My name is Elvis Etah-Ayuk, a MECA-USA member and I want to welcome you to the discussion forum of the MECA-USA website.

Communicating is an art that needs to be exercised with caution. We do not wish to sanction what one can consider free speech, but we caution all those who post on our blog to be mindful of one thing: your primary aim of communication is to transfer message with the purpose of informing, consequently empowering your audience with knowledge that they may not have had before. If we had our way, we could have limited you to that type of information that relates only to Manyu empowerment and building bridges, but we know how futile such an attempt will be because of the extensive connections that a global world has exposed us to.

Disagreeing with someone is a natural thing, but one that may cause people to become resentful and feel insulted. It is incumbent on us therefore to proceed with tact:

Critique a particular idea, standpoint, view, action… and not the whole topic or the person. Remember people can never be judged for having opinion or beliefs, but these opinions/beliefs do not stop us from thinking differently or having and expressing contrary opinions.  If possible, aknowledge something positive in someone’s response, then tell them you think differently about something else. Words/phrases like “it is a lie” you are lying”, “you are a thief” can be replaced with expressions like “I think you made a mistake”, “this view can be interpreted as misleading”, “can you clarify… because I think…”. When we realize that someone has made an error, we should always offer them the possibility to redeem themselves by pointing to the error in a very friendly fashion.

On the other hand, when someone criticizes us or our ideas it should be accepted as an opportunity for growth, just like a doctor’s diagnosis of an ailment. We should be grateful that we are given an opportunity to “cure” our wrong and be a better person.

Always remember that you are like a painter/artist trying to perfect a work of art and your contribution should add to the beauty of the masterpiece.

Lastly, seriously, who am I to give lessons to a pro like you. You already know these things, so forgive my crime de lese majeste.

Long live Manyu