In these our lands, many years ago, we used to learn by playing. Through song and dance and theatrics, we learnt what was relevant for our circumstances then.
When the colonialists came to inflict their cut of formal education on Africa, we left the fun behind. Classrooms are rigid, sterile, solemn spaces, rewarding routine and culling creativity. The youth only disport in nursery school or after school.
We grow up maybe smart but certainly unimaginative, uninventive, uninspired. Just for example, we have windy plains aplenty and a brilliance of nuclear sun all year, but we’re short on energy and everything else. The former colonialists are increasing the play in their learning – the way we used to do many years ago in these our precious lands.
(Picture credit - tobeworldwide.org)
Couldn't agree more!
ReplyDeleteunimaginative, uninventive, uninspired <---- THIS RIGHT HERE IS THE TRUTH. Chew and pour anyone??
ReplyDeleteSo true, and our educationists continue to lag. What to do?
ReplyDeleteHow do we subvert the teacher training colleges?
ReplyDeletehear, hear
ReplyDeleteAnd it used to bring people together. Learning to respect each other and to tolerate each other. Now life is more egoistically lived. It is I I I I and I. And it isn't going to change, that being the pitiest part.
ReplyDeleteactually, that's probably not strictly true. as places become more "citified" or as places become ore populated(across cultures), learning takes on a more rigid form. there were probably rigid aspects of our learning back then that no one bothers to tell us about - our fathers because of nostalgia for the old days, and the british because they didn't want us to think that our ways of learning were just that - ways of learning, instead of playing.
ReplyDeleteTrue Talk
ReplyDeleteSpot on!
ReplyDelete