Views from African Perspective
Throughout the slave trade, and finally the colonization and the present neo colonization, Africa has never been given a chance to contribute her wisdom at the world stage. In all the years, West has developed a pretentious attitude of knowing all in Africa. That was a social complexity attitude that developed in Europe during the feudal system to keep serfs out of master’s walls. When Africa was opened up, the Europeans who came to Africa and made fortunes became knower’s of all. Africa in turn shut herself out. Africa has one special quality, she does not shout to say she knows. The more silent she is, the more despised she is, and pushed over. In light of this, West introduced colonial system of education in Africa because they needed to “rescue” her from one long night of ignorance. Education is an expression of mind. The education they received was to make them mega machine components automated to a thought free forward push, but rendered unyielding in the change of position.
From London school of Oriental and African Studies, one of the black students writes; “Of course we are not thrown into jails or tortured for what we say in Britain. But the practice of making students who challenge the accepted academic order [that the colonial period was useful to Africa otherwise ‘it wouldn’t even have the little development it had’] is surely a form of imprisonment —”This state of affairs work-very subtlety- on the minds of students. You have to toe the line or perish. And since nobody wants to commit academic suicide, we all conform. This is how the minds of Africans who study abroad are” conditioned” to become classic HMVs – His Masters Voice (NewAfrican- February 2000, 38)
Africa must not pretend she does not know. She must stand up and say she knows. In terms of foreign aid let her receive aid inform of soap but she should not allow advisers in her bathroom to receive advice on how to scrub her back.
“The Kikuyu, as a rule were not much interested in their — surrounding. Although they had a name for all the shrubs, and trees and birds, they walked about their country without appearing to possess it” The Flame Tree of Thika, Elpeth Huxley- 1913
“The very freedom which marks the period of childhood gives unrivaled opportunity for picking up all sort of information about the environment — As he roams the country – side he learns to distinguish a great variety of birds, animals, insects, trees, grasses, fruits and flowers—. He does not observe or understand them as a lesson in a natural history, but knows their habits and life history as he needs for his purpose. ” Facing Mount Kenya , Jomo Kenyatta- 1938
She must take a radical change from the Western tailored systematic education that is based on concept of agriculture which in turn controls the pace of her development to a free approach based on performance or result oriented.
Look! Stonehenge which is situated in Southern England in the Salisbury plain was erected by people related to the Luos of Kenya but unfortunately the Luo elders of Nyakach are yet to reveal the science and purpose of erecting them. It is unfortunate that Britons are spending nights there every Christmas as a way of reclaiming “their” heritage at the expense of the Luo civilization. Stonehenge built between C 1900BC and C 1400BC are ruins of a megalithic monument. Its features are rings of stones surrounding a horseshoe of upright stones, and lone vertical stone, the heel stone. It was built in three phases, between C 1900BC to C 1400 BC, most probably, to serve as a Divine center and an observatory from which astronomical calculations could be made.
Samuel Kamitha – Chief Seer’s Messenger