Page 99 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 7
P. 99
REFLECTIONS
the knowledge, but also the ity and condemnation, nothing the Afrikan narrative and would
teachers giving the knowledge. good will come out of Afrika. We do anything to walk away from
I think we have mindset prob- have been doing it for decades Afrika. That's a huge disaster in
lems in Afrika, more than we and it has not worked in our waiting. They think the solution
have intellectual or creativity favor. to their problems is money.
issues. And I bet you, until a So they are filled with hatred
man can look at himself criti- I also wondered in my mind and frustration for not having
cally, search his mind critically, about the years that this per- money, greedy desire to have
no matter how creative or how sons had spent back home, money by all means, the pain of
much of a genius he is, he will with no notable change for all growing up in poverty, and they
still fail. Why? As a man thinks their efforts, then I realized two will do anything to make money.
and perceives life, so is he. things: you cannot change what Why? Such young minds are
you have not invested love into defenseless against the ma-
As a teacher and you cannot change what nipulation that comes from the
Because of this publication, my you don't see any good in. Pe- hands of whoever will give them
wife and I get to interact with a riod! Meaning that you have no the money they seek. And if you
lot of people in different sectors right to condemn what you have try to put knowledge into such
who possess different ideol- not invested your time, love, minds, without first creating a
ogies about Afrika and have compassion to redeem and you situation where their minds can
perspectives of Afrikans. On cannot draw any good out of be renewed positively, then it all
one occasion, there was a dis- what you only see evil in. will be a waste of time.
cussion we had with an Afrikan
(deliberately skipping the Afri- As a student What do both teacher and
kan country of origin) who had Living in Nigeria for a larger student need?
spent a good number of years part of my life before relocating Both the teacher of knowledge
living outside of Afrika and a to Kenya has taught me many and the student of knowledge
few years back home. We talk- things about the kind of mindset must first have the right mind-
ed about how to help Afrikans our young people have con- set about themselves, their
come to the place of true liberty cerning themselves as Afrikans environment, their society and
in every area of life. During our and even concerning Afrika. others. The teachers should be
chat they made some really And I must say, it’s not always able to access the mind of their
great points about the things the best mindset. According to students without any form of
that could be changed, but I UN population data, the youth condemnation and the students
noticed that they never stopped in Afrika, that is those below must have the right mindset to
talking about how useless, the age of 35 years of age, receive that which is beneficial
corrupt, evil, unprogressive and make up about 65 percent of to the larger society.
backward they considered their the entire population of Afrika. This is the reason why in this
home country to be. As I lis- That is a staggering amount magazine, we deal with the in-
tened to all the negative things of youthful energy and brain tellectual issues troubling Afrika,
they had to say about their own power that can be applied to so but we try much more to deal
home in Afrika and how they much good, if well harnessed. with the mindset issues that
believed that living abroad is Now imagine if 80 percent of have made rubbish of all the
better than coming home to live that young population either has intellectual gifts we have had for
a backward life, it was then that no access to stable electricity to decades.
I realized what one of the prob- make use of their creativity, has
lems of Afrika is. As long as we no jobs to engage their minds The Afrika we need and
keep comparing Afrika with the positively, thinks there are dreamed of is possible. It be-
West, Europe, Asia or whatever greener pastures somewhere gins with my mind, your mind
region of the world, we will nev- outside of Afrika, does not be- and our collective minds. For
er be able to take a stand for lieve anything good can come as we all think about Afrika and
change. And two, as long as the out of Afrika, does not have ma- ourselves as Afrikans, so we
card we keep playing concern- tured minds speaking life and will be in Afrika and as Afrikans.
ing Afrika is the card of negativ- wisdom into their hearts, hates
www.msingiafrikamagazine.com heal . restore . rebirth . Afrika | 99
