TATA FRIKY · 5 MIN

Is the government the only one who can develop our country?

The drain is broken. Whose move is it now?

civic-lifeactioncommunity

October 23, 2026

Is the government the only one who can develop our country?

Tata Frikythinking out loud…

Friday
Tata FrikyThe open drain at the end of my street is still there.08:15
I almost lost a shoe in it this morning. It wasn't even an old shoe 💀
KossiHere we go. Someone will tell us to “do our part” again.
Tata FrikyWell... can't we at least do something?
KossiLike what? Buy cement? We already pay for maintenance.
NadiaWait. “Do something” and “pay for the repairs” aren't the same sentence.
Tata FrikyThank you. I was already regretting my sentence.
Tata Friky
KossiBut it's always the same. Things break, then residents are asked to be patient, inventive, and unpaid.
Tata FrikyOh yes. And when we complain, they say all we do is criticise.
NadiaI get both frustrations. There's a public duty here. There's also a real danger right outside your homes.
Tata FrikyYesterday a mother pulled her child back by the schoolbag before he stepped into it.
KossiOh. I didn't see that.
•••
Tata FrikyMy question is bigger than this drain. Is the government the only one that can help a country move forward?
KossiFor roads, schools, hospitals? They have the budgets and the decisions. I have a flashlight and 2% battery.
NadiaWe must be able to hold decision-makers responsible. But a country is also what happens between people.
Tata FrikyLike?
NadiaA neighbour sharing reliable information. An association listening to a street. Parents asking questions at a school.
KossiSure, but none of that repairs the drain.
NadiaNo. I don't want officials telling us to sort it out ourselves either.
Tata FrikySame. If I say “we have a role,” do I give them an easy way out?
KossiExactly.
Tata FrikyAnd if I say “not my problem,” that mother is alone beside the hole.
•••
KossiSo what can we do without becoming a second city hall?
Tata FrikyAsk whether anyone has reported it. I could send the location and a photo.
NadiaYes. Don't try a risky repair. Find out who handles the follow-up.
KossiAnd if nobody replies?
Tata FrikyI don't know. Follow up together? Ask publicly? I'd like to hear from someone who's actually tried.
NadiaI'd like to know what the city has planned too. We're talking about them without asking them.
Tata FrikyI don't want a “save the country yourself” slogan. But I can't stand at the drain debating until the next rain either 😭
Afrikyf has a piece about young people in local decisions.
Tata FrikyAfrikyf · storyyoung people join local decisions
Tata Friky
What can residents do about a public problem?
Where you live, what's ours to do, and what must we demand from the authorities? I'm listening. 👀