Education is the process of facilitating learning, or the acquisition of knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and habits. Educational methods include storytelling, discussion, teaching, training, and directed research. What must the African be educated on? Knowing himself/herself, values, beliefs and habits. Allowing a foreigner who doesn’t know me or understand me to teach me who am supposed to be based on directed research is just not right. We are so centered on getting directed research or some relief, after receiving it we just waste it and go back to beg for extra reliefs or education. We are here to teach people who we are not learn from people who we are and ought to be. Change they say is inevitable but what type of change are we having; is it the type of change that undervalues our values and principles and embraces what we don’t understand or it’s the change that makes us know ourselves and build us up. We need to rewrite our history, revisit by the fireside; ask kweku Ananse and tikuma to tell apetupre to sound the gong gong for all Africans to get to know their roots. Let the pilolo’s begin, the chaskele and the ampe. Let the failed elders reach out and show the current generation that they love them. Let their love teach them of their responsibilities ahead for Elders are for counsel and young men for war. Let us fight to know ourselves and build a better Africa for the new generation
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3 comments on The heart of the African mind
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The Himba are an ethnic group of about 20,000 to 50,000 people living in northern Namibia, in the Kunene region (formerly Kaokoland) Recently they have also built two villages in Kamanjab which have become a tourist destination. They are mostly a nomadic, pastoral people, closely related to the Herero, and speak Otjihimba, a dialect of the Herero language.What you need to know about the African birth song:Himba is a tribe in Namibia where the birth date of a child is counted not from when they’ve been born, nor from when they are conceived but from the day that the child was a thought in its mother’s mind.
And when a woman decides that she will have a child, she goes off and sits under a tree, by herself, and she listens until she can hear the song of the child that wants to come. And after she’s heard the song of this child, she comes back to the man who will be the child’s father, and teaches it to him. And then, when they make love to physically conceive the child, some of that time they sing the song of the child, as a way to invite it.
And then, when the mother is pregnant, the mother teaches that child’s song to the midwives and the old women of the village, so that when the child is born, the old women and the people around her sing the child’s song to welcome it. And then, as the child grows up, the other villagers are taught the child’s song. If the child falls, or hurts its knee, someone picks it up and sings its song to it. Or perhaps the child does something wonderful, or goes through the rites of puberty, then as a way of honoring this person, the people of the village sing his or her song.
And it goes this way through their life. In marriage, the songs are sung, together. And finally, when this child is lying in bed, ready to die, all the villagers know his or her song, and they sing–for the last time–the song to that person.You may not have grown up in an African tribe that sings your song to you at crucial life transitions, but life is always reminding you when you are in tune with yourself and when you are not. When you feel good, what you are doing matches your song, and when you feel awful, it doesn’t. In the end, we shall all recognize our song and sing it well. You may feel a little warbly at the moment, but so have all the great singers. Just keep singing and you’ll find your way home.
Credits to howafrica.com
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“I have been involved in elections since 1992 and this is the worst in terms of credibility,” Dr Papa Kwesi Nduom told The Africa Report. How all of a sudden the elections was free fair and transparent still eludes me; ah well, I might have been infected with the confused goat syndrome.
In my quest for an anti virus for my infection, i and the good people of Ghana would like to know if in the reports of the 2016 elections, THE HACKING matter would be properly addressed since Madam Georgina Opoku Amankwaa, a deputy chair person of the commission said in an interview that “they” had to completely abandon the electronic transmission system because figures keyed in kept changing, thus the delay in declaration. Could it also be that the commission lost focus amidst the “comfortable lead” and the “we have all the pink sheets” hullabaloo and had to succumb to whatever these two giant parties presented.
“In Ghana many people don’t like the truth, they want what is convenient, but what is convenient is not always right for the people.
Nduom’s party called on the EC to introduce reforms to improve the electoral system.
“What we have now is a bit of a façade,” words of Dr Nduom. Did the Electoral Commission conveniently give Ghanaians the “convenience” we needed?? Was it right…..
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, a true patriot, in his quest of seeing the right things done overlooked this crucial part, I pray someone brings his mind to it.
Let me borrow this paragraph from the danquah institute, “If Ghana is to continue being a reference point for the hope of democracy in Africa then Ghana must get it right and must be bold enough to correct and set things right.
“Democracy in Africa must … be primarily about those who cast the votes and not those who count, record or declare. Their expressions must only reflect that of voters. Nothing more, nothing less.”
From your infected confused goat syndrome guy, do help me find an anti virus @ kinglartey3@gmail.com -
June 4, 2009
I am because we are and we are because you are…. It hurts knowing that the only way our leaders raise funds is by begging for Aides and running to the IMF, other institutions and nations whenever things don’t go on their way, what makes it more ironic is them praising themselves for being able to go beg for money, they have no shame running to the IMF and other nations for alms.
What are we going to do, what do we do to ensure a better future for our kids?
• Go back to our roots, from there we know the fruits it bears
• Taking up our responsibilities, duties and obligations and not shifting them to the IMF and others
I learnt in basic school that culture is the way a group of people live…… now where is our culture?
It is undoubtedly true that some of our culture is not right but then again we have our conscience to guide us, we need to regenerate some of our values and do away with our self rejection and contemptness.
We need to control and not be controlled. Neo colonialism ends in our minds. Culture is psychological; it is only our past that is a concrete model for us to go forwardMorality and Legitimacy………
To be continued -
Jan 22, 2007
What is our culture, what is our history, what brings us all together and makes us one… I leave that for you to answer
Why is that? I believe most of my audience to this note will be Africans from West Africa, Ghana to be precise, luckily for me I was born into a great family, had a good education and other luxuries in life but is that all to life? Recently a confession from my lecturer revealed that the way I dressed influenced him and my little brother goes on ahead chasing every being in skirt trying to beat his big brother. Obviously so many people’s lives are affected by what we do in our daily lives.
Growing up, my stepdad used to have all these (white folks) coming into our house taking all the cars in the name of volunteering and it really got me upset so one day I decided to follow them; I laughed all day, mean how can (white folks) be carrying sand and blocks in Ghana….. I’m grown now and still can’t answer why but this time it’s not funny anymore.
I am strong, you are strong. This is our country and continent, why do I see a problem with me fixing my own country rather than (white folks) whose country is 300* developed than us to come fix it for me.
• Why must I always get money from everything that I do?
• Why must I not educate someone for free expecting nothing but hope for the future
I hope some of you that have hearts will join me on the volunteering service I’m setting for our own development -
June 15, 2005
so i wasted my time
this is Africa, things dont work the way they should
we are africans we must make things work the way we want itwho am i fooling
who am i fooling
we dont even believe in our worththe joy of not sleeping but thinking things through
the excitement only you can explain
the happiness in finding solutionsfriends from afar, friends around
keeps multiplying as days pass
yes i have seen it
yes it comes naturalfrom the streets of accra through to bamako
they sweat, they chase, they run
the sun taketh their rope
the leaders destroys their hopestraining my eyes through the sahara silt
the friends silvers their spoon with lies
who are we foolinghow do we allow complaints and insults to buy our true worth
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September 12, 2010
Visiting my grandmother on holidays as a child was an occasion I always looked upon, her water from the “Kula” was so sweet and smelt yummy I always smiled at the taste of it, not over chilled to blink an eye at the gulp back home from the freezer….
During a story time, she once told me of how nobody eased him/herself in the river, the river or any stream was known to be a God and thus much respect is given it… the God was nice and cuddly and so one could play with it thus playing(swimming) and that we always need a clean god in us(drinking water)
In the olden days, the KULA was a temple, a place the water was Kept, made with clay
But what do we see nowadays… The age of civilization, the age of “shit in the korle”……
I don’t need to talk moreI just miss maaame’s KULA
Lord Fiifi Quayle 