Book Review: The System

Book Title: The System

Author: Charles Mwewa

Publisher: Africa In Canada Press, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Reviewer: Stephen Misori

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The System is a progressive literary text that talks to the African continent, encouraging developing nations to never lose hope in their quest to actualize their national goals and dreams. 

It underscores the exceptional contribution of suitable choices in addressing the immediate obstacles towards self-fulfillment.

The book, authored by Charles Mwewa, a lawyer and an educationist, is on the list of over 50 other books and counting, which the author has penned in various genres, including fiction, non-fiction and poetry. 

The author, who resides in Canada, believes in the power of art to confront most of the pressing challenges affecting the world in general and Africa in particular. 

The book is both a principles book and a workbook and contains review questions at the end of each chapter, as well as a 30-day self-assessment exercise at the end of every chapter. 

The author draws from his own experience, laced with originality of circumstances, having been born in Africa but staying in North America. 

He says, “No nation is condemned to always remaining a Grinder; nations can advance by choice.” 

According to the author, every nation at independence is placed on the system, which has three quadrants: System–Makers, System–Maintainers, and System–Grinders.

Mwewa sets the world on the path of three fronts as he captures the thoughts of African nations who want to change and reshape the destiny of their people. 

While referring to the System–makers as privileged, influential and powerful, he says, “This group is composed of only 5% of countries in the world.” 

The author writes that, “This small percentage controls the world since they are thought- leaders, accomplished scientists, innovators, religious gurus and creators.”

In his thought-provoking piece, Mwewa refers to the System–maintainers as a mere 25% who are managers of the ideas of the System–makers. 

“They are constant and usually maintain the status quo. They are quick to learn and, sometimes, easily outpace the System–makers,” he writes.

He lays bare the dependent role Africa plays as a System–grinder that fulfills the wills and wishes of both the System–makers and System – maintainers.

The author regrets, in The System, that Africans are victims of the system because they only exist to serve the other quadrants. 

Despite constituting a whopping 75% of the total league of nations, the grinders, elaborately referred to as Africans, are the labor force and the commoners who have been made to rarely use their brains to think, and only act to please the actors of other systems.

Mwewa imbues a practical scenario of how developing nations struggle hard with life but hardly see the fruit of their labor. 

The book exposes the sorry state of Africa, the painful ventures and the embarrassing scenarios that the grinder nations pass through—all in the name of acting in the interest of the System–makers and System–maintainers. 

For Africa to move from a System grinder to a System–maker, the author says, choice and determination are absolute determiners.

In the first chapter of the book, Mwewa defines life as “A series of terse, rule–based events we call principles.” 

He asserts in the opening chapter that at independence, all nations are equal, but discover with time the different classifications based on environment, resources and geographical boundaries. 

He gives life choices as either victors or victims, depending on a nation’s position in the quadrant.

The author perfectly navigates The System theory as having been integrated into politics, professions, careers, economy and religion.

According to the author, winners and losers exist in the system, and such scenarios are fashioned to create a systematic order. 

He explains this thought when he writes, “Being poor may be a win in religion but a loss in economics. The System will honor what it designates as a win and shun what it considers a loss.”

The System, in the author’s insight, will celebrate lawyers and doctors but not plumbing or cleaning, which are meant for Africans who should be doing odd jobs due to the position they hold in the very system. 

Mwewa, however, shares his opinion on the relevance of a geographical setup while discussing the value of certain skills and careers. 

In the subsequent paragraphs in Chapter 1, he says, “In the village, physical and manual fortitude may be credited with more value than mental agility.”  

He adds that the best award would go to the person who cuts more trees, ploys more ground, or raises more cattle.

He, therefore, gives the impression that everyone is important in the universe, irrespective of the color of their skin, the nature of their work, the religion they profess or the political class they are affiliated to. 

His understanding is that Africa can still move milestones by utilizing all the available resources and opportunities to address the immediate concerns of the continent. 

He concludes, “The System, thus, defines and determines for people what they should like, value or construe as happiness bringers. In the end, The System becomes the people and the people become The System.”

This book brings into focus the idea that everything on earth, in life, has a pattern since all things happen both in coordination and in sequence. 

He justifies this thought in the second chapter when he writes, “For example, we are all born, live a few or many years on earth, and then die.”  

Mwewa uses this understanding to prevail upon Africans to do what is in their power to influence actions and inform development in their regions since everything has its own time. 

He convinces Africans, through The System, to never focus on their weaknesses but instead explore opportunities that will enable them to exit System–grinder position for System–maintainer or System–maker slot.

The author, however, reminds those nations who think they can make it on their own that The System would crush them. 

He reminds the System–makers, who are the developed nations, that if they decide to be alone, they will belong to the Grinders, who are the developing nations, by default. 

He writes, “You cannot survive being alone. You must discover a niche and belong there. If you want to be on your own, the system will diminish you. If you decide to be alone, you will belong to the Grinders by default.”

The System justifies, in the subsequent chapters, that Africans must first acknowledge that they are developing nations if they really want to climb the ladder and turn around the fortunes of their people. 

Mwewa reiterates in his book that, “If you are going to emerge a winner in The System, you must first know that you belong to a particular quadrant, and then decide whether you wish to move up or down.”

Through The System, the author draws the attention of the world to the saying of Jesus, “The poor you will always have with you.” 

He says at no particular time did Jesus say the poor should be disregarded. 

In Chapter Four, he captures the traits of those in the African continent as having yes–men mentality, a risk-evasive attitude and pure commoners. 

This chapter reminds Africa to face the world’s challenges with bravery and sincerity to remove the grinder’s tag.

The contemporary friendly book reprimands Africans who are obsessed with traditionalism and want to continue on the path of their fore fathers, hence continuing on the path of rigidity. 

Such nations in Africa, according to the book, miss the “good old days” even when it is apparent those days were marked by torture, cultural and massive segregation. 

The author clarifies that such a school of thought is responsible for the backwardness of African development. 

He cautions Africa for being cowards and being too respectful of the European countries who are keen on milking Africa dry.

In Chapter Five, Mwewa defines the system as a sum of its parts. He notes that irrespective of the position a country holds, the wealth attached to it, one’s place is diminutive to the system. 

He supports this position in the second paragraph of Chapter Five, where he writes, “A good example is when you die, slowly but consistently, your record vanishes. Although you were a giant in your time, your being remembered is subject to the system’s agenda, power and how it determines you should be remembered.” 

He refers to the developed countries that mistreat, frustrate and embarrass developing nations that, “Eventually, all your glories and trophies will vanish and remain only as bones or ashes.”

The author introduces tools of the system as great determiners of how nations enter the system. 

He refers to the mind as the first tool of liberation or bondage. 

He says, “Once the mind is liberated, freedom is simply a heartbeat away.

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Preparation first takes place in the mind. If the mind is not ready, victory will be elusive or hard to attain. The thinker has the first warranty to destiny.”

To get your copy of The System, visit https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988251346.