Page 105 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 15

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put her on the path of progress and then you see on television or on noticed that almost all such talented
prosperity? Will there ever be a time social media that a young talented kids that are paraded on the media
when Afrikans will stand tall enough Afrikan child has built some toy cars for creating things which are consid-
to create their own reality without or toy earth moving vehicles. And ered beyond their age and expertise,
tagging along behind the west, or then there is a call to support and are from poor families living in poor
anyone else? train him to become a true engi- neighborhoods and without the
neer who will build the machines resources to take their skills and in-
We teach our kids that to grad- needed for the engineering needs of ventions to the next level? So, does
uate from Harvard university is Afrika. A noble idea, if you ask me, that mean kids from rich homes
more honorable and worthy than but have you ever considered that, with all resources available don’t
to graduate from the university of ten years ago, someone like him have brains to create things while
Rwanda and then complain when was also paraded on the street with the poor kids from the poor homes
they just can’t disconnect themselves similar skills and creations? What have all the skills but no resources?
from the tendency to think and happened to that person? Probably
behave as people who undermine never spoken of again after the I think we are already failing in the
their own continent. We simply have street show, and thus could not get struggle if the next generation has
not given them a mirror to look at anywhere with his invention. to come into the same struggle,
that reflects back to them who they complain like us, create no useful
are, so they take all their cues from What about if we had accurately system that alleviates the struggle
tagging along behind others. And trained that first child ten years ago and then pass the baton again to the
when they invent or create new till he succeeded with his invention, next generation of strugglers and
things, they must bring it first to the would he not have come to under- talented poor kids.
table of the west for approval and stand how to work on talent until If you ask a relatively successful
then sell it to the highest bidder. It it became useful to the society and businessman what his current dream
has been a loop of hopeless struggle then be in the better position to is, he will say he wants to take his
to become like others but not one’s now train the talented kid of today? business to the next level. But there
unique self. Again, should it not have been a is no next level that is devoid of the
priority for Afrikan governments to next generation. Why is it that we
There is this popular phrase I have create technical schools specifically don’t think of the next generation
heard people use over time. It says for such creative and talented kids when we make our business plans?
“Aluta Continua” which means the where they are trained to become We must be trans-generational in
struggle continues. In as much as it real engineers and true entrepre- our thinking. For the person that
sounds like a chant of solidarity, my neurs? Do they have to struggle speaks of the next level is only
question is, how long shall we keep for years bearing both the burden speaking about how to make more
struggling as Afrikans? of the very talent bubbling in their money. More money is not the defi-
We struggle for even simple ba- minds and then the pain of trying to nition of the next level, creating an
sic amenities in our communities. make something out of the talent? enabling environment for the next
But success does not come from a generation that won’t need to come
compilation of struggles, it comes We like to rejoice when a sudden and repeat the struggle, is.
from the wise building of structures breakthrough comes for one of our
and systems based on principles that Afrikan children in their area of Why is struggling and hustling
work. It comes from when the older expertise. Especially when someone synonymous with Afrikans, while
generation, having done the initial outside of Afrika finds them and ease and comfort is synonymous
struggle and having mastered how invests in their talents. What about with the West or Europe. Why
things work, create an enabling en- if we created the system that spots stick with hard work, hustling,
vironment for the next generation, them right in their villages and then struggling, which are almost all the
so they don’t have to come relive empowers them right there without time connected to poverty, when
the struggles, but build success. We ever subjecting them to the struggle working smart, creating of enabling
must put down our yokes of strug- of hustling? Is it not embarrassing systems by the older generation for
gle and start to put on our thinking that our talented children are only the younger generation should be
caps. spotted by others in other conti- embraced as an option?
nents? Imagine what Afrika can achieve by
Take for instance, every now and Another thing is this, have you ever doing that.

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