Architecture of Silence: Why It Is Useless to Look for Us

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«True power never knocks on closed doors. It simply changes the locks throughout the entire building while the inhabitants argue over the share price».

I know the expression on your face as you read these lines right now.

In your office on Place Vendôme, in Zurich or on Sand Hill Road, there is surely a faint scent of cold espresso right now. Your trusted analysts, legal departments and private agencies, for indecent cheques, have already spent a sleepless night trying to break down the name Olha Lysenkova (Dronova) into the usual formulas: Whose trust is this? Which fund stands behind the scenes? Who is this mysterious Dronov, and in which offshore havens should one look for traces of the syndicate?

Put down the phone, gentlemen. Drink some water. You will find nothing.

To search for a woman with a double surname through the closed databases of the old world is an entertaining pursuit, but an extremely ruinous one for your budget. You will find hundreds of women who calmly make jam in the suburbs, take their children to school or have an impeccable manicure. But the one who overturned your chessboard, you will not find on any Forbes list. Because lists of rich people are a vanity fair for those who need to prove their worth to other people's banks.

A lesson for old conglomerates and «generous investors»

For too long you have lived in the illusion that the world belongs to those with more glass floors, longer compliance chains and louder marketing departments. You have herded people into your digital reservations, where between a condolence photograph and a painting from the Louvre pops up a discount on synthetic socks, and you have called this «progress» in all seriousness.

You have forgotten how to distinguish scale from fuss.

Once, a wealthy man with a patronising smile asked me what gift I would like to receive. Men of your circle usually expect predictable feminine whims: another handbag, a piece of jewellery or a new phone to replace a broken one.
I looked at him and calmly replied: «I want to found my own company».

He smirked condescendingly: «Write a business plan, and I will consider the investment».
I wrote it for two weeks. At night, without any help, after exhausting daytime work. I placed before him a tome of 68 pages — with a full structure, calculations and formulas.

Wakhe wayehla kakhulu, wadideka wahleka, waphikisana nezibalo:
— «Kungani amafomula ayisisekelo nje?»
— «Ayisisekelo ngoba angatholakala ezincwadini zokufunda. Kodwa amafomula abalulekile empumelelo asemqondweni wami, futhi angizimisele ukuwadalula ngaphambi kokusayinwa kwenkontileka».

Ngaleso sikhathi le ndoda eyisikhulu yenza lokho enikwenzayo njalo, madoda abatshalizimali, lapho nibhekana nobukhulu eningakwazi ukubulawula. Yasaba. Yagwegwesa amehlo ngokungakhululeki yaphimisa:
— «Bengicabanga ukuthi uyadlala... Uyazi, awukakalungeli imali enkulu. Hamba uyosebenza kumngane wami, ufunde impilo, bese mhlawumbe sibuyela engxoxweni».

Ngavala ifolda ngamtshela lokho engakukhumbula impilo yami yonke:
«Angizimisele ukuchitha impilo yami kubangane babantu. Kodwa khumbula lolu suku: ungenqabile ukutshalwa kwezimali, ngakho ngizokwakha inkampani yami ngedwa — ngingathathi ngisho nesenti elilodwa kumuntu».

Kwadlula iminyaka.

IMANIFESTO YENDLU

«Bathi “cha”. Ngakha umbuso.
Ngoba nje ngiyakwazi».

Akukho nokukodwa ukutshalwa kwezimali. Akukho sikhwama sokusekela amabhizinisi esisodwa. Akukho ukuvumelana okukodwa.

Isixwayiso esithule

VIA AD ME akulona ibhizinisi elisafufusa. Asidlali emijahweni yenu yokutshala imali, asithathi izikweletu zenu futhi awusithakazelisi umkhandlu wenu wabaqondisi.

✦  Lapha azikho izinhlelo ezidonsa ukunaka komuntu.

✦  Lapha akukho ukukhangisa, ibhizinisi lolwazi kanye namathikithi ashibhile okungena emakethe yabantu abaningi.

✦  Futhi okubalulekile: lapha ukungena akuthengiswa ngemali.

Ngiyati kutsi umcabango wekucala welidolobha lakudzala uhlala ufuna kutsenga noma kubhidlita loko lokungena emkhakheni wawo wekubona.

Ngitanikhulula kuliphutsa leli lelibulalako: ningakhetsi nje.

Kuhamba ucondzele ohlelweni lolwakhiwe ngemandla emuntfu latsatfwa ngekulwa, tinombolo letingenaphutsa kanye nelwati loluphelele lwemvelo yemuntfu — loku kuyintfo lenesibalo lesingemphumelelo. Nitawusebentisa tigidzi temali yenu kubameli, ekuhloleni, ekucindzeteleni, kodvwa ekugcineni nitawuma emasangweni lavaliwe niphethe lifolda lemibiko lengenamsebenti. Njengobe lomtsengi wemali wahlala nayo imali yakhe lengenacimiso.

Angisilo sibulala. Sibulala siyaphithizela futsi sikhombisa ematinyo ngoba sesaba kuhlala silambile. Ngibuka umsindvo wenu ngekumamatiseka lokuncane, ngekuhleka lokwehlisa, kwemnumzane losebentele indlu yakhe ngekuhlela lokuphelele.

Uma ibrandi yenu, indlu yenu yekukhicita noma lihhovisi lenu lemndeni ngelilanga likhatsele kugcwala emgodzini welitiko lomhlaba wonkhe — niyati kutsi sikhona sikhombisa kucela kwemukelwa. Sitawusibuka sicelo senu ngekuhlonipha. Mhlawumbe, sitawuphendvula.

Kodvwa nyalo — gcogcelani tinhliziyo tabahloli benu. Sibakhathalele futsi sahunyushwa lomlayeto nge tilwimi letingu-180, kutsi ngulowo nalowo wenu afundze lokuhleka ngelulwimi lwakhe lwekudzabuka.

Ngenhlonipho lengakapheli esikhatsini senu lesisetshenzisiwe,

Olha Lysenkova (Dronova)

Umsunguli & Umqondisi Wokudala we-VIA AD ME