as Abraham. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 45 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

I had gone early to bed that night of 31st July 2000 or early morning of Friday 1st September. At about 3.00 AM, I received a call from my younger brother. Hawa heard the cell-phone ringing and woke me up. Sleep is a from of ‘Half Death’ according to Islamic Teachings, in fact, you make your last proclamation just like you would do if you were given a chance like the ‘Ram’ or sheep: “Accept my soul oh God, as I come to you in this Small Death. If I should die while I’m asleep, accept me as a Muslim. To you do I come and to you is my final return”. “Bismillahi arrahmanni arrahheem. Allahu Akbar”. You end by reciting three times the ‘Khalima’: “Ashadu Allah illaha illalahu wa ashadu anna muhammadan abduhu wa rasulli” Read: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah and that Mohammed is his Prophet and Messenger”. It is so integral in my daily rituals and routine that even when I’m dead-tired, my mind has been programmed to perform it through reflex action. These form the basic ingredients to a Muslim’s Life. Just like salt and water, it is difficult to think of any dish absent or deficient of the two. If I were naughty and you were sincere in reading the ‘Khalima’, you can consider yourself a ‘Muslim’ by now as this is the only recitation and condition for you to ‘Revert’ to Islam. Revert or ‘Convert’ you ask? Yes, the Muslims believe that every soul submits itself to God Almighty, which is the central pillar of Islam and children are as such born as Muslims. Parents convert them into the other religions, or so we believe. Similarly when you wake up: “Thank you Oh God for returning my soul to me after that Small Death. To you did I come and to you is my final return” and again, you recite the ‘Khalima’ three times. Hawa had initially mumbled about the ringing of the phone and that I should wake up. Getting no response from my side, she turns and lifts her head and covering her mouth with her right hand while yawning, she increases the pressure by gently tapping my right shoulder as I had turned my back to her. I give out a mourn but the response is still lukewarm for her liking. “Wake up oh! Yusuf, the phone is ringing”. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 46 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

With the birth of the children and the pressures of seeking a decent level of living, the two of us had over the years specialized various family chores. I sleep on time and keep the family vehicle moving. Hawa looks after the welfare, nourishment, health and education. She has developed this load to military precision in her actions and commands. The next wake-up call would not be an invitation. Reminds me of an architect friend of American origin married to a Kikuyu lady. The first call is usually as stated ‘Just a call’. The second is followed by some droplets of water, which she keeps close at hand. Don’t wait for the third and final call as it is usually followed by a bucket full of water enough to prepare you for work. Just remove whatever you are wearing and put on your office attire. My friend had a coach in his office for him to complete the remainder of the sleep. Everyone at the office knew this and didn’t bother to greet him on entrance or to offer an wake-up drink. These could be offered after an hour or so and the whole office schedule was programmed with this in mind. In my case, the third is followed with a shake and remembering my friend, I usually am wide awake by now. I have an array of items on my side of the bed, including a lamp shade for late night reading, an alarm clock which has been broken on numerous occasions and an old timer radio for wake-up calls as the older makes of mobiles didn’t have clocks and other necessary paraphernalia. In the first year of our marriage, I had bought the complete furniture of Scandinavian pressed gluelaminated timber from Economic Housing Group (EHG). My bedside cabinet has space for books of diverse interest and a drawer which I use as a medicine chest for emergencies and normal usage. I believe the phone was erroneously placed here and so the ringing sounded like my half-complete dream without knowing that my nightmare was about to begin. A week earlier, my mother had visited our office at Kyuna, Nairobi and prior to that, I had moved into a flat having spent close to a decade as an extended family. About three years of having just a room and sharing other amenities at the newly acquired house on Fourth Avenue, Parklands, had its toll on Hawa and myself, and we had secured a flat about two hundred metres from the rest of the family. I believe that I was the central pillar for my mother. Ever since I had come back from Cambridge (UK) in the late eighties and Mzee’s retirement from KBL, I had helped the family to make critical decisions. But I was having numerous challenges of my own, too numerous to recall. My world was in shambles, my vision blurred and not in a position to lead or follow.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 47 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

To be fair on myself, I had the mistaken belief that all was well and catered for to the best of my abilities. Having supplied both Hawa and Mum with an array of credit cards and fuel replenishments, I was mistaken to think that they were in a ‘Jovial Atmosphere’ and that I could concentrate on the other myriad of challenges demanding for my attention. “Boy was I wrong!” I had arrived early on that Thursday, knowing very well that the next week was ‘Pay Day’ for the staff and I had to look for close to Kenya Shillings One and a Half Million for the month. This excluded Kenya Shillings Four Hundred and Fifty Thousand which was due in quarterly rent and the bank overdraft was over the second limit of Four Million that my Co-director had extended. The Office Manger had listed, diligently the list of creditors, but couldn’t list the debtors as planning in Kenya is impossible. You literally have to beg your clients to pay you and many-atimes you receive only insults for your wages. My head felt like lead and my movements, if you had seen me, resembled a drunkard even though neither drinking nor smoking form a part of my bad-habits. Staff have over the years noticed this transformation and made a point of avoiding mat at this time of the month for fear of instant dismissal or other repercussions. A moving time-bomb if you like! The office was set in a lavish European House in the lofty area of Nairobi, set in about five acres of neatly trimmed gardens. The amenities and bedrooms were converted into drawing offices and other staff facilities on the ground floor with management offices on the first floor. We had made other changes to complete our resume as a World Class Architectural Franchise. Our staff and consultants numbered over fifty persons and I was head of the Kenyan Operations. Mother arrived quietly at the Reception and was told to take a seat without anyone bothering to inform me of her arrival. Perhaps it did not matter as described earlier. I’m not sure for how long she set there as she pondered on her predicament. Eunice, my Personal Assistant and ‘God-sent Helper’, was making her rounds and saw Mum or was it Lois our Office Matriarch? Really, I can’t remember! “Mama, why are you sitting there alone? Did you want to see Ebrahim?” Mum replied in the affirmative but added: “Niliambiwa kwamba yuko bizi na sikutaka kumsumbua” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 48 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Read: “I was told that he was busy and I didn’t want to disturb him”. Years of broken dreams and wasted energies has had its toll on her demeanor and she was a shadow of the person her friends had grown to respect and cherish, as in her prime, she resembled a ‘Queen’. This is no idle fantasy or a figment of a mother’s image in the eyes of a son. She had an aura all of her own, almost omnipotent and definitely omnipresent, like a Swan she would gracefully float or glide into a room and the image strengthened by the array of perfumes made a grand entrance, a privilege to behold. She was now like a beggar! One reduced by her children and grand children to fend and beg, not for herself or her husband, but for others ungrateful enough to do it themselves. Why does she do this? Like a donkey carrying a heavy burden with ‘No Thank You’ and with suicidal tendencies. I could never understand it and still don’t! With children of my own and looking forward to grand children, my mother’s words ring in my ears: “You will understand one day!” “Hapana. Hauwezi kuka hapa. Twende juu” Read: “No, you can’t sit here, let’s go and see him”. My office was large with spacious furniture and cupboards for ample storage and even a wash-hand basin and mirror for my personal use. Arrangement was such that I could see everything at vantage point and my back was never to anyone for fear of an assault or being caught unawares. They walk in and after some greetings, I concentrate to offer her the easy seat and I draw near on my leather swivel executive chair. She refuses an offer of coffee or tea and gets down to business. “Sijui nitasema nini. Nyumbani sina ata chakula leo. Nipatie chochote!” Read: “I’m not sure how to start this discussion. At home there is no food. Give me whatever you have for me to do the needful”. There is a long silence, which looked like eternity, before I spoke or even made any motions. Remember the credit cards and the allowances? I struggle aside the comatose and sit up straight, while I stared at her for a while. It is said that at your time of death, your whole world passes through your eyes in a flash. That’s how I felt at that instance. Years back I had been diagnosed with low blood sugar and acute ulcers. This was strange as mother was the opposite. I felt like I would faint and only let out a cry: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 49 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“I only have 500/- in my pocket which will not be enough for the family” I had made reference to a taboo subject on brothers and sisters who were not meeting their obligations, plus the added burden of the grand children. She repeated her plea: “Nipatie hiyo. Itatosha!” Read: “Give me that as I will manage it” We had a telepathic way of communication and didn’t need to say the obvious. To drive my point home, I took another line of attack. I decided to approach the problem by addressing the cause, my younger brother and his litter. I started by saying that everyone must carry their own crosses and herself and Mzee should be allowed to retire in peace. This assault broke the Camel’s Back. She shed a single tear and made the last words that I would her from her before walking out: “Wa wache!” Read: “Leave them!” That evening or the next, I visited her but she had turned literally black and taken the fetal position on the verandah seat to her house. No words were exchanged. Years back, when the taboo subject had caused a scene, I had sort elderly intervention to restore sanity. Around her house grew wild ‘Jasmine’ and were in full blossom. She made a garland of this sweet fragrance and sent it to Hawa on the next day. Hawa is a sucker for putting the same on her hair and her mother would even shower these and ‘Mlangi langi’ and ‘Kilua’ on our matrimonial bed at the Changamwe House, Mombasa. It works wonders and like the Bees, Jasmine now has been added on my list of phobias as it conjures up images of death. “Wake up Yusuf” I could faintly remember. My younger brother was on the line and said: “Mambo sii nzuri” Read: “Things are not good” “Mum has been taken to Avenue Hospital. Please come urgently”. I confirmed that I would take about twenty minutes as the said hospital was near to the flat where I resided. Hanging up and informing Hawa on the proceeding, we prepared for the journey. I put on _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 50 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

a ‘Red Sweat Suit’ that Mother had bought and can’t remember what Hawa did. Picked my cellphone and my wallet and made movement to the Toyota Surf. Hawa joined me after she had made provisions for those left behind. We arrived at the hospital and went to the Enquiries. We were informed that the family were on the floor above and found them in a crowd at the entrance of a ward. I could hear frantic efforts inside and finally heard the ‘Bleep of the Flat Line’. Instantly I knew that she was gone and didn’t need any confirmation from the doctor concerned. Until than, both my maternal and paternal grand mothers had died and we had made funeral arrangements as required by Islamic Sharia. It had not dawned on me that The Matriarch could die. It only happened to ‘Others’ not ‘Us’. My world revolved around her pleasure and keeping away from what displeased her. So when the doctor walked through the double doors and asked who the head of the family was, everyone looked at me as Mzee had not accompanied Mum to the hospital and for good reasons. Everyone else made a semi-circle behind me like ‘Shaka Zulu Attack Maneuver’. “I’m sorry! We tried all we could but we could not revive her. Please accept our condolences” And after pressing my left shoulder, he went back into the ward to clean things up. For a while I stared at him in disbelief. Instantaneously, I draw the crowd to a verandah next door where I made a ‘Cry’ that sounded something between that of a child and a wounded animal. We embraced each other and can’t remember saying: “Innalaha wa inna illehi rajiun” Read: “From Him did we come and to Him is our ultimate return” Well I’m saying it now and I plead guilty of Temporary Insanity. What followed was a series of well calculated and choreographed manoeuvres, one that our mother had taught us over the years. Everyone knew exactly what to do and the order it had to follow. The acts were so seamless that it was astonishing to behold. We cleared the hospital bill and rang my wife’s cousin, Doctor Mohammed Gaman for assistance. We would later be informed that such events seriously affected the kind doctor and we try to avoid loading him with our problems. We agreed that we had to device a strategy in passing the message to Mzee at home and that under Muslim Custom, burial would be done the same day. Thus we requested that her body should not be _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 51 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

put into the mortuary. Her girls went into the ward and started preparing the body while the boys returned home to do the needful. By this time it was five in the morning and being a Friday, it would be good for the burial to happen the same day. But extended relations and friends had to be informed and the funeral paraphernalia needed to be addressed. What followed was surreal and not of much consequence or interest. I never got to say ‘Good-bye’ to my Mum as opposed to Mzee.

SMOKING DYNAMITE: At the height of my career, I wanted to join the club of cigar smokers and sort audience with Mzee for his advice. I love the smell of Cuban Tobacco and other incense. Not that cheap tobacco being sold in the kiosks which I abhor and couldn’t understand why anyone in his right mind would draw smoke from ‘Burning Paper’. “Don’t do it my son” Said Mzee. For an ardent smoker to say this sounded contradictory and baffling to say the least. “Why not?” I asked as I wasn’t convinced. “You will regret for all your life” He added “Look at me; I could leave everything else but not ‘My Embassy’”. Referring to a popular brand of a cigarette and alluding to the fact that in his youth he smoked, drank and chewed virtually anything and everything, but had to stop on account of his children. This was Mzee at his best. So head strong and disciplined. I believe that given the opportunity and the right circumstance, he could do anything humanly possible once he put his mind to it. Mum was a politician and knew just the right words to say to get the desired effect. When chewing ‘Miraa’ got out-of-hand, she would say: “Why don’t you share the Miraa with the kids so you all look like a bunch of goats?” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 52 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Mzee would curse under his breath and instantly stop. Unfortunately, her death seems to have had the most devastating effect on him and their eldest daughter. They lost the will to live and longed to join her. On the morning of her death, Mzee woke-up and went outside to take a ‘Smoke’ and prepare his precious ‘Cup of Tea’ as was his regular custom. He reached out for his Packet of Embassy and drew out a cigarette and delicately placed it between his lips. He lifted his gas lighter and struck it to produce a flame. Drawing ever so close, he drew in the air and was about to lit it, when he realized that something was amiss? Over the years, the smoke had choked Mum and the coughing that followed threatened to cause an early heart attack. Coupled with the news of numerous people burning to death in their beds, had made the two to agree on a ‘Truce’. Mzee would smoke three cigarettes at most per day to accompany meals and it would be done in the outdoors. Now that she was gone, why did he have to go outside to Smoke? The whole compound woke up to his cries and lamentations; we thought that we would have to make additional funeral preparations for another soul. “What is it” Everyone asked in unison. “Why I’m I alive” He kept repeating. “It would have been better if God had taken me instead of her”. This would be his cry till that last Friday of his life. For a while he took recluse in ‘Prayers’. Communal Prayers were a must for him and than his ‘Old Buddies’ started to pay him regular visits. By now the majority of his age-mates were just names on the ‘Death Register’, but than a long-lost nephew started spending time with him. “You don’t see Vultures circling the Sky for nothing” is a popular saying. Weekend excursions become the norm and some blood returned to his face. A frown developed into a grin and eventually a smile. His daughter’s death past unnoticed and I had to drag him to the hospital on Friday late evening to ‘Pass His Last Respects’. Things started to take a turn for the worst when the coughing increased and his behavior became erratic. He lost control of his dignity _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 53 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

and his appearance was ‘Shabby’. “Mother wouldn’t have allowed this state” I would talk to myself. “Than the bomb-shell” Mzee had developed a fondness to a grandchild. By now I had built my Studio and a Prefabricated House in the same compound and had moved-in. Relations between family members had been deteriorating at an alarming rate. Security was of national concern and disparity between family incomes was increasing. The ‘Haves’ wanted to move on to better pastures while the ‘Have-nots’ built barrows to hibernate through the winter dry. So when the grand-child was moved, the same day Mzee developed complications and I had to rush him to hospital. The doctor took one look at Mzee and demanded that he must be hospitalized. I called him aside and sort intervention from the chief administrator. At no cost could the family afford the hospital charges. My coffers were dry from years of unsolicited raids and had numerous debts to pay on account of Mzee’s previous hospitalization. I was willing to bring him everyday for out-patient and specialized treatment and care. We could even look at possibilities of home-nursing and procurement of drugs on wholesale basis or even by direct importation. Anything but hospitalization! The doctor agreed, but he insisted that Mzee stops smoking. Ironically, the said doctor also smoked and this made matters difficult for me as the implementer of policy. We bought the drugs and Mzee was given some injections to calm him down. We headed home and I breathe a sign of relief. Once there, I rang some school mates and they gave me names and contact addresses for some young doctors from the major referral hospital to continue the home treatment and therapy. One such doctor came home and we agreed on what drugs were needed and how they were to be administered. “This Mzee’s lungs are clogged and needs hospitalization to drain the lungs” The doctor would say. Again, that dreadful word ‘Hospitalization’! “Not possible” I would say “There must be something we can do at home?” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 54 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

This guiding principle would help me weather the storm. From day one of the challenge, I had devised a strategy and had made a resolution based on my ‘Scout’s Honor and Motto’: “I will be prepared. I must not be caught unawares” The first is to have the proper framework of mind over matter. Don’t panic and at no point in time must you loose focus. Weigh your odds and calculate your risks, develop an image of where you want to be and workout procedures and protocols to achieve it. Accept no compromises, always aim for the best. Maximize your potential and rally support from like-minded stakeholders. Allow for uncertainties and eventualities and be kind to yourself. Many times, we show generosity and forgiveness to everyone but ourselves. You provide resources; time and energy for all, yet these are the very same ingredients necessary for your good health and wellbeing. “Start with yourself, others will follow” Make provisions for yourself, it is only when you are at peace with yourself that you can tackle world peace. You need to create harmony of sorts with the universe, an atmosphere of give and take. You need to pull the rest of mankind from the doldrums of poverty, hunger and desperation to a level playing field of plenty, fulfillment and ecstasy. “Learn from Mother Nature” Documentaries abound talk of the lessons of the ‘Beaver’. These creatures that adorn on adverts like the ‘Colgate Palmolive Herbal Toothpaste’ are famous for the use of their teeth in cleaning and foraging the forest floors. They build dams along rivers and channels, and create sustainable ecosystems that men of wisdom have learned to emulate and replicate in the building of modern day dams and channels or waterways. Yet the Beaver’s attributes can read like a ‘Who is Who’ and ‘What is What’ in Ebenergy Enterprises Abstract or Catalogue and will leave many envious of their accomplishments. I’m interested in their attribute on forward planning, focusing and implementation. On sensing the approaching Winter, the Beaver would buildup body fat and prepare for hibernation. It knows that it’s staple food ‘Fish’, or if you like ‘Salmon’ would not last for the stretch. So they consume in plenty and start collecting non-perishables like nuts and seeds. There _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 55 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

are varying activities based on seasonal changes of its habitat, and it regulates its metabolic nature in tandem with the same. It makes realistic plans and implements accordingly. “Man on the other hand is a ‘Dreamer’” Dreams can make or break ambition and outlook. It can be a staunch ‘Allay’ or a dreadful ‘Adversary’. It is a form of ‘Chicken’ and ‘Egg’ scenario and you need to mind that you don’t put the cart before the horse. Having developed a working plan, the next step is to work out your incomes and projected expenditures and to agree on a budget. Years on, I was talking to some young fathers, ironically at a funeral, that ‘We’ or should I say ‘I’, approach societal issues on business-lines. It works wonders and you will be the wiser in the process. I don’t pretend to have all the answers for I’m only human and as such, subject to making mistakes and full of idiosyncrasies in nature. But it would be foolish for one to shoot himself in the foot and continuously do so as a lunatic. I had a budget and I had a kitty set out specifically for Mzee’s wellbeing. I would administer it myself and use commercial and social standards to guide its use, contributions could be cash or kind and adherence would be strictly followed. I make no excuses or apologies for failure or my short comings, and I seek no prize, praise or reward except from the ultimate and divine. I saw my father suffer at the hands and expense of profits for the tobacco companies. His health deteriorated with every ‘Puff’ he took and he lost more than anything the best insurance in the world could buy. “What is the value of life and how can you compensate for it?” As a small mercy, I drew closer to Mzee in that year more than the forty or so prior to it. We broke down barriers and a peace prevailed. He learned my softness of heart and saw the transmission of his inner strength to me. His decreasing strength was counteracted with my build-up and visa versa. His failing will to live, transformed to hope and acceptance. He slowly returned to dignity and a sense of pride. He talked with authority and took control of his destiny. We shared many moments together and our relationship came of age. No more father and son relationship, one of top to bottom or tyrannical and filled with dogma. Now we were friends and we talked openly. We criticized each other and we made no apologies for it. A typical conversation would be like this: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 56 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Mzee, try reducing your consumption of cigarettes and try to enjoy it” He had switched to a milder version of the cigarette brand on doctor’s orders, but complained bitterly. Actually, by now the damage had been done and there was no stopping the inevitable. “I’m trying my son but it is not easy” Addiction takes the best form of deception which is camouflage. It starts of as denial, leading to hostility and eventually cunningness. You start by deceiving others and eventually yourself. You will use all the arsenals at your disposal to achieve your mission. Mother was the administer of affairs and when she died, I took over as my elder sister couldn’t on temperamental reasons. She lacked the ability to control her temper and to compartmentalize issues. She couldn’t strategize nor see the bigger picture. Over the years, I’ve appreciated my strength and weaknesses, and made provisions in accordance to delegation and follow-up. I’ve taken my rightful position as ‘Mzee’ of the house like ‘Simba’ in the ‘Lion King’ and slowly decentralized authority and resource implementation to children and family units. My Mother ran a ‘Central Government’ with the headquarters at her base station. Mzee was a director in charge of procurement. She vested the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). While she lived, this machinery ran like clock-work, but it was now threatening to break at the sieves. “I believe that a form of ‘Family Majimbo’ could work” Each unit bears allegiance to the name of “Ebrahim” with its unique ideologies and aspirations based on the sound teachings of our parents. Yet each is autonomous and answerable to its own concepts and hypothesis. The future can only be addressed in this manner and human needs and aspirations need nourishment and freedom of expression within the universal or if you like religious confines. “An addicts degree of deception various from individual to individual” A cousin, who has refused to learn from the faults of the father, used to smoke in the Office Toilet and thought that his secret was safe. The ‘Idiot’, excuse my language, never considered the _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 57 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

mechanical vent available and the prevailing ‘White Smoke’ at the outlet or faucet would relieve anxiety after a Papal Death in the Vatican. “Other signs of Smoking are not so kind” While washing the body of an uncle who was an ardent smoker almost made my younger son to faint. The Aspiring Brain Surgeon took one look at the ‘Smoke Trails’ from every hole in the body and left the Ablution Area. The Undertakers struggled to contain the situation and it took all their years of experience na gadgets to relieve an otherwise hopeless situation. Cigarette Companies and Breweries are required by law to minimize advertisements and to make adequate provisions for ‘Adults’ to make informed choices. On all packaging materials, they need to add the following words of caution: “Cigarette Smoking can be harmful to your health” Pharmaceuticals need to add: “Keep all drugs out of the reach of children” And: “In case of difficulties consult a doctor” Drugs that are ‘Addictive’ in nature or require special administration are only available through a ‘Prescription’. It is now agreed that ‘Nicotine’ the active ingredient in cigarettes is a drug and requires special administration. Yet, ‘Anyone’ can purchase it across the counter and is readily available even to minors. Cigarette Companies spend millions in advertisement and marketing campaigns and are relentless in increasing of their market share and bottom-lines. Coupled to this, stringent legislation in the developed parent countries has forced these companies to diversify to poverty struck cheap labor nations such as ours. Something will give in the end. “I’m careful and working through my list of phobias and allergies” Weekends are one of them. Commencing from Thursday Night, right through to Monday Morning is a case in question. Another is the perception that ‘Calm is restored before a Storm”. Mzee was stable and it seemed like we had managed to contain the situation until that Friday Morning. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 58 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

He had moved from the inner sanctums of his house to a bedroom near a path leading to mine. This room would later be crescent as the ‘Room of Death’ and to break the jinks; it was eventually demolished to make way for a larger space with more pleasurable memories. Monitoring Mzee from this space was easy and likewise for him to see the goings-on in the compound. This morning, there was a frenzy of activity in the small room. My entrance seems to have heightened his anxiety and restlessness. “I wanted to go for Friday Prayers” but “Nimeshindua” Read: “But I couldn’t” He said with dilated pupils and a frail look. Helpers were trying to help him to dress after showering and shaving. His movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. He found it difficult to sit straight. Words were spurted out accompanied with mucus from both his mouth and nostrils. “Don’t bother, try to relax” I said “Even God knows that you have tried and you can’t make it”. Weeks of preaching to him on cause and effect of addiction and making peace with his creator, seems to have had a positive effect. The helpers finished their chores and calm returned to ‘Ebrahim House’. As he relaxed, I also decided to do the same. “You learn to conserve your energy for another fight, one which is inevitable with a sick person in your mist” I’m not sure what transpired next or perhaps, it was shire exhaustion or perhaps just ‘Mental Blockout’? I awoke at about 4.00 in the afternoon. Took a shower and decided to visit my studio and remove items from my ‘In Tray’ that had accumulated from weeks of neglect. It would also give me a chance to check on the current status of Mzee. I opened the main door and was about to sit when, someone ran to say that something was absolutely wrong with Mzee. I dropped everything and rushed to his room. Nothing and no-one. The activities were next door and I headed in that direction. On the bed was Mzee facing blankly towards the ceiling. People were everywhere trying to revive him. I calmly took his left hand and I recited the ‘Khalima’ three times and at the end of which I said to the group: “Let Mzee go. He wanted this. He is now at peace” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 59 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

By this time, the revival exercise in futility was reaching its climax with different people trying every conceivable trick learned from TV Medical Dramas. Some were trying to massage the area near his heart while others asked for water to be administered as a last drink. Than some ‘Smart Ass’, excuse my language, tried to administer ‘Mouth to Mouth’ resuscitation and discovered that his mouth and presumably lungs were full of vomit. “He is drowning in vomit” I heard someone say “Make him sit so that it can flow out”. A bucket was brought and as I was leaving to ring the doctor in charge, it was almost half full. The doctor arrived in less than fifteen minutes and I left him to do his work in peace. I knew what we were dealing with here and had not illusions on the sequence it must take. Ringing the other family members took priority and making sure that I broke the impact of the event to avoid devastation. By now I had received many messages from doctors on deaths and I took it in my strive. We went in to see Mzee’s lifeless body and for the first time in my life and the very last, remove his wallet to handover the Identification Card (ID) to the doctor for purpose of preparation of the ‘Death Certificate’ and ‘Burial Permit’. Apart from the ID were other pieces of paper which I have never bothered to read and Kshs. 500/-18. I handed all these to one of my brothers as it dawned on me the fallacy of wealth and other worldly possessions. All in all, I’m a happy man in that I said ‘Good-bye’ to my Dad. Before Mzee relaxed his last, he had said: “Nisamehe chochote nilifanya” Read: “Forgive me for whatever I have done” Such humbleness, such grace. On the Friday before my Uncle’s death, he rang and said: “I’m sorry for not heeding your advice about smoking and I’m now paying the price”

18

It is interesting how this figure keeps appearing in my life. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 60 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

How many more souls must we loose at the expense of small riches before society decides “Enough is Enough”? I have recorded cries of a few and can complete many more pages of other stories. Many more go untold and unheard as they say: “Dead Man tell no lies” as they don’t ‘Speak’. An addiction is a friend to none but an enemy to all.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 61 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 8:

ACTION AND REACTION:

8.0 RESTLESSNESS: “What will people say about this or that?” This seems to be a standard cause of anxiety and restlessness. The image of shattered dreams and the stories doing the rounds is of societal concern. “Be careful of the ‘Whisperer’” Does Scripture say without followers. Devilish elements are out for no good and they will not rest until you meet your doom. For ‘Good’ to prevail, it needs to gather its stock and be relentless in its ideologies. Social ‘Ills’ like the AIDS Pandemic is playing havoc in every facet of society. I have yet to talk to a single family which has not been touched directly or indirectly. Passive affliction is as bad as ‘Active’ and the impact may be more devastating. “There are those who stigmatize without knowing it” When you ask your sister to hide her symptoms and await ‘Death’ in silence, do you think that you are doing her a favor? She is presumably fighting the disease on many fronts and requires ‘Professional Help’ to rationalize issues and making informed choices. We have come a long way from days gone by of ignorance, prejudice and confusion. It is important for us to continue in the struggle and eventually, headway will be made. “Standup for your rights and don’t be timid” Keep away from ‘Praise Seekers’ and ‘Preachers of Doom’. Master the art of ‘Self Preservation’ and keep your ‘Composure’. Plan ahead and live long to be the ‘Wiser’. Help others where possible and especially those genuinely seeking it. “Don’t sink with the ship”.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 62 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

TICK SMASHER: “I’m ashamed to admit that I enjoy catching mosquitoes and smashing them” There is nothing on earth, more annoying than a Mosquito hovering near your ear while you try to catch some precious ‘Shut Eye’. Like a Japanese ‘Kamikaze’ Jet-fighter, they strike in unison and like a ‘Harrier Jet’ or ‘Humming Bird’ hovers over you and probe your skin and suck your juices. By the time you realize what is happening, you scratch and a blister develops. “Parasites do nothing for the Host” Once my sleep is disturbed, I get up and I turn the ‘Hunter’ into the ‘Hunted’. I hunt them down, one at a time and I’m not satisfied with shooting or hitting them down. If they are unfortunate to be ‘Alive’, than I would proceed to dismantle their body parts, one element at a time. Starting with the less essential elements and culminating with the vital organs or members. “The legs will do very nicely, thank you” “Sadistic” You say. “Well, that’s your opinion and you are entitled to it” For my part, I believe in reducing the collateral damage. Allow the critters to enter the ‘Net’. Allow them to drink to their fill and are to full to fly. Than strike and strike them hard. Hunt them at the joints and hunt them in the open. On our last visit to the coastal city of Mombasa, I slept under a net as usual. In the morning, the net was full with their vermin. The marks of ‘Red’ on a ‘White’ Background would leave any artist with deep envy. Hawa complains and I advise her to use a ‘Bleach’ before night fall as the massacre would continue the next morning. As a youngster, I loved animals and our compound resembled Farmer Jones ‘Animal Farm’. We had Flying Doves, Guard Dogs and Foraging Rabbits and Guinea-pigs. Cleanliness was a prerequisite for the farm and the animal survival. The Dogs were by far the most difficult to sanitize due to the long-grass outside our home which formed perfect breeding grounds for ‘Ticks’. Washing and using ‘Tick Killers’ had its own challenges and the habit of the dogs rubbing their bodies in the dirt after every wash made quarantine almost impossible. “The best form of annihilation is to it the rudimentary way” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 63 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Smashing a tick at a time gave me much satisfaction and is a sure way of reducing ‘Stress’. The trick is to start with the ‘Fat Juicy’ ones and proceed to the ‘Crafty’ ones later. Pull it from the dog and place it under your shoe sole. Press and splatter. It seems that the dog also enjoys the experience as it doesn’t wiggle to hamper your work. Close observation on ‘Grooming’ by other dogs, demonstrates this clearly and I’m only perfecting the procedure. “‘Crafty’ Ones need another approach for the execution” If you attempt to use the sole of the shoe, you will discover that the procedure only makes them more ‘Irritated’ and more savage. Use two pieces of stones instead. It is a classic case of finding yourself next to hard surfaces. The ensuing sound is ‘Pleasure’ to the ears and heart. “Youth has its limit otherwise I would have found other imaginative ways of handling ‘Suckers’” “Human Suckers require a similar treatment” As part of my Ebrahim Charitable Trust mandates, we assist communities and individuals to capacity build and find sustainable means of development and finding solutions to challenges. Individuals or groups can apply for grants to start-up or build commercial enterprises. The aim is that if we give you such a grant, you will in the ensuing years assist others. And so long as you don’t come back to us in the future for handouts, we are happy. Unfortunately, a ‘Dependency Syndrome’ sometimes develops in primarily individuals and as an administrator, it is my duty to remind these individuals the terms of the grant and also, that this would negatively impact his or hers future relation with us. “It is amazing the extent and lengths that humans will go to deceive others” From ‘Killing Verbally’ family members to conspiring with others to devise intricate schemes for ‘Fleecing’ the institution. We continuously have to be on our guards and at the expense of sounding ‘Ruthless’, send them packing and empty handed.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 64 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

My experience with the ticks proves to be valuable and appropriate. And the ticks that escape the two stones, I remind them that I usually end by washing the dog anyway. “Watch out you Suckers as I’m on to you”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 65 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 9:

FINANCIAL TRAPS:

9.0 BUSINESS METAMORPHOSIS: “When I was a child, I thought as a child. As a father, I need to think as an adult with responsibilities”. I must have read this somewhere, but where? As an ‘Employee’ you react and work with the tools and resources at your disposal. An ‘Employer’ is forced by circumstances to stretch his imagination to tackle new frontiers. Changing environments necessitates new approaches to look at the challenges and explore opportunities. You will not remain in business for long when these qualities are confused or interchanged. My first contact with drawings for buildings was through a family relation in the mid nineteen seventies. Mister Mohammed Akbar was a senior draughtsman with Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) and sometime he would invite me to the Drawing Office at the Tusker House (Ruaraka, Nairobi) to see the goings-on there. Other contacts were through the Housing and Estates Department where we made regular complaints for repairs to the Company House provided to Mzee, who by now had been promoted to Management Level. Mistakes you make in your youth may haunt you for the rest of your life. To appease my mother, I had decided to take or follow a ‘Medical Career’. Unfortunately, my decision to neglect my studies at primary school had resulted in me landing in a substandard secondary school, where I was forced to accept ‘General Studies’. By the time I had finished three years there, I realized that my dreams wouldn’t be fulfilled and I had to consider alternate courses. Jamhuri High School was next door and it offered opportunities for university entrance. Looking at my subject range, it looked logical to work towards the combination of Mathematics, Geography and Economics. The first two would be a continuation of my secondary work and ‘Commerce’ would bridge the last. Taking a step at a time, I worked hard in the Fourth and Final Year and I arrived in the school of my dreams in 1977.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 66 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Those two years in high school were not easy as I found that my assumptions on the subjects were erroneous. Mathematics I had hitherto done at secondary school was ‘General’ in nature while it was currently ‘Pure’ and likewise for Geography. Of course, I had expected Economics to be a new syllabus, but didn’t realize the sophistication and extra load that it would involve. The first term of year one was hell. I talked to my Mathematics Teacher and he assisted me with extra tuition for the same. Geography required extra reading and I gave it my all and also for Economics. Images of class come vividly to mind. There was a lot of excitement amongst the students as they had ‘Crossed’ the examination divide. Coupled to this, high school is of mixed genders compared to the lower years and unions were being explored and developed. Frankly, I didn’t have time for this fiasco. I was always at my desk studying this or that. When others idolized themselves, I made the Library my friend and books my companion. The pace had its toll and by the end of the first interim examinations we did, I was exhausted and bed ridden. I missed class for a day o so and when I arrived on Monday next, Mister Nyanjom, our Economics Teacher returned our answer scripts and made his declarations: “Everyone in class failed the exams” My heart stopped beating and images of my primary school days flashed through my very eyes. Than the bomb-shell “Except Yusuf Ebrahim who got 64%” Everyone’s gaze turned towards me in unison and a deadly silence ensued before the clapping began. Mister Njanjom handed me the script and warned everyone else of dire consequences if this performance would be repeated in the next paper. Thereafter, everything changed for the better. Kenyans are known to be good long distance runners and I would not disappoint them. The rest of the bunch would not catch-up with me again to the finish line. Our Career Counselor was a Mister Sheikh. In the second and final year of high school, he asked everyone to declare their career choices and to fill in the necessary university entrance application _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 67 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

in accordance with their preference. For some curious reason, he asked me to stand and state my choice in one of the classes. I looked around almost asking ‘Why me?” but instead said “I’m considering ‘Draughtsmanship’”. He kept quiet as if choosing carefully his words and eventually said “Why ‘Draughtsmanship’? They are the Donkeys of ‘Architects’”. I was caught unawares by this statement as it shattered my whole life in an instant. Having lost hope in ‘Medicine’ and now ‘Draughtsmanship’, what did I have left? This question haunted me for the remainder of my stay at Jamhuri. A ‘Careers Day’ was organized by Mister Sheikh, but it came way late in the year. By this time we had already filled our choices for university courses and I had opted for ‘Law’ as the only available alternative available to me. Thus on the Dee-day, I went into the ‘Class of Architects’ to learn more about this ‘Strange Animal’. Architect George Wilson of Dalgliesh Marshall conducted the class and gave an overview of the building profession and industry. The time was limited and so, he allowed more question-time for the audience. This was also insufficient and at the end of the session, I walked him to his car to extend our discussion and to get his contact address. During the lecture, Wilson mentioned the qualities and challenges facing an architect. He ended by saying that “There is no money in architecture” but “You will never regret your choice”. Looking at his latest Mercedes Benz Car, I exclaimed quietly “If you don’t make money, but move in that car, than I’ll rather be poor”. A week later, I was at his Reception seeking an appointment for his audience and the rest is history. For about a year I was an ‘Apprentice’ in this firm before university entrance. Six years there was spent in studio and in doing ‘Odd’ jobs with various architects. In 1986, I rejoined the firm under the new name of ‘Dalgliesh Marshall Johnson’ (DMJ) to reflect new partners, as an ‘Architectural Assistant’. Two years of post-graduate work at Cambridge (UK) and back to Kenya at the end of 1989. A small stench at Paul Kelly & Associates, before rejoining DMJ where I was promised partnership promotion on completing my professional examination. This was accomplished in 1991 and I was _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 68 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

promoted to ‘Associate Partner’ level. A streak of good luck in winning of competitions and rallying ‘Jobs’ landed me ‘Junior Partner’ in 1992. By now, I realized that I had hit a ‘Glass Ceiling’ for upward mobility and in 1993, I established ‘Ebrahim Consultants’ as an alternate vehicle for my professional growth and to explore the ‘Environmental Design Consultancy’ angle. At about this time Robert Marshall the Senior Partner and Founder Member of the firm and group had a ‘Stroke’ and the other surviving Partner Simon Johnson was having a hard time steering the ‘Ship’ and ‘Fuelling’ it. In order to safe guard diverse interests, the partners had split the ‘Consultancy’ from the ‘Investment Company’ before offering myself and the other African Partner, Willy Okeyo a stake in the ‘Consultancy. They sold the ‘Investment Company’ and shared the proceeds without giving us a penny. An opportunity arose when we had to move to new premises as a result of the above transaction. I decided not to “Look a gift horse in the mouth” and offered to plan and move the whole office. Surprisingly, my offer was accepted and I rushed to Westlands (Nairobi) to see the new premises for myself. My plans were falling into place. I made Simon a ‘Peace Offering’, independence without benefits. He swallowed the bait, ‘Hook and Sinker’ and Ebrahim Consultants (EBCON) was officially launched in 1994. Taking a day at a time, I started by offering to relieve the ‘Headache Jobs’ from Simon. I would do all the work and he would retain a fee for administration and public relations. There were also a list of jobs where the Clients would ‘Disappear’ if you ‘Rock the Boat’ so to speak. These we continued under the banner of DMJ even though we had a gentlemen agreement that EBCON would run them. Eventually my workload grew and I had to return them to DMJ. Salvation comes in little packages. Eunice Njenga came into the scene and for a while everything was ‘Yankee Doodle’. Over the years I had developed a unique relation with various Clients and now ‘Repeat Jobs’ and ‘Referrals’ were taking root and paying dividends. Another opportunity arose from the blue. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 69 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

The owner of the Westlands Premises wanted to maximize the plot usage or development. Simon designed it and we started to explore the possibilities of reviving the ‘Confederation’ and a ‘Digital’ or ‘Computer Bureau’ to take advantage of subcontracts off-shore work. We investigated on different formats but eventually decided to move office to Kyuna. Again I seized the available opportunity and was made ‘Managing Director’ of the Nairobi Office. The premises was big and we invited other consultants to sublet the same. Just like the prehistoric dinosaur, the beast was too big and sluggish. The individual consultancies were choking in infrastructure expenses and quality control was impossible. Other considerations like Mother’s Death and diverse stakeholder interest resulted in a split by the end of the year 2000. EBCON moved into a kiosk at ‘Ebrahim House’ on Fourth Avenue Parklands, while DMJ Architects moved to Rosslyn. They still continued to list each others companies and consultants on the individual letterheads in ‘Reciprocation’ until 2004 when Robert Marshall passed away and Simon dissolved the relations. On my part, I rejoined the university in 2003 after an absence of over five years. My life had gone on a full circle and I wanted to explore the academic and research world. My aim is to, God Willing, finish my doctorate work and my family had come of age and their education was paramount to me. My Father’s Estate had to be administered and also that of my Father-in-law and any loose ends to be cut and trimmed. I’ll be 49 on 11th December 2009 and need to consider the approaching university retirement age of 70. Philanthropic seeds and also publishing and software development are interesting. There are also new products to consider and challenges abound. This is my heritage. I hope therein lies lessons for others and myself to learn.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 70 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

CREDIT CARDS: “Mrs. Ebrahim, your credit card is awaiting your collection at your nearest supermarket. Just bring a copy of your ID and your payslip for identification purpose” Said the voice at the other end of the line. “Ho, so easy you say” But nothing could be further from the truth. Scripture warns us of the ‘Smooth Road to Hell’ and the ‘Rough and Difficult one to Heaven’. Life is made of many choices and the decision you make ‘Today’ will affect your ‘Tomorrow’ in ways you will not believe. “Don’t kick a dead dog” some would say. But other would do precisely this to check if it really is dead or for any signs of life. At the ‘Peak before the fall’ of my professional career, I had taken every conceivable credit and charge card on the Kenyan market. Like a child who comes from a humble background, but learns the vices of the rich, I consumed more than I produced. Our turnover was huge, but our debts were more. The bank overdraft was on its maximum limit and the ‘Creditor List’ would make any finance minister head spin. “It is a chicken and egg scenario” You deceive yourself. Let’s deal with ‘The Now’, tomorrow will take care of itself and ‘Yesterday’ is dead and gone. But is it a figment of my imagination or is it like other legal and banking mechanisms which offer you an Umbrella when it is shinning and take it way when it starts to rain? Confronted with a choice between two products on a shelf in Britain, I had learned to choose the dearer one as it was usually the superior quality. That may be true, but coming from a country where every penny counts and you want to stretch every resource to its limit. This philosophy goes against the grain of everything held so dear and usually leads to tears. A Credit Card gives you a false sense of hope and confidence. Just like ‘Steroids’ for wrestlers and athletes, it clouds your ability to think and to make informed choices. You extend your credit and so long as you pay the minimum fee per month, your credit can theoretically have ‘No Limits’. Cumulatively, this is a classic case of building a ‘House of _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 71 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Cards’ and eventually bound to fall on a false move. The first inverted ‘V” is easy but subsequent ones can lead to the ‘Domino Effect’ like the book shelves falling in the movie, ‘The Mummy’. The curtains comes down when your card is struck and the machine gives a reading of ‘Card Invalid’. Picture a scenario of you at the head of a line in a supermarket and you have handed your card to the Cashier. In your pocket you have say Kshs. 500/- but the bill stands at say Kshs. 50,000/-. You than receive the bombshell. “There is a problem with your card. Kindly go and see the Manager for clarification”. The goods are pushed aside and she says “Next” to usher the next customer. He receives the complimentary “Good Morning. Do you have this or that card?” You try in vain to wiggle and defend your honor. “There must be some mistake” actually “No Mistake”. You had taken a chance with the false hope that your limit could take one more transaction. “I must have this or that” You continue in selfdeception. “I have never been embarrassed in my whole life” you retort. “Well, if you think that this was the end of the saga, think again!” The Manager rings the Card Centre and hands you the hand set. This time, no pleasantries are exchanged. “You have not made your minimum payment and we cannot extend your credit anymore” You promise everything under the Sun, but it is like ‘Playing Guitar to a Frog’. God help you if you have consumed the goods prior to the validity of your card. At least if you haven’t consumed the goods, you can leave them and walk away with the little dignity you have left. If ‘Stares’ from the onlookers were ‘Spears’ you probably would be dead by now. Years back after filling my first car with petrol, a Peugeot 305 SR; this dreaded response had caused me some good head-spin. Salvation came when I left my cell-phone with a promise to bring ‘Cash’ the next day. You present the cash as promised and retrieve your possession or should I say the ‘Collateral’. “That was a close encounter with the devil” You assure yourself and thank small mercies that you _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 72 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

live another day. If you are frightened of ‘Gathering Clouds’ wait until you face the ‘Lightning’ and ‘Thunderstorms’. Never open you bills while standing least you fall in shock. The Office Manual provides protocols on numerous items and dictates what each personnel ‘Does’ and ‘Does not’ do. Virtually three days a week, the mail is collected and handed to the Office Manger who sorts them between ‘Personal’ and ‘Office’. The latter are opened, date stamped, referenced or numbered and placed in a folder for circulation. Being the ‘Head’ of the organization, the folder usually lands in my ‘In Tray’ with the cover having instructions on action to be taken. It was good that I was sitting on that particular day. Strengthen your backbone and heart on the last week of any calendar month. Bills upon bills will line and fill your ‘In Tray’. The minimum charges of the individual cards, cumulatively add-up to a “Tidy Sum” as Simon would say and I was ‘Broke’. The principal amount and the interest build-up was colossal and now I was paying interest on interest in a ‘Compound’ manner. This was not the bad news as it was yet to come. Just like the epic movie ‘God Father’, I insist on hearing ‘Bad News’ immediately and in the folder for action, this is usually placed on top of the pile. A letter from the Debt Collectors for the Card Company, which usually is a legal concern, had summed up their letter as under: “You are in default of Kenya Shillings ‘This’ and you have twenty one days to pay the amount including our legal fees of ‘That’, failure to which criminal proceedings will be instituted on you and your firm severely and collectively” The letter of course starts with the background and reminds you of your ‘Obligations’ without doing the same on your ‘Rights’. To added insults to injury, you need to pay other ‘Advocates’ for translating your rights. In your panic and frustration, you remove all your ‘Savings’ and dispose your ‘Assets’ in a classic case of ‘Throwing Good Money after Bad’. Over the years, I have learned that ‘Panic Kills’ and I’m fast to remind Hawa and the Kids that it would be futile for her and others to call for help in a swimming pool as I can’t swim. I will only offer her advice from on far. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 73 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

To catch a thief you need to think like one. “Never tackle lawyers yourself” is good advice that a ‘Kind Judge’ would give a defendant and I would echo such sentiments. Your Legal Counsel can negotiate favorable terms for payment and look for legal loop-holes to save you some money. Learn from your mistakes and always use ‘Cash’ which is ‘King’. Since we started to use cash for all transactions, our savings and investments have grown. Seems to be a contradiction of economic theory but it works. “Your Card is ready” They say. “No thank you. We only deal in cash” She says.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 74 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 10: 10.0

FAKE GOLD:

ASLI WALA NAKHLI:

“Genuine for fake” You take ‘Mother’s Jewellery’ or Silverware to a Goldsmith. What do you get back? People from the Asian Sub-continent can differentiate between ‘Good Gold’ from ‘Bad’, through associative or attributive psychology. You can hear that “He is a Karachiwala” Read: “He’s from Karachi, Pakistan”. Trades are passed through the generations and are a family’s close guarded secret. “Sonia” is to “Jeweler” as “Kasai” is to “Butcher”. Generalization and collective preference has helped the community to develop skills into a specialized art. Successive generations add modern day technologies and marketing gimmicks to form national treasures. The French have their ‘House of Cartier’ while India has its ‘House of Kohinoor19’. A popular Swahili saying helps you to analyze the above phenomenon: “Mtoto wa nyoka ni nyoka” Read: “The offspring of a snake is a snake” Reminds me of the case of the ‘Ugly Duckling’! For how long do you expect a child of a Swan to hide amongst those of a duck? In my primary school years, I loved maintaining a rudimentary aquarium using anything I could salvage from Mzee’s pile of ‘Knick knack’. To control mosquito population at the sewerage pools, the Caretaker at KBL Ruaraka would collect fish-lets from the river and periodically add these manually. Naivety is not a quality to brag about but its admission helps to explain ‘Idiosyncrasies’. 19

I’m not sure what ‘Kohi’ refers to, but ‘Noor’ is ‘Rays’. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 75 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

We would feast on the ‘Juicy and Tasty Sugarcanes’ and fish at the ponds with the Caretaker’s Children. I also ran a small patch of farm some distance down stream but my canes were skinny compared to these. On asking the children about their ‘Father’s Recipe’, they would only give a laugh in response without the benefit an answer. Nature is a good teacher of biology and ecology. So after a rainy day in school, children have a habit of ‘Playing in the rain’ and foraging puddles that ensured. I believe that my ‘Science Grades’ and especially Biology were weak as I would insist that the inhabitants were ‘Fish’ not ‘Amphibians’. We would spend countless seconds in rapid-fire to identify and differentiate the associative elements. In the end, we would agree to disagree and I would be in the group which collects some specimens for close observation. At home, mother would chase me with them, but would eventually allow me to learn from my own mistakes. The first few days, I would be heard continuously bragging “I was right. They are Fish” but subsequently the shine metamorphosis to a dull and when the rear les appeared, mother would frog-match me with others to pour the contents of the aquaria into the Ruaka River. Mother had a keen eye for Astronomy and the search for wisdom. Perhaps it was a result of her brush with fate and meeting or living with different cultures over the years as they say “She had taken much salt during her lifetime”. So it was not surprising for her to follow the seasons and could tell you the actual lunar date for the fasting month of ‘Ramadhan’ and predict the two dates for ‘IDD’, merely at looking at the current moon in the sky above. She would say “We have started this year’s Ramadhan late by this many days. That moon is not a current one”. In many cases her observations were correct. Mother could converse in about a dozen languages. These included Chinese and Arabic, while Mzee professed about half as much. My ability in language comprehension and conversation can best be described as ‘Poor’ or none existent and you will break into a laugh when I attempt to read any writings in ‘Kiswahili’. “Not everything that ‘Glitters’ is ‘Gold’” Mother would say these words while closely examining two rings made of Gold in a showcase window to a Jewelry Shop. “But these ‘Shine’ more than ‘That’” and I would usually take the ‘Shiny Ring’ anytime. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 76 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

“Buy the ‘Dull’ one” She would say “The other has ‘Other’ metals added and will fade with age”. You never treasure anything until it has gone. The Lamu Doors made of ‘Mkomari’ have been replaced with ‘Steel’ painted ones and all the diamonds and rubies in the Sultan’s Crown have been plucked-out for plastics. “It is modern and it is a fair exchange” They deceive you. Funny enough, the West is craving for the culture and heritage they had lost while we are in a hurry to discard ours. “Lessons from Traditional Architecture and Designs” is a popular lecture run by myself, and I look for every opportunity to dialogue on the ‘than, now and thereafter’ on the same. Common is the response after a look of blank from the participants “But Mwalimu, we don’t live like that way anymore”. ‘Could-have-been’ discussions lead to nowhere. As a way of gauging public perception, I usually ask new-entrants into various university degree programs the standard question of their ‘Car Preference’. The majority of male samples show that the ‘Multimillion Dollar Land Cruiser Vogue’ takes the lead while for the females it is the ‘Audi Quattro Coupe’. To be fair on the genders, they have little interest in four wheel objects and would trade it in for a decent accommodation with ample amenities anytime. Education is a number and not a quality. “My students don’t read” is my usual complaint. With the speed at which digital technology is infiltrating the academic and other sectors of life, the myriad of challenges facing this generation are breeding a ‘Nation of Illiterates’, was the result of a recent census carried out by an international firm on national statistics. When you are faced with many choices with limitless resources, the chances of failure increases exponentially with the resources available. Picture a Restaurant with an array of delicacies not arranged in any particular order. No classification or any informed display technique. Add to this a confused circulation, bad service and a free for all access and you have created a warlike situation. Now try sitting there to have a _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 77 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

quiet night out with your loved one. Making a career choice is like this today and it is no wonder that students are confused and lack direction in life. ‘No choice, must-do-this mentality’ also has its limitations. An advertisement of a popular brand of cars reads “You can have any color you want so long as it is ‘White’”. Many ‘Geniuses’ don’t have time for wasting on choosing what to wear and insist on a single color and choice of dressing to reduce ‘Choosing Time’ with the benefit of ‘Thinking Time’. Like India’s Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Dothi’ in ‘White’ or Zambia’s Kenneth Kaunda’s 'Kaunda Suit’. Mao’s Communism had its own failures, but today we envy his achievements in fostering national ideology and pride. A quality that Modern Day Chinese are reaping the fruits from as compared to the falling financial markets of the Capitalist Regimes. A blend of the two seems to be Current US President Mbarak Obama’s strategy and history will judge whether he is successful or not. University education allows you to discover yourself. “My father was an Architect” You argue “Must I be one also?” You enquire. I think, the answer lies within you. You need to search deep down in your spirit and soul and allow the aroma to engross you. Don’t struggle or resist the urges. Enjoy the moment and let the dice fall where it may. Work with what you have and live within your means. If you are strong in your convictions, others will respect and follow you. Many will be out to derail your locomotive and pollute your nourishment, but if you have faith and keep your hopes alive, you will make it through in the long march. Trust your senses and sharpen your wits. Try ‘Smelling’ a ‘Skunk’ and look for ‘Tell tale signs’ for deceptions or counterfeits. If something does not ‘Feel Right’ or ‘It was too easy’ or ‘The deal is too good’, discard it like ‘Hot Coal’ and be careful of the ‘Glitter’ as you may just be trading your ‘Asli’ for their ‘Nakhli’.

SAND CASTLES: “The Titanic is much bigger than the Queen Elizabeth or the Mauritania. Don’t worry even god himself cannot sink the Titanic if he wanted to himself” Said the Owner Mister Bruce Ismay. At _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 78 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

about midnight of 13th April 1912, it struck an iceberg and the Designer Mister Thomas Andrews made this statement to the Captain after an appraisal of the damage “Prepare to evacuate and abandon ship within one hour maximum two”. The Owner made a statement to the effect that “This was not possible” and the Designer said “I assure you that this is so. Titanic is made of metal and it will founder”. My parents ran their family affairs like a well organized ship. Everything had to be ‘Sleek and Span’ and run like clockwise. From early days, everyone had to carry their weight around and had to justify their existence. The house had to be kept clean, food prepared and clothing washed. House help was ‘Cheap’ and readily available during those early days and I can honestly say that we never went hungry even for a single day. If Mzee’s effort lacked in any punch, it was made up by Mum’s improvisation. Youth is power but age compensates in wisdom. Doctor James Orloff had many wives and had thought his children to treat them equally irrespective of which womb carried them for the duration of pregnancy. All these dreams and ideologies are shattered on the demise of one or both parents. “A friend in need is a friend indeed” is a popular saying. In the case of Doctor Orloff, the other saying is more appropriate “With friends like these who needs enemies?”. His children were swindled of their inheritance and left for ‘Real Orphans’ that they were and scattered on the earth, left to die, left for blind, deaf and dumb. Fate may play tricks on your dependent’s destiny. Mzee’s case was different as death of his father placed a road block on the progress of his life. He managed to weather the storm and history will bear testimony for his achievements. On the case of Mzee’s Family, they have had mixed blessings. My mother liked to say that everyone is unique and different. Holding up her right hand and stretching the digits, she would proceed to touch each finger at a time with the left and posing the question “Are these fingers the same?” on receiving the expected answer of “No”, she would say “Than you can’t expect all of them to perform the same function”. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 79 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Elton John shed tears while singing a modified version of a song at the requiem mass for the late Princess Diana “and you lived your life like a candle in the wind” or Mick Jagger with “Father was a rolling stone, wherever he laid that was his home”. Individuals are like and so were we. Some relationships are based on lies and false hope. You may hear “I’m relying on you for this or that”. In these days of hyperinflation and disintegrating social infrastructure, it is difficult for the ‘African Socialism’ as preached by our founding fathers like Former Tanzanian President the late Julius Nyerere or Ghanaian Nkwame Nkuruma to survive or even the ‘Extended Family Concept’. Gone are the days of the ‘Child’ belonged to the community or society. Now the child is ‘Yours’ and even the state is finding it difficult to accept responsibility for the citizen’s health, food or education. African families and their homesteads were large to counteract early childhood mortality, low life expectancy and provision for a large labor force for cultivation and for wars. All the said have taken different dimensions and individuals who have not changed their ‘Mind Set’ to embrace these new challenges and opportunities are facing untold difficulties leading to unsustainable dependencies and frustrated expectations. Building on ‘Quick Sand’ can be suicidal. Stories abound of ‘Fake Land Title Deeds’, conman agents and dubious surveyors, make for sad reminders for the need for vigilance and due-diligence. In law, ‘Ignorance’ is not an excuse in defense for prosecution or vindication. Seek appropriate professional advice where necessary and don’t ‘Cut Corners’ in your dealings. Self Praise and aggrandizement can lead to complications and can consume like the errant forest fire if not checked in time. Resources are limited and a form of ecological balance is advocated. Conspicuous consumption and false value judgment should be avoided. Remember your mandates and be satisfied with a ‘Slice and not the whole bread’ as Christ would say. When next at the beach, take a minute to observe a kid building a sand castle and where he has located it in relation to the incoming waves. Now compare your life to this metaphor and amend as necessary. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 80 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

Further, collect some sand in your hand and then allow it to flow out between your fingers and reflect on how life drains though your body and soul. There is much for man and woman of wisdom to learn and reflect upon. Why don’t we?

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 81 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

BUILDING SCIENCE TEXT BOOK UON SERIES:

PRODUCT PRICE GUIDE:

Ebenergy Enterprises Nairobi, Kenya. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 82 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

1.0

PRODUCT PRICE GUIDE:

DATED: January 2008: The following is the recommended price guide for various products: Retail Price Guide: Building Science Text Book Series: Product EE: Within Kenya ISBN: Name: Code: Kshs. Building Science Text Book Series: Book 1: Elementary Course: E1000 9966-784-48-9 Book 1: Part A: Framed Elementary Course: E1010 1,990/9966-784-07-1 Book 1: Part 1: Introduction to Climatology and Meteorology: E1100 1,990/-

Abroad: US $ 35 35

Book 1: Part 2: Elementary Thermal Design, Ventilation and Solar Control: E1200 9966-784-00-4 Book 1: Part 2: Section 1: Elementary Thermal Design: E1210 1,990/35 9966-784-01-2 Book 1: Part 2: Section 2: Elementary Solar Control: E1220 1,990/35 9966-784-02-0 Book 1: Part 2: Section 3: Elementary Ventilation and Air Flow Design: E1230 1,990/- 35 9966-784-03-9 Book 1: Part 2: Section 4: Elementary Artificial, Hybrid and Intelligent Climatic Systems: E1240 1,990/35 Book 1: Part 3: Elementary Lighting Design: E1300 9966-784-04-7 Book 1: Part 3: Section 1: Natural Lighting Design: E1310 1,990/35 9966-784-05-5 Book 1: Part 3: Section 2: Artificial Lighting Design: E1320 1,990/35 9966-784-06-3 Book 1: Part 3: Section 3: Elementary Artificial, Hybrid and Intelligent Lighting Systems: E1330 1,990/35 Book 1: Part 4: Elementary Acoustics Design and Noise Control: E1400 9966-784-08-X Book 1: Part 4: Section 1: Noise Control: E1410 1,990/35 9966-784-09-8 Book 1: Part 4: Section 2: Room Acoustics: E1420 1,990/35 9966-784-10-1 Book 1: Part 4: Section 3: Elementary Artificial, Hybrid and Intelligent Acoustic Systems: E1430 1,990/35 9966-784-11-X Book 1: Part 5: Elementary Sustainable Design: E1500 1,990/35 Book 1: Part 6: Elementary Past Examination Papers: 2008: Book 1: Part 6: Section 1: Year 1: 2008: 9966-784-55-1Book 1: Part 6: Section 2: Year 2: 2008: 9966-784-54-3Book 1: Part 6: Section 3: Year 3: 2008: Book 1: Part 6: Section 4: Year 4: 2008: Book 1: Part 6: Section 5: Year 5: 2008:

E1600 E1610 E1620 E1630 E1640 E1650

1,990/1,990/1,990/1,990/1,990/-

35 35 35 35 35

9966-784-53-5Book 1: Part 7: Elementary Thesis Index: 2008:

E1700 1,990/-

35

Book 1: Part 8: Elementary Sustainable Architecture Studio: 2008: E1800 Book 1: Part 8: Section 1: Elementary Studio 1: 2008: E1810 Book 1: Part 8: Section 2: Elementary Studio 2: 2008: E1820 E1830 Book 1: Part 8: Section 3: Elementary Studio 3: 2008: Book 1: Part 8: Section 4: Elementary Studio 4: 2008: E1840 Book 1: Part 8: Section 5: Elementary Studio 5: 2008: E1850

1,990/1,990/1,990/1,990/1,990/-

35 35 35 35 35

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 83 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Book 1: Part 8: Section 6: Elementary Studio 6: 2008: E1860 1,990/35 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 2: Advanced Course: E2000 9966-784-49-7 Book 1: Part A: Framed Advanced Course: E2010 1,990/35 9966-784-12-8 Book 2: Part 1: The Human Factor in Environmental Design: E2100 1,990/35 9966-784-13-6 Book 2: Part 2: Applied Design Studio in Environmental Building Science: E2200 1,990/- 35 Book 2: Part 3: Advanced Thermal Design, Ventilation and Solar Control: E2300 1,990/- 35 9966-784-14-4 Book 2: Part 3: Section 1: Advanced Thermal Design: E2310 1,990/35 “Influence of Heat Island on the Comfort of the Building Users: Case of City of Nairobi”. 9966-784-15-2 Book 2: Part 4: Advanced Lighting Design: E2400 1,990/35 9966-784-16-0 Book 2: Part 5: Advanced Acoustics Design and Noise Control: E2500 1,990/35 9966-784-17-9 Book 2: Part 6: History of Regional Environmental Design: E2600 1,990/35 9966-784-18-7 Book 2: Part 7: Environmental Building Economics: E2700 1,990/35 9966-784-45-4Book 2: Part 8: Advanced Past Examination Papers: 2008: E2800 1,990/35 9966-784-46-2Book 2: Part 9: Advanced Thesis Index: 2008: E2900 1,990/35 Book 2: Part 10: Advanced Sustainable Architecture Studio: 2008: Book 2: Part 10: Section 1: Advanced Studio 1: 2008: Book 2: Part 10: Section 2: Advanced Studio 2: 2008: Book 2: Part 10: Section 3: Advanced Studio 3: 2008:

E21000 E21010 1,990/E21020 1,990/E21030 1,990/-

35 35 35

Building Science Text Book Series: Book 3: Topical Themes: E3000 9966-784-19-5 Book 3: Part 1: Appropriate Roofing and Energy Considerations for Warm-Humid Climates: E3100 1,990/35 9966-784-20-9 Book 3: Part 2: Daylighting Performance of Building Elements: E3200 1,990/35 (With Specific Application to Museums under Tropical Conditions). 9966-784-21-7 Book 3: Part 3: The Power of Deceit: A Dilemma of an Architect. E3300 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). 9966-784-22-5 Book 3: Part 4: Patenting software in Kenya: Problems and Myths Demystified. E3400 Book 3: Part 5: Pictures Talk: Virtually Recreating Dr. James Orloff. E3500 Book 3: Part 6: Pictures Talk: Virtually Recreating Mr. Atma Singh Hazara Singh. E3600 Book 3: Part 7: The Changing Face of Mrs. Lilian Lela Orloff Ebrahim. E3700 Book 3: Part 8: The Changing Face of Mr. Ebrahim Atma Singh Hazara Singh. E3800 Book 3: Part 9: The Greats in Environmental Design: From Geiger to Muneer.

E3900

Book 3: Part 10: S.V. Szokolay Memoirs: 9966-784-33-0 Book 3: Part 10: Section 1: 1965 Works: 9966-784-35-7 Book 3: Part 10: Section 2: Current Works:

E3110 E3111 1,990/E3112 1,990/-

35 35

Book 3: Part 11: E.F. Meffert’s Environmental Design Code: 9966-784-37-3 Book 3: Part 11: Section 1: Thermal Design:

E3120 E3121 1,990/-

35

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 84 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 9966-784-51-9 Book 3: Part 11: Section 2: Lighting Design: E3122 1,990/35 9966-784-52-7 Book 3: Part 11: Section 3: Acoustic Design: E3123 1,990/35 9966-784-56-X Book 3: Part 11: Section 4: Tropical Design: E3124 1,990/35 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 4: Short Papers: E4000 9966-784-23-3 Book 4: Part 1: Essays in Environmental Design: E4100 1,990/35 Essay 1: Thermal Roof Design for Tropical Provided Housing: E4110 Essay 2: Environmental Considerations Shaping the Hospital Building and Governing its Space: E4120 Essay 3: Low Energy House in Cool Climates: E4130 Essay 4: Transfer of Technology in Vernacular Architecture: E4140 Essay 5: Low Energy Strategy in Speculative Atrium Office Buildings: E4150 9966-784-47-0Book 4: Part 2: Essays in Environmental Design: 6-10: E4200 1,990/35 Essay 6: Sustainable Materials and Construction Technology: E4210 Essay 7: Use of Environmental Laboratory in the Built Environment: E4220 Essay 8: Sensual Architecture: Revitalizing your Survival Instincts: E4230 Essay 9: Developing of Appropriate Intermediary Software for a Developing Tropical Country: “Ebenergy 2007”: E4240 Essay 10: Urban Environmental Degradation: Assessment using Analogue and Digital Techniques: E4250 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 6: Investigative & Exploratory Studies: E6000 Book 6: Part 1: Digital & Analogue Presentation Techniques: E6100 9966-784-34-9 Book 6: Part 2: e-Learning Methods: E6200 Book 6: Part 3: Universities Channel: E6300 9966-784-36-5 Book 6: Part 4: Early Warning, Monitoring & Mitigating Techniques for Sustainable Development: E6400 Book 6: Part 5: Experimental Research Methods: E6500 9966-784-38-1 Book 6: Part 6: Laboratory & On-site Techniques in Environmental Studies: E6600 9966-784-39-X Book 6: Part 7: Model Studies: Analogue & Digital Techniques: E6700 9966-784-40-3 Book 6: Part 8: Genesis of Nairobi: E6800 9966-784-41-1 Book 6: Part 9: Material Culture Project: E6900 9966-784-42-X Book 6: Part 10: Relationship between Propagation of AIDS and Comfort Criteria: E61000 9966-784-43-8 Book 6: Part 11: Setting up of an Institute of Environmental Studies as a Constituent Institute of a University: E61100 9966-784-44-6 Book 6: Part 12: Use of Environmental Laboratory Equipment & Apparatus: E61200 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 7: Marketing for Other Authors: E7000 Book 7: Part 1: Prof. Erich F. Meffert: E7100

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 85 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 1980: Hygrothermal Comfort in Lamu Town: A Building-density Settlement in the Warm-humid Climate of the Kenyan Coast. University of Nairobi, Department of Architecture, Environmental Science – Paper No.6. E7110 Book 7: Part 2: Rukwaro, Robert & Maina, Sylvester J.M. E7200 2006: Transformation of Maasai Art and Architecture. Applied Research Training Services (ARTS), Nairobi. E7210 Book 7: Part 3: Kenya Literature Bureau Publications: 2005: Secondary Physics: Students Book Four. Kenya Literature Bureau, Nairobi. Third Edition.

E7300 E7310

Ghaidan, Usam (1992): Lamu: A Study of the Swahili Town. Kenya Literature Bureau, Nairobi. Third Edition.

E7310

Building Science Text Book Series: Book 8: Joint Authorship with Others: E8000 Book 8: Part 1: Jointly with Dr. Robert Rukwaro: E8100 2007: History of Environmental Design in Kenya Communities: E8110 2007: Climate Culture Encyclopedia: E8120 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 9: Conference and Seminar Papers: E9000 Book 9: Part 1: Sustainable Materials and Construction Technology. AAK Mombasa Chapter: Seminar at Royal Court Hotel, Mombasa: 16th November 2006. E9100 1,990/35 Book 9: Part 2: Culture, Environmental and Sustainability Issues in the City of Nairobi. 3rd Year Seminar Series: Department of Architecture & Building Science, ADD Space 108, E9200 1,990/35 University of Nairobi: 30th November 2006. Book 9: Part 3: End-user Sensitization Workshop: Ebenergy Pro 2007 Special: Ebenergy Enterprises. Final Year Students, Undergraduate Course, E9300 1,990/35 Dept. Of Arch & BSc, UON: 14th February 2007. Book 9: Part 4: Sensual Architecture: Reviving & Revitalizing your Survival Instincts. 2nd Year Studio Lectures Series: 20th March 2007. E9400 1,990/35 Book 9: Part 5: Use of Environmental Laboratory in the Built Environment. Department of Architecture & Building Science (2nd Year) in collaboration with Department of Real Estate & Construction Management (1st Year), University of Nairobi: ADD Space 108: 4th April 2007. Guest Speakers: Yusuf Ebrahim & Njambi Kinyungu. E9500 1,990/35 Book 9: Part 6: Development of Appropriate Intermediary Software for a Developing Tropical Country: “Ebenergy 2007”. Conference Paper, Atlanta Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation Policy 2007: “Challenges and Opportunities for Innovation in the Changing Global Economy”. Presenter: Yusuf Ebrahim, Lecturer, University of Nairobi, Kenya. Venue: The Global Learning Center, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, USA. Date: Friday 19 October 2007. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 86 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ Time: 5 – 6.30 PM. E9600 1,990/35 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 10: Ongoing Work at Institute of Environmental Studies: E10000 9966-784-50-0 Book 10: Part 1: Recyclable Architecture: E10100 Book 10: Part 2: Environmental Documentaries: E10200 Book 10: Part 3: Cinema Production: E10300 Book 10: Part 4: Publishing & Micro-printing Techniques: E10400 Book 10: Part 5: Digital Library Services: E10500 Book 10: Part 6: Climate Watch: E10600 Book 10: Part 7: Reprinting Classical Environmental Books: E10700 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 11: Building Typologies: E11000 9966-784-57-8 Book 11: Part 1: Residential Architecture: E11100 9966-784-58-6 Book 11: Part 2: Housing Architecture: E11200 9966-784-59-4 Book 11: Part 3: Coastal (Warm-humid Climate) Architecture: E11300 9966-784-60-8 Book 11: Part 4: Touristic Accommodation & Ecological Architecture: E11400 9966-784-61-6 Book 11: Part 5: Medical Architecture: E11500 9966-784-62-4 Book 11: Part 6: Religious Architecture: E11600 9966-784-63-2 Book 11: Part 7: Commercial Architecture: E11700 9966-784-64-0 Book 11: Part 8: Planning Architecture: E11800 9966-784-65-9 Book 11: Part 9: Interior Architecture: E11900 9966-784-66-7 Book 11: Part 10: Educational Architecture: E111000 9966-784-67-5 Book 11: Part 11: Competitions in Architecture: E111100 9966-784-68-3 Book 11: Part 12: International Organizations Architecture: E111200 9966-784-69-1 Book 11: Part 13: Banks Architecture: E111300 9966-784-70-5 Book 11: Part 14: Sustainable Development and Environmental Design: E111400 9966-784-71-3 Book 11: Part 15: Bioclimatic Architecture: E111500 9966-784-72-1 Book 11: Part 16: Regional Typologies Architecture: E111600 9966-784-73-X Book 11: Part 17: Research Institutions Architecture: E111700 9966-784-74-8 Book 11: Part 18: Appropriate Technology Architecture: E111800 9966-784-75-6 Book 11: Part 19: Industrial Architecture: E111900 9966-784-76-4 Book 11: Part 20: Office Architecture: E112000 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 12: Architectural & Environmental Design E12000 Consultants Office Practice Notes: 9966-784-77-2 Book 12: Part 1: Office Manual: E12100 9966-784-78-0 Book 12: Part 2: Typical Contracts and Documents: E12200 9966-784-79-9 Book 12: Part 3: Curriculum Vitae and Company Profiles: E12300 9966-784-80-2 Book 12: Part 4: Competitions: Competitor & Juror Compendium: E12400 9966-784-81-0 Book 12: Part 5: Contract Administration: E12500 9966-784-82-9 Book 12: Part 6: Design & Development: E12500 9966-784-83-7 Book 12: Part 7: Typical Details: E12700 9966-784-84-5 Book 12: Part 8: Drawing Standards: E12800 _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 87 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 9966-784-85-3 Book 12: Part 9: Technical Drawings: E12900 9966-784-86-1 Book 12: Part 10: Presentation Techniques: E121000 9966-784-87-X Book 12: Part 11: Marketing Techniques E121100 9966-784-88-8 Book 12: Part 12: Continuous Professional Development (CPD): E121200 9966-784-89-6 Book 12: Part 13: Associated Offices and Companies: E121300 9966-784-90-X Book 12: Part 14: Consortiums: E121400 9966-784-91-8 Book 12: Part 15: Project Management and Construction: E121500 9966-784-92-6 Book 12: Part 16: Environmental Design Consultancy: E121600 9966-784-93-4 Book 12: Part 17: Interior Architects and Product Designers: E121700 9966-784-94-2 Book 12: Part 18: Landscape Architecture: E121800 9966-784-95-0 Book 12: Part 19: Urban Planners and Architects: E121900 9966-784-96-9 Book 12: Part 20: Environmental and Architectural Journalism: E122000 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 13: Office Practice Documents & Software: E13000 9966-784-97-7 Book 13: Part 1: Ebbank © Software: Financial Management Package: E13100 9966-784-98-5 Book 13: Part 2: Ebfees © Software: Invoicing & Receipts Management Package: E13200 9966-784-99-3 Book 13: Part 3: Ebbq © Software: Mini-BQ, Valuations, Certification & Payment Advices: E13300 Book 13: Part 4: Ebpvouchers © Software: Payment Management Package: E13400 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 14: Dictionaries, Reference and Common Names: E14000 Book 14: Part 1: Dictionary and Reference Book: 2008: E14100 1,990/- 35 Building Science Text Book Series: Book 15: Fact Folders: Book 15: Part 1: Who’s Who: 2008: Book 15: Part 2: What’s What: 2008: Book 15: Part 3: How’s How: 2008: Book 15: Part 4: When’s When: 2008:

E15000 E15100 E15200 E15300 E15400

1,990/1,990/1,990/1,990/-

35 35 35 35

Building Science Text Book Series: Book 5: Software & Manuals: E5000 9966-784-24-1 Book 5: Part 1: Ebenergy© Software: E5100 9966-784-25-X Book 5: Part 2: Ebacoustics© Software: E5200 9966-784-26-8 Book 5: Part 3: Eblighting© Software: E5300 9966-784-27-6 Book 5: Part 4: Ebtemp© Software: E5400 9966-784-28-4 Book 5: Part 5: Ebvent© Software: E5500 9966-784-29-2 Book 5: Part 6: Ebeia© Software: E5600 9966-784-30-6 Book 5: Part 7: Ebeim© Software: E5600 9966-784-31-4 Book 5: Part 8: Ebsustain© Software: E5800 9966-784-32-2 Book 5: Part 9: Ebclimo© Software: E5900 Product

EE:

Within Kenya Abroad:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 88 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ISBN: Name: Code: Kshs. US $ Building Science Text Book Series: Book 5: Software & Manuals: E5000 9966-784-24-1 Book 5: Part 1: Ebenergy© Software: E5100 Economy: Pro Det: Individual Annual License Classification: E5110 2,000/50 Standard: Aca Det: Individual Annual License Classification: E5120 5,000/125 Prestige: Res Det: Individual Annual License Classification: E5130 10,000/250 9966-784-25-X Book 5: Part 2: Ebacoustics© Software: Economy: Pro Det: Individual Annual License Classification: Standard: Aca Det: Individual Annual License Classification: Prestige: Res Det: Individual Annual License Classification:

E5200 E5210 2,000/E5220 5,000/E5230 10,000/-

50 125 250

Building Science Text Book Series: Book 13: Office Practice Documents & Software: E13000 9966-784-97-7 Book 13: Part 1: Ebbank © Software: Financial Management Package: E13100 5,000/125 9966-784-98-5 Book 13: Part 2: Ebfees © Software: Invoicing & Receipts Management Package: E13200 5,000/125 9966-784-99-3 Book 13: Part 3: Ebbq © Software: Mini-BQ, Valuations, Certification & Payment Advices: E13300 5,000/125 Book 13: Part 4: Ebpvouchers © Software: Payment Management Package: E13400 5,000/125 _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Note: 1. These prices are provisional and subject to change without notice and do not represent a commitment on the part of Ebenergy Enterprises. 2. License expires after due date and product should be discarded environmentally safely or renewed for a discounted latest version. 3. Student License: 1 Pac maximum (Single User). 4. Individual License: 1 Pac Maximum (Single User). 5. Academic Institutional License: 30 Pac Maximum (Multiple User): 50% Discount on the group software price. 6. Corporate License: 30 Pac Maximum (Multiple User): 25% Discount on the group software price. 7. Students are entitled to a discount of 50% of the cover price of books (Only) on presentation of their student card. A Copy of the same may be sent with the order form. 8. Allow for 2 Weeks for delivery nationally. 9. Allow for 1 Month for delivery outside Kenya (Abroad). Add:

Postage charges (Per product): Within Kenya: Within East Africa: Kshs. 150/US $ 9

Within Africa: US $ 10

Within Europe: US $ 12

Within America: US $ 14

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 89 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

BUILDING SCIENCE TEXT BOOK UON SERIES:

ORDER FORM:

Ebenergy Enterprises Nairobi, Kenya. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 90 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________

2.0

ORDER FORM:

This order is for:

First Name:………… Surname:…………….Address: ………Postcode: ……City: ……… Country: ………… Tel: ………………… Email: …………… Name & Address of Sender: First Name:………… Surname:…………….. Address: …………… Postcode: ………… City: ……… Country: ……………. Tel: ………………… Email: ………………. Retail Price Guide: EE: Product Within Kenya Abroad: Code: Name: Kshs. US $ Add: Postage: Kshs. US $ Total Amount: Kshs. US $ We attach Cheque No:…… for Kshs. ………..or US $ ………. in the name of “EBENERGY ENTERPRISES”. Bank details: EBENERGY ENTERPRISES, CHASE BANK (KENYA) LTD, Mediplaza Branch, Parklands, P.O. Box 607 – 00621, Nairobi, Kenya. Account No: 0700281019 STERLING POUND (GBP) BANK TRANSFERS: Intermediary Bank Name: CITIBANK N.A. CITIBANK HOUSE, 336 STRAND, LONDON, WC2R1, ENGLAND. Swift: CITIGB2L Sort Code: 18-50-08 GBP A/C No: 10280984 Account with institution: Chase Bank (K) Ltd., P.O. Box 28987, Nairobi, Wabera Street. Swift Code: CKENKENA For final credit to: EBENERGY ENTERPRISES. UNITED STATES DOLLAR (USD) BANK TRANSFERS: Intermediary Bank: CITIBANK N.A. 111 WALL STREET 19th FLOOR ZONE 1, NEW YORK, NY 10043. Swift: CITIUS33 ABA No: 021 000 089 USD A/C NO: 36157333 Account with Institution: CHASE BANK (K) LTD. P.O. Box 28987, Nairobi. Swift Code: CKENKENA For final credit to: EBENERGY ENTERPRISES. Account No: 0700281019 Yusuf H. Ebrahim can be contacted: Address: Ebenergy Enterprises, Unit 1, Ebrahim House, 4th Avenue Parklands, P.O. Box 34838, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya. Website: www.ebenergy.net Email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: +254 020 3751239 Mobile: +254 722513617. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 91 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim

Part 2: The Fallacy of Humility: A Dilemma of an Architect. Code: ER122000 (An Autobiography of Yusuf Ebrahim). ___________________________________________________________________________________________ BRIEF OF AUTHOR: Yusuf H. Ebrahim, B’Arch. Hons. (NBI), M’Phil (CANTAB), MAAK (A, ED), is a lecturer in the Department of Architecture and Building Science (University of Nairobi) with interests in sustainable architecture and planning. He has taught for over 10 years both at the professional and academic circles. He has acted as an external examiner in another local university and served in various capacities on numerous education boards. He started his architectural career as an apprentice with Dalgliesh Marshall in 1979 and eventually rose up the ranks to Junior Partner level of the same institution. He has won numerous design competitions and seen buildings of different complexities from start to finish and eventually to maintenance. In 1992 he set up Ebrahim Consultants, a multidisciplinary firm with emphasis with environmental design consultancy. Under her, he has done work on different jobs in Sustainable, Lighting, Thermal, Solar, Acoustic and Ventilation. He prefers to use Passive Systems where applicable and only brings in Active Systems to supplement the same. He has developed different simulation techniques and recently developed softwares using the Excel Format. Ebenergy© received the First Copyright for a Software in Kenya in 2007. He is currently undertaking his doctorate degree programme at the University of Nairobi, Department of Architecture and Building Science. With others, he is currently writing books on sustainable architecture and recording his experiences in both the professional and academic world.

EE: Price Guide: e-LEARNING LEISURE SERIES: Code: BOOK 12: BIOGRAPHIES AND AUTOBIOGRAPHIES: ER120000 PART 2: THE FALLACY OF HUMILITY: ER122000 1,990/- 35 A DILEMMA OF AN ARCHITECT: An Autobiography of Y.H. Ebrahim. Abstract: Is the follow up of “The Power of Deceit” where the author revisits his experiences from preapprentice times, through the formal architectural education and professional period and finally his decision to explore the academic world. He uses this opportunity to explain presentation and marketing techniques that were developed across these divides and the mechanisms that helped him develop software and tools that could alleviate some of these challenges faced by professionals and academics in tropical countries. ISBN: Yusuf H. Ebrahim can be contacted: Address: Ebenergy Enterprises, Unit 1, Ebrahim House, 4th Avenue Parklands, P.O. Box 34838, 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya. Website: www.ebenergy.net Email: [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] Email: [email protected] Tel: +254 020 3751239 Mobile: +254 722513617. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Page: 92 of 92 e-Learning Leisure Series: Book 12: Biographies & Autobiographies:

Yusuf H. Ebrahim