IS IT TIME FOR SETTING UP AFRICAN ACADEMIES?

                     How many "inventions" come from Africa? Are africans "capable" of inventing something? If yes,where are these inventions? If no,what is the hindrance? Are these setbacks man-made or "natural"? What is the solution to this? OK! Lets unpack these questions. Inventions come and go. They are reflections of women and men. Inventions are expressions of a peoples' ability to think and resolve challenges. And this begs the question :- are all solutions inventions? Methinks yes! If you are capable of unlocking possibilities then you are an "inventor"!

                     Lets look at our home grown inventions: Kelvin Doe,16, is self-taught teenager who has never had the luxury of taking engineering classes in his home country of Sierra Leone. Yet at 13 years-old, Doe was able to create batteries and generators out of spare parts and resources from trashcans, which he used to power his own community radio station and family home. All with the help of some scrap metal, baking soda, and acid.

                     You remember that Malawian inventor; WIlliam Kamkwamba! At age 14, he built an electricity-producing windmill from spare parts and scrap, working from rough plans he found in a library book called Using Energy and modifying them to fit his needs. The windmill he built powers four lights and two radios in his family home.

                     The list is long.Lets look at the anatomy of these inventors. All these chaps made their inventions from scrap and scratch. They didn't have support material (for research) prior to their inventions. Three,as soon as they unveiled their inventions,they were "poached" and flown out of the African Continent. Four, their governments looked from a distance as they braved all challenges to actualize their thoughts. Lastly, their work will remain to be a true pointer of our abilities to think and "invent".

                   From this; it is imperative to note that africa is rich.The african people are clever and sharp.They are ready to actualize their dreams. They have the energies to surmount these challenges. And this begs  the question :- is it not the opportune time to set up African Academies to tap into these virgin minds? Think about it! 

EMPOWERING SOCIETIES:case of Turkana people

              Progress calls for thinking. This is not rocket science. It is naked truth. Methinks every society is blessed. Tapping these blessings is what characterizes a successful society or a failed one. The Turkana society isn't an exception .It must go through this if it wishes to progress. But this begs several questions - is "tapping” the only way out of failure and poverty? If that is the case why shouldn't societies embrace it? Who should actualize the "tapping"? Lets look at it.

            Wishful thinking isn't a recipe for development. Development is a product of the works of men and women in the course of their lives. Put this together with love for all and we have a progressive society- a society that looks into the future with optimism. This is what is badly needed. I won't say that we need a new generation to make this dream true. Methinks, we have able men and women amongst us who can do it. Of course everybody is able to actualize this dream. What is missing is "the art of looking within". Let me explain what I mean by this.

            Looking within means thinking progressively. It means making use of our potential. Yes this is the meaning! Now let’s "look within". The Turkana people are unique. They are blessed. Here is the road-map on how to "look within". The Turkana traditional dressing gear is wealth. It is money. It is stylish. It is a resource. It is an industry that can pull masses from poverty. This can be tapped. You only need a squad of focused youths and women and everything will be in place. This is my rallying call to fellow youths; "please come back home and put your thoughts into action. This is the only way to participate fully in fighting poverty."

           Secondly, Turkanas are good in singing. This is a gift that God gave them. Methinks this can also be converted to wealth. Think of setting up a County Cultural Center (CCC) which is fully equipped. This will come in handy as a platform for local gifted musicians to perform and record their songs. Try to quantify the so many opportunities that this center will bring. How many "small" businesses will it create? Methinks there will be so many opportunities for everybody. So don't be locked out. Think hard and make this a reality!

           Look at the so may idle elders roaming across this vast territory. These chaps are resourceful. They are walking libraries. Recognizing their roles is not only beneficial to them but to humanity. These men and women have unrecorded histories with them. You can't find what they have anywhere else. They are custodians of culture hence play a pivotal role in explaining the various stages of life that an average turkana man or woman must go through. Don't you think co-opting these guys in shooting documentaries and recordings about the community won't create employment and hence eliminate poverty? Think about it!

           The list is long. For now, let me stop here. Let this be a catalyst for us to think "within” when looking for solutions to our "endless" problems.

ALL ARE ONE

                   This reminds me of one of those camp-fire stories.Those wisdom-loaded stories. A story went like this,once upon a time there existed one kingdom.This kingdom comprised of all creatures under the sun;the elephants,lions,human beings,giraffes,birds of the air,the water creatures...etc. They  lived happily.Relations blossomed.Intermarriages happened. Children of this family could freely integrate with those of other families.There was no suspicion.The kingdom was one and all creatures in it were one...

                     As population increased something funny started popping up in the kingdom. Each family gravitated to its side. The cooperation that existed before thinned and thinned day by day. Some thought of doing something.They thought of engaging all families in dialogue so as to establish the root cause of this disintegration.After months of talking,talking and talking,it was established that one family was responsible for this. The human family was responsible.The humans,as they were called,wanted their own autonomy.They wanted to "show" other creatures that they had nothing to do with them and "their cooperation". Other creatures decided to move forward on their own and leave the human family on their own.

                    Later on after the human family grew bigger and bigger,disagreements emerged.Hostilities grew.Eventually, family members parted ways.Some moved to the north.Others to the south.And still others went towards the east and the west.This led to the emergence of villages.Villages grew larger and gave birth to chiefdoms which were later renamed "Nations",because they signify the "unity" of the human family.

                   But because they shared the same roots they decided to regroup again.They called this new reformation, "Council for the defense of humans".As in the name,the key role of this reformation was to "defend" and "protect" the human family.....On the other hand the other creatures remained as one.They maintained their cooperation....And the story ends.

                                                  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

  Look at this.... Which is noble; schooling orphans  or expelling and dismissing those who do this under the pretext of protecting the State from "infiltration"?

                          

THE TWO WORLDS OF THE OPPRESSED

Liberation is a praxis; the action and reflection of women and men upon their world, in order to transform it.-PAULO FREIRE.

                  Whenever a revolution occurs, it is common to hear of two factions fighting, one in support of it (the revolution) and the other opposing it. I’ve tried to interrogate this issue and I came to a conclusion that this is always a ‘fight’ fought by two oppressed people. The only difference is that they have ‘clothed’ themselves differently. One is clothed as a defender of the oppressor (who happens to oppress both of them). The other is clothed as a liberator of all peoples (the oppressed and the oppressors). But what really causes this fight? Why shouldn’t they team up and fight against their oppressor as one formidable force? The answer is simple. It is the ‘glue’ that binds them to their respective conditions. This ‘glue’ controls their mindset hence their actions and lives.

                       In the first case, where the oppressed fights in the defense of the oppressor; this guy has been conditioned to think that the world revolves around wages, working, marriage……..then of course death. He has reduced himself to the status of a compulsive thinker; the one who looks at the world as a ready-to-occupy-mansion hence he has nothing to contribute but to conform to its ways. What a misguided thought! He is always blaming the world for his woes. He doesn’t believe in himself. He believes that the only way to earn a living is to exchange his intellect with some coins! He takes his master as a super-human who should not be criticized .He doesn’t believe in the collective struggle to better the future. By thinking like this, he is indirectly referring himself as an ‘animal’. Yes scientifically we are classified as animals. But my conscience tells me we are more than animals. Animals do nothing other than conforming to their surroundings; a phenomenon that is commonly referred to as adaptation. As humans we are creative creatures. We don’t just conform, we ‘mold’ the world to suit our aspirations.

                    In the second case (the liberator); he looks into the future. He believes that the future lies on his actions. He has ‘discovered’ his position in the club of humans. He doesn’t think like a conformist but a game-changer. His ideals are long lasting and have an impact on all humanity. He is not ‘fighting’ for himself, he acts as the proverbial bridge to the ‘promised land’. He understands that conforming to the ideals of the oppressor is fertile ground for his continued dependence on others. This one is selfless, he does not believe in the short term benefits and rewards of wages, jobs and salaries. His visions are long term.

                     To sum up, empty talks leave no impact unless put into action. The challenge is yours.

BETWEEN THE MIND AND REALITY;A GUIDE TO PROSPERITY

                      Humans are creatures of reason.They tend to incline on the practical faculty of reason.In short, they link the faculty of reason and the faculty of practice. With this ,it is important to note that humans aren't "sloppy" creatures. They believe in their individual capacity to think. This "unsloppiness" blocks them from being "sheepish".It instills the feeling of confidence in them. It erases the-wait-and-see-what-others-will-do  philosophy. It advocates for the independence of thought and conscience. It abhors enslavement. It eliminates insubordination. Its motto is that of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.

                      But this power of reason is fragile.It is perishable. With continued mis-information it looses its  worthiness.It becomes useless. With this,it is therefore important to handle it with care.It is important to drink from the cup of progress.This calls for accurate information.It calls for elimination of ignorance.

                      What is the matter with this? I have been drumming on this platform that informed society is governable.It is peaceful and independent.But this doesn't come by itself.Some measures must be laid down.It is a give-and-take scenario.So the following are some thoughts on achieving this:

                       Set up village info-labs: They are not complex.You only need the following;an army of restless,idle youths, a small room, internet connectivity and at least three computers.The youths will be fielding questions from the villagers on various matters affecting them, ranging from agriculture,livestock,marketing,education...and so on. The internet will be in handy to help search for responses/answers to all these questions and transmitting queries to relevant authorities for action.

                       Village tele-conferencing.This entails delivering lectures on various matters through tele-conferences. To actualize it you need the following: internet connectivity, a room, intellectual community, and a computer. The intellectual community comprise men and women with knowledge in their fields of specialization and are willing to pass across this knowledge to those in need. Questions will be fielded from the locals (in this case the villagers) and relayed to these "lecturers". They will then organise a day in which they will deliver one-on-one responses in form of lectures transmitted live,thanks to internet connectivity.

                      Thirdly,empowering the weak and the neglected. This is not only beneficial to the select group but acts as catalyst for the general public to engage in gainful acts. Women and youths form the huge segment of this select group. For the case of women,educate them on need to diversify their "chama" activities. Organise visits, connect them with successful ones to allow knowledge transfer.For the youths, they just need to tighten their belts. You know what? The average age for kenyan farmer is sixty years. Isn't this enough to activate the minds of youths? 

                      Lastly for the beggars, the destitute and the disabled; don't neglect them.They are part and parcel of the social reality. Train them and impart them with life skills like gardening, home cleaning, cookery, painting.....This way they will cease to be who they are. They will turn to be contributors of development.

      You can drop your queries/comments  to lemoseh89@gmail.com

                       

THE DISABLED ARE A SOCIAL REALITY

                   Recently I paid a visit to a rehabilitation/training center for the persons with disabilities. It was a study tour. We were to "familiarise" with the challenges these people face on matters architecture, that is, their mobility and accessibility of buildings. We were supposed to propose solutions to these challenges. 

                   Apart from this, I gave myself the job of studying these people - their place in the sea of humanity. Let's delve into this to uncover the gold behind these persons.

                   These are some of the "break-throughs" I got from there.That the disabled are productive.This was contrary to my expectation. I expected to meet disillusioned men and women.I was wrong. They were happy.From their movements and actions you could tell that they had nothing to do with their "incapability". They "forgot" their condition and moved on with life. 

                   We were ushered into their "classrooms"- they are not your usual classrooms. They are more than classrooms,they are factories. I call them factories because they are production centers. Here,they proudly display their works. Ranging from drawings to paintings, home cleaning to cookery, gardening to farming, modeling and so on....The list is long.

                    Secondly,the disabled people are humans. It seems human beings regain their consciousness when they lose it. It is common to find "normal" men and women engage in senseless acts. You might have seen this before. I think we tend to take our "completeness" for granted. For the disabled this isn't the case. They have perfected the art of doing things the right way. These chaps are friendly. They are caring and loving. You know what? They acted as our tour guides. We were moved around the place by them. Methinks this calls for a celebration!

                     Thirdly,this segment of humanity is part of our social reality. They can't be forgotten or ignored. They have a role to play in the society. They are independent. They can fend for themselves. What they need is the minimum from us the "complete-humans" - train and accept them as humans. Doing this is an obligation. It is a duty on our part.

                      Fourth,disability is not inability. Disability is just but a creation of the mind. Their ability to perform demonstrated that all humans have their positive side. Even the disabled do have this side. And so this demands that all humanity should "see" each other as a contributor to global growth. This is a clarion call for us all to rally together and forget about divisions or any other challenges. With this, I have a deep conviction that global poverty will be a thing of the past.

                    Lastly,helping the disabled is not about dishing out foods and clothing.Yes this is good. But this isn't permanent. A helping hand should go beyond giving out goodies. Training and imparting life skills on these chaps is the surest way of helping.And this isn't costly. So as you usher in year 2013 think about training at least one "disabled" person. This will go along way in helping the world than remembering them only during festive seasons.

GENUINE VIOLENCE IS THE ONLY LANGUAGE OF THE OPPRESSED

                   Frustration breeds violence. Violence as a response to provocation is justified. It is legitimate. It is the only language of the oppressed. Only in the sense that the oppressor understands no other language other than violence. The Swahilis say "dawa ya moto ni moto" (the cure of fire is fire). It is the only language because freedom acquired in this manner is "sweet". This freedom is long-lasting. It goes beyond the present generations. It links all peoples. It is a reward for standing up against oppression. It is a reward for speaking truth. It is sweet because we understand the bitterness of securing it from the hands of senseless, heartless humans.

                     This fight manifests itself in different forms. It can be mental or physical. It can be long or short. It can be bloody or bloodless. The common denominator is the reason of the fight - the acquisition of freedom. Just like any conventional war, "weapons" are needed. Winning strategies must be laid down. In this fight there is no surrender. There is no "bowing out". There is only one outcome. That is winning. Victory is its ultimate goal.

                      But "weapons" alone aren't sufficient. Weapons are just but a show of physical might. The important factor here is the brain. It is the mind behind the weaponry. It is the power to draw winning strategies. It is the capacity to act as a team leader. It is the power to see a leader from a crowd. Yes this is the needed reinforcement. With this victory is assured. Let me be clear, I'm not advocating for violence to settle scores. Violence driven by this isn't genuine violence. It is misguided violence. It is vision-less violence. And this begs the question - which violence is genuine?

                    Genuine violence comes out in the defense of public good. It is a response to injustice. It is a solution to poverty. It is the ammunition needed in the fight of intellectual poverty. It is the path towards nationhood and personal independence. It is a fight against "communal/tribal/ethnic mindset". Yes this is genuine violence! But this calls for another ingredient - selflessness. Violence based on this stands the test of time. It is a visionary violence.

                    And this takes me to the world of politics. Governments are founded on the principle of protecting the weak. Equally important to know is that these governments are founded by the populace. It is the voice of the many that carries the day. But numbers alone do not legitimatize these governments.What gives credence to any government is the manner in which it takes care of its people - however "unfruitful" they might be. A government ought to remain guided by its mandate and not its feelings. Feelings and emotions aren't the needed ingredients for development. What is needed is responding to the needs of the people with action, not empty rhetoric.  

                  On the other hand citizens ought to contribute to nation building. This is their core mandate. A working and pro-active population is patriotic. It loves its mother - the nation. On the contrary, a crying population is a lazy population. It believes in the "power of manna". It waits for the government to provide. Its only role is to wait for the government to intervene. What a hell! This isn't the way to build a nation. 

                                                    * * * * * * * * * * * 

                  As you vote, know that you are in a battle whose ultimate goal is winning. Be informed before choosing. This is what I refer to as genuine violence. It is the only way to win your "wars" bloodlessly. But voting alone doesn't secure victory. Victory comes when the aspirations of the weak are fulfilled. These aspirations should define the working formula. When this happens, just say this to yourself, "YES I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, A WINNING FIGHT!"