Some Brief Thoughts on the Rise of Obama

"Each generation must out of relative obscurity discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it," Franz Fanon

Too soon to judge Mr Obama but.........

This event marks the culmination of a journey to achieve the American dream, to fulfill the quest to show that we are just as capable or competent as other folks.
I can salute those travelers for proving that a Black Man can occupy the highest office in the land and I respect their convictions.
But for me the dream of America, rises on a sordid history and is sustained in a current reality which is much more a nightmare than a dream.
But putting a brilliant black man in the office and a beautiful Black Family in the White House, could only amount to something short of victory for African People or humanity.
Because the cost, the price to achieve that dream would demand something that Brother Obama and his team, in my opinion, do not appear to possess.
That requirement is, the commitment to bring into reality a world that upholds the irreducible worth and dignity of humanity at all costs. A commitment that the likes of Dr King was prepared to fight for, to serve the people with and when necessary died for.
Being black, being African in my humble opinion, is about a way of constantly honoring life with the integrity of all our thoughts and actions. I would like to briefly refer to another of our brethren who rose to lead his people in even more dread and challenging times and did have to be principled in understanding his historic mission. Black as redefined by Jean Jacques Dessalines means lover of liberty and black is the color and texture of liberty.
Obama may well bring some of that to the Whitehouse, although I propose that he has already had to deny, disconnect from and disavow significant parts of himself, to get pass the guards.
Yes I am sure that Brother Obama, from his soul, may even be moved to pull out the harpoon fired into lives of the wretched of the earth by global imperialism.But like Brother Malcolm offered pulling out the blade halfway" as pragmatic as it might be, is not justice.
One of many examples of this conundrum is the planned redeployment of the hapless servants, dying and killing in Iraq, to do the same thing in Afghanistan.Obama must have been advised that the technology and skill, the art of war of the American military, was now advanced enough to totality obliterate the grim history. The fate of failure, of multiple imperial invasions into the lives of the Afghan people in that land that has suffered so much and for too long.
Obama, a student of history, should learn it's lessons and try something else, to win the peace, with the wisdom and maturity of peace, not with the brutal ignorance of death and destruction as the only solution. Unfortunately it strikes me that he, Obama, could be suffering from the same fever, that led so many to create more misery and ultimately fail in their imperial enterprise.
Dr King's legacy is, as is our other freedom fighters, to change the nature of this beast, these arrogant ways of thinking, resident in the highest corridors and houses of power in the land. If he could not, then he was willing to die trying to keep his pledge.
But King's vision extended beyond the beast. It was a vision of the Beloved Community, brought into reality by a revolution of values, yet aware of the threat of the triple evils. This beloved ancestor was looking for a better world at the mountain top. I doubt that it was about,being enstooled in the Oval Office. That would be sterling, only if the office itself was used to change the nature of the dominant culture, to one true to the principles of universal human rights and dignity for all.
This may be presumptuous and is in effect somewhat unfair to the brother, to suggest that he does not have "it". I can acknowledge that he can and probably is committed to softening the blows of oppression that fall on "his people", maybe even to help us "progress" in this current national and global order. I am sure that few of us wanted another 4 years of the abuse, the assault on humanity that came out of Washington.
I can salute him for that and my expectations are therein, guarded.
Obama's promises to address the ills of society, are laudatory but only valid within the tortured confines of the neo-liberal, agenda of integration.
I cannot give undue credit or expect him to fulfill an agenda, a sojourn for liberation and human dignity that he has not really claimed or been defined by. It would in many ways be unfair to judge him for failing to achieve those objectives.
I also must note that Obama the human and President Obama-the office, are not necessarily organic and my critique is sensitive to this reality.
So what does Obama mean to me. Well, I feel good, real nice to see a brother up there, sincerely, I get the same chills as when looking at the Williams Sisters, Tiger Woods, Muhammed Ali, trounce their opponents. Yes we can, we can win, but are we sure that the game we are in,is really about us and that the prize will be worthy of our investment. I feel that our dream, the promise we are reaching for, is way beyond the capacity and imagination of the White House, even with a black man in it.
But I do expect things to be a little less painful and maybe, brother might even slow down the rate at which the Titanic is going under.
I hope that the brother proves me very wrong and that the ceremonial spear his grandmother brings inspires him to rise and met Fanon's challenge, noted above.

Sizwe

Doom and Gloom or Opportunity for Change?

Greetings Fellow Travelers,

Hope that this New Year, brings the well deserved blessings to you all. The way forward seems littered with awesome economic obstacles, which threaten to redefine the essential structure and nature, not only of markets, but of the societies that therein exist. Indeed a glacial shift in the global economies, the real New World Order, may be coming forth with relentless force. Though much of the attention has been focused on those actors at the commanding heights of industry, finance, etc, in the most economically developed societies, the impact of this meltdown actually falls with violent force, on those at the lower levels of the economic structure.
It is to us who work to live, those whose life and not classic profit margins, stock portfolios, etc, are dependent on the health of the economies. The ironic question, is about the viability of such dependence on the traditional economic models. Should workers who toil day to day, to feed, house and clothe our families, entrust their investments to the judgment of the likes of those responsible for the current economic crisis. Indeed the added question is, whether or not this was a error made by a system that works, or if this was the inevitable outcome of a model based on the exploitation of humanity and nature, consumerism, ever expanding profit and greed, that time and time again has shown that its essential rhythm is "boom and bust". The result is crisis, scramble for survival, vulture like preying on fellow competitors and historically violent conflict, that escalates to global warfare.
If these reflections present a picture of doom and gloom, it is only the partial message, what I really feel, is that the opportunity for significant and substantial change is present. That the recognition of the need to do the work of detoxifying, cleansing from the wanton excesses, overindulgence and pathological dependency of the current era is finally in effect. For those of us who work to live, this could well be our opportunity to redefine our way of being, our way of living in a more sterling and nourishing way.

Greetings Beloved Family,

And I believe that it becomes a troubled continent because there are those who must always cause confusion so that we do not keep these natural resources.
Miriam Makeba


Thought I would share a few reflections on the transition of our dear and beloved Mama Africa.
You know, many of us grew up, swaying gently to and being serenaded by the beautiful melodies of Miriam Makeba and will always have her in our hearts. She spoke and sung in the unconquered and unconquerable language of Mother Africa and so gently touched our souls.
In a time when respect for Africa was all but unthinkable, she like so many others brought me and I am sure many of you, a special message. A message of dignity and self respect. That there was a place called home, where we could be, love and celebrate ourselves in ways that could never be defined, or confined by the oppressor. And did not need their endorsement either. For me it was much later in life, before I was truly able to appreciate that she was a beacon of hope,for the liberation of African people everywhere and for the upliftment of all humanity. She not only sang and talked about love for and the liberation of Africa, but she worked and lived for the realization of that promise in every moment of her life. What an example of service and love.
I mean this sister, mother goddess, stood uncompromised and ultimately triumphant against the trials
and tribulations, the slings and arrows that came her way from the racist settler regime in South Africa.
A bunch of the original thugs and oppressors, who were in effect manifestations of the unsheathed point of the obscene weapon,that is imperialism.
The victory over that bastion of inhumanity was won by countless noble and unacknowledged souls, Miriam Makeba
stands in their ranks, an shining example to all, to us devoted to working for a better world. She stands now with, Malcolm X, Samora Machel, Walter Rodney, Patrice Lumumba, Sekou Toure, Kwame Toure, Che Guerva, Nzinga , Yaa Asante Waa, Marcus Garvey and the legions of other freedom fighters.
Of course we know that "A Luta Continua" ( The Struggle Continues). As Mama Africa made the rounds, visiting the liberated zones in Southern Africa and elsewhere, this message from FRELIMO in Mozambique was romanticized in her own rendition, written by Bongi, and later on our brother Big Youth's version. The message, "the Struggle Continues" reverberates across the decades, guided our sister and we would do well to heed in in these heady and sometimes, seemingly contradictory times of the apparently amazing achievement of Africans in America. Beautiful in word and song, spirit and body, our beloved ancestor was still a disciplined freedom fighter. A characteristic that has been and will remain vital to our every success.
We are reminded that in her dance through this life, our Mama Africa, showed that even at it's most daunting nadir, the African Star is always rising. We are ascendant, continuously reborn in the the heart and soul of our sacred circle--- our ancestors, those present in this time and our beloved unborn. As the brother said " you can kill the revolutionary you can't kill the revolution" Fred Hampton Sr.
Thank you Mama Africa for allowing us , the privilege and honor, to share this wonderful journey with you and along the way remember how to hold ourselves a little more tenderly, love ourselves a lot more, as we honor our motherland.
In the quiet moments of the dawn, or indeed anytime, I am quite sure I can hear the sweetly delicious echoes of Malika or Ngoma Nkurila that help lift us all to Higher Ground.
To honor your legacy and indeed all of our honored ancestors, I like so many who received your blessings pause at this bittersweet moment, to rededicate myself to work for the total liberation of African people and human rights and dignity everywhere.
As a Pan Africanist I am appreciative and inspired by your contribution to the restoration, the reconnection, the healing and renaissance of our people.
Medase Mama

Africa has her mysteries, and even a wise man cannot understand them. But a wise man respects them.

Miriam Makeba

Greetings Loyal Readers,
Been a long, long time time, but I am still working and living. In recent weeks the winds of chaos of the Wall St., global financial markets and the global economy have buffeted the lives of the rich, the middle class and the poor.(Actually these winds have been brewing for quite a while) The last grouping being a sector, that our great hope for the future, Barack Obama, does not directly mention in his campaign presentations. Then again, maybe I just missed that part in his speeches. In my opinion, this economic storm has historic and oceanic consequences.
Like nothing before, it seems to be an indictment of a system, an ideology, a culture, that places profit over people,that assigns worth and value to individuals and huge swaths of humanity, based on financial portfolio. The difference this time seems to be, that having gorged themselves on the material and human resources of the world, those who dominate the global economy, are now in the throes of wretched purging, an inevitable outcome of the brazen binging spree they were on for centuries.
What we are witnessing is not a mistake, not errors or indiscretions of a perfect system as those who worship at the altar of the market are bound to claim. We heard that before, in their own tales about the golden idols of Babylon.
The attempt to assign blame to one or the other sector of those of us caught up in the domination of this global leviathan is specious. Shameful attempts to blame the efforts of those,e.g. victims of the so-called sub-prime market, who in pursuit of the American dream were set up by the Pied Piper of capitalism. Many drown in the now evident whirlpool of falling home values, combined with terrifying plunge in the personal income/assets of a vast majority of the working class and now a even more painful credit crunch. Trillions lost from pension funds.
In effect these are symptoms of the deeper problems I just mentioned, a systemic/inherent faultline in the very character, the nature of the monopoly capitalism. Focused on the goal of maximizing profit, driven by the need to ever expand the markets of consumption and exploitation, compelled to dominate and control the resources of the many for the benefit of the few, the monster turns every event into an opportunity to ramp up its deathlock. It tightens the screws on the real source of its ill gotten gains, the natural and human resources of the world. They cynically offer a trickle down theory and twist the dagger of insult and injury further, as they indulge in the wealth created by the blood, sweat, tears and yes, genius of the oppressed.
So engorged with the blood of its victims, the beast is massive and unstoppable. Noble attempts to oppose it, win some transient victories, but lose the battle.
Attempts to accommodate oneself to the bullying of this kind of enslavement, lead like any disease to self denial, self destruction and death. The structure of abuse and exploitation has to collapse on its own contradictions. Our problem, common working people of the world, is not the same as those who rule.This is in effect because of the very concrete issue of identity and identification within the context of an oppressive global culture. It clouds ones ability to respond effectively top crisis and to appreciate the value of life itself or even to recognize one's own self and interests. Think back to the Stockholm Syndrome,or remembering Brother Malcolm's incisive observation about the house slave, may be of some help in this analysis. Indeed the master is sick, you read the rest as to why we should pray for a stronger wind. A tough proposition, but events seem to validate this with every passing moment.

I close with a few reflections and questions to consider.
Can those who run and have run things for so long, solve this problem of their own creation? They are at their wits end and trying to use the same medicine that created the crisis.
Indeed the govt. will probably have to turn to the same "experts" corporate raiders, to come up with the brilliant solutions to resolve this enigma. Check out who is the project manager for how to spend the loot from the seven hundred billion plus, bailout of Wall ST.
Even if they could save the Titanic/slave plantation, would that mean deliverance or
salvation for the rest of us.
How come in most calculations of the economic crisis the fact that this is a country engaged in a prohibitively expensive global war on terror, so-called, is not factored into the equation/popular discussion?

Check the following....
It might be helpful to dust off the work of John Kenneth Galbraith and to pay attention to Naomi Klein's thesis on disaster capitalism , particularly her refrain that "ideas have consequences" in relation the the legacy of Milton Friedman.
Reflect on Peter Tosh's prophetic chant " What a day when the dollar dies".

Yet all is not lost we will survive this mess as our ancestors have before. But we can only do so on our terms, this Titanic is listing heavily. We have seen the housing market jobs, credit etc., watch now for more disruption in the energy market and yes the challenge to the US dollar as the dominant global standard.
Of course those of us free enough to acknowledge our identity, could make a "b" line to our cultural fountain and look at, or lean on what has always delivered us. Our cultural legacy has within it, the seeds to create the world we want and need. We find that resource by turning to each other, for respite and solution to the trials and tribulations we face. Garvey among several said and lived the truth that we can and must be the solution to the problems that face us. Once we accept that responsibility these challenges become less ominous and the restoration of integrity, so vital to the integrity and validity of our liberation becomes an matter of course.
This process will yield results, because the fruits of our labor and creativity will be for the benefit of our own communities. The way of being we can create, can never come from our oppressor, never from the dominant culture. Even if it wanted to, it does not know how to be that humane, has not got the integrity or humility to ask.

Remebering the work and lives Honored Ancestord

Greetings Beloved Comrades,

This has been another momentous week on a personal, communal and global level, and I pause to reflect on some events in relation to the work, life and legacy of honored ancestors.

As you know August 13th, marks one year since Baba Asa Hilliard transitioned to that higher level of consciousness and being. Again I want to thank the Hilliard family for sharing this beloved son of Africa with us and appreciate those who paused in awareness, to honor and continue his work.

I was privileged to share a few precious moments with Mama Robbi but because of her dignified forbearance, I did not realize until after the conversation, in which I was requesting her assistance, that this week marked that anniversary and the emotional gravity that obtained. With classic nobility she attended to my requests, not once indicating the challenging sentiment of this first year since the transition of her beloved father. It was only after I called back that she acknowledged the weight of the moment. I share these private moments because it signals to us all, the importance of being in appreciative awareness of the love and dignity, the nourishment and creative genius of love that lies within. It is without reservation that I salute the Hilliard family for their devoted service to African people.

Begging your indulgence, I must mention that August 13, 1972, marked the transition of another beloved freedom fighter and healer, who is not known in these parts but is my ancestor. That woman hailed from Guyana, is another devoted child/daughter of Africa, a Garveyite, devotee of then Emperor Haille Selassie and servant of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, my grandmother.
This is also the time to remember, celebrate, honor and most importantly learn and continue the teachings and the work of the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey. This is how I strive to remain connected to my ancestor.

Yes, I feel a little pride in noting that Baba Asa transitioned on the same day as Granny Sarah. To me both remain as beacons to better tomorrow, offering liberation and nourishing inspiration of work life and living today.
Following is a sample of the brilliantly nourishing work of Baba Asa.

To Be an African Teacher
By Asa G. Hilliard, III
Fuller Callaway Professor, Atlanta University
Former First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton has been criticized by right-wing conservatives—and even libertarians after her comments centering upon her book It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. Her catchphrase was, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Most North American patriots and corporate-backed propagandists argue that Ms. Clinton is asking too much of us regarding the education of our children—Asa Hilliard III moves in the opposite direction: he effectively says we are not doing enough. The words here suggest that it takes a refined and nurturing cultural foundation to raise a child—and the teachers of our children take up their task as one dutifully follows a religious calling.

…Ptahhotep, instructs the ignorant in the knowledge and in the standards of good speech. A man teaches as he acts… The wise person feeds the soul with what endures, so that it is happy with that person on earth. The wise is known by his good actions. The heart of the wise matches his or her tongue and his or her lips are straight when he or she speaks. The wise have eyes that are made to see and ears that are made to hear what will profit the offspring. The wise is a person who acts with MAAT [truth, justice, order, balance, harmony, righteousness and reciprocity] and is free of falsehood and disorder.

—Ptahotep 2350 B. C. E.
(From The Teachings of Ptahhotep, the oldest book in the world, 4750 years ago, an African book from KMT [“Egypt”]).

Many of us do not know it, but African people have thousands of years of well-recorded deep thought and educational excellence. Teaching and the shaping of character is one of our great strengths.

In our worldview, our children are seen as divine gifts of our creator. Our children, their families, and the social and physical environment must be nurtured together. They must be nurtured in a way that is appropriate for a spiritual people, whose aim is to “build for eternity.”

What a pity that our communities have forgotten our “Jeles” and our “Jegnas,” our great master teachers. What a pity that we cannot readily recall the names of our greatest wise men and women. What a pity that we have come to be dependent on the conceptions and the leadership of others, some of whom not only do not have our interests at heart, they may even be our enemies. Some actually seek to control us for their own benefit through the process of mis-education.

Henry Berry of the Virginia House of Congress (during the antebellum period) said this about African people:

We have closed every avenue through which light may enter their minds. If we could only extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be complete.

So we have two primary reasons for knowing our heritage in education and child raising, or socialization.

We have the best teaching and socialization practices ever developed anywhere in the world. These practices are still good for others and for us now.
The primary tool of our oppression is mis-education by our oppressors. We must regain control over the primary education and socialization of our children.
Everywhere on the African continent, from the time of the Pharoahs in Ancient KMT (Egypt) to the modern era, great African civilizations in many river valleys, from the Nile to the Niger and to the Cape, were the center of the most sophisticated education and socialization systems ever developed on the Earth. Some of these civilizations developed in Africa long before other civilizations developed anywhere else in the world. The vestiges of these brilliant African creations can still be found in Africa and throughout the African Diaspora (see Finch, 1998).

We must consider our ancient traditions; traditions that made us respected teachers all over the globe. Our people must hold their heads high in all matters that pertain to teaching and learning.

African traditional teachers were and are people of high character, who have deep respect for ancestors and for community tradition. African teachers accept the calling and the obligation to facilitate inter-generational cultural transmission. African teachers also strive for the highest standards of achievement in emerging science and technology, areas that have always owed much to African scholarship.

Our genius is a part of the foundation of the revolution in knowledge in physics, mathematics, engineering and cyber-technology. Our genius is present at the deepest levels of the arts and humanities. All of this is in spite of overwhelming resistance to our learning by determined oppressors.

Therefore, for many African Teachers, tapping the genius and touching the spirit of African children is not a mystery. Not only can our children learn, they bring awesome intellects to the task. It is a routine manifestation of the African teacher’s excellence to nurture this genius. Along with teaching content, teaching good character and social bonds are our historical and contemporary strengths.

African teachers, worldwide, share in a cultural deep structure, based upon an African “world-view,” a shared way of looking at the world and the human experience. This world-view channels the focus of African teachers, providing them with appropriate patterns for thought and practice.

While it certainly is a practical necessity to get academic degrees and certification from non-African institutions, such teacher training and legitimation is really minimal preparation for African teachers. We go far beyond these things to reach our traditional higher standards, whether we work in public or in independent settings, whether we teach our own children or also teach the children of others.

For the African teacher, teaching is far more than a job or simply a way to make a living. Students are not “clients” or “customers.” Our students and parents are our family. No sacrifice is too great for that family, for its growth and enhancement.

What is special about an African teacher? It is the world-view and the practice that comes from our world-view, even when it is a dim memory.

A teacher of African ancestry who does not go beyond certification and degrees to know or to embrace an African world-view is not an African! Cultural excellence is the essence of and African teacher. In all of our learning, we must acquire an understanding of ourselves and our heritage. This does not mean that we cannot learn from others. However, we must be critical learners, rejecting anything that is anti-African.

African teaching functions must be embedded in and must serve an African community. Traditionally, African communities have been identified by a shared belief in several key elements. It is these elements that are the foundation for African teachers.

The belief that the cosmos is alive.
The belief that spirituality is at the center of our being.
The belief that human society is a living spiritual part of the cosmos, not alien to it.
The belief that our people have a divine purpose and destiny.
The belief that each child is a “Living Sun,” a Devine gift of the creator.
The belief that, properly socialized, our children will experience stages of transformation, moving toward perfection, that is to be more like the creator (“mi Re” or like Ra, in the KMT language, meaning to try to live like God).
Since the deep guiding principle of “living like God” is to follow MAAT (Truth, Justice, Righteousness, Order, Reciprocity, Harmony, Balance), then African teachers focus the curriculum on the real and the true, on what was, what is, and on what can be, in keeping with divine principles.
African teachers place a premium on bringing their students into a knowledge of themselves and a knowledge of their communities. African people place great value on WHO each person is, on WHO the community is and the honored place that each member of the family occupies within the community.
African teachers respect mastery, and seek through apprenticeship to learn from truemasters, masters who are valued agents of the African community, who are steeped in the deep thought and behavior of the community, who exhibit an abiding unshakable primary loyalty to the community and who are in constant communication with the wise elders of the community.
African teachers recognize the genius and the divinity of each of our children, speaking to and teaching to each child’s intellect, humanity, and spirit. We do not question a child’s possession of these things. In touching the intellect, humanity and spirit within children, African teachers recognize the centrality of relationships between teachers and students, among students, and within the African community as a whole.
For the African teacher, teaching is a calling, a constant journey towards mastery, a scientific activity, a matter of community membership, an aspect of a learning community, a process of “becoming a library,” a matter of care and custody for our culture and traditions, a matter of a critical viewing of the wider world, and a response to the imperative of MAAT.
The African teacher is a parent, friend, guide, coach, healer, counselor, model, storyteller, entertainer, artist, architect, builder, minister, and advocate to and for students.
A brief sample of African socialization can be found in the work of K. Kia Kimbwandende Bunseki Fu-Kiau and A. M. Lukondo-Wamba, master teachers and authors of Kindezi: The Congo Art of Babysitting(1988):

The Kindezi can only be perceived and understood through the social context of the community it serves as an art and a big social responsibility. It is through the role that Kindizi plays in the community that one can appreciate its importance in the dingo-dingo (process) of shaping African social patterns. The quality and personality of the ndezi/babysitter, make by influence the quality and personality of the child in the sadulu (school place) and the community as well. Since it is the ndezi with whom the child stays all day long, the future of the child will greatly reflect the impact of Kindezi, the art of babysitting, not only upon the child but upon the society itself.

The contribution of Kindezi in Bantu societies in general, and the Kongo in particular, cannot be under-estimated or denied. The role it plays in all aspects of community life is so great that it merits erection of a monument. (p. 20)

…Though things are rapidly changing today in Africa, the Kindezi, in its substructure, still remains as a skill and are to be learned by all young community members, girls as well as boys, through an initiatic and practical process for, as a Kongo proverb would say, Kindezi M’fuma mu kanda (The art of babysitting is a baobab to the community), i.e., a string supporter of community economic activities… Babysitting, sala sindezi, is not instinctively acquired as some would assume or pretend. Dingo-dingo diena it is a process by which one discovers the mystery of human growth and reaches the total understanding of the psychology of the child.

By babysitting, one learns the wonderful skill of being responsible for another life and how to become a new “living pattern.” A “living pattern” is a model through which cultural values are transmitted from generation to generation. Through Kindezi, Africans acquire this skill, a skill that has made the African not only one of the most religious human beings on earth but, also, one of the most humanistic.

African parents, mothers in particular, have a great concern about their children’s childhood because they are aware that Kimbuta kia muntu, bonso kimuntu, ga mataba–“One’s leadership, like one’s personality, finds its roots in the child-hood.” Earlier events in the childhood life play an important role in adulthood. As such, great attention is paid to whoever has a role to play in the life of a child—the human being with the quickest copying mind. This basic understanding that childhood is the foundation that determines the quality of a society is the main reason that prompted African communities to make Kindezi and art, or kinkete, to be learned by all their members. Thus Kindezi is required in societies that want to prepare their members to become not only good fathers and mothers, but above all, people who care about life and who understand, both humanely and spiritually, the highly unshakable value of the human being that we all are. (p. 4–5)

Typically the African teacher leads a social collective process, one where social bonds are reinforced or created. In this social process, the destinies of the students are connected to each other, to their families, to their communities, to their ancestors, to those who are yet to be born, to their environment, to their traditions, to MAAT as a way of life, and to their creator.

From these few thoughts, one can see that the popular use of the African proverb, “It takes a whole village to raise a child,” is interpreted in a very trivial way, and is taken out of context. Africans who use the proverb understand it. It is a part of their world-view, their value system, a world-view and value system that may not be shared by those who quote Africans out of context. As Fu-Kiau and Lukondo-Wamba show above, the proverb is really about raising a village, not merely raising a child. It is not a matter of welfare as it is understood in the West. It really takes a whole village to raise itself, a village that values every member as a “living sun,” a village to which the child belongs, a village where every child is shown that he or she “will never be given away.” Clearly, this is a different order of “child care.” This is African teaching/socialization, and the incorporation of the child into the community.

Africans never take teaching lightly. It is a sacred calling. The long night of slavery, colonization, apartheid, and White supremacy ideology ruptured the traditional bond between African teachers and their nurture, and even their memories of that nurture. We have been reduced in our expertise, lowered in our expectations, and limited in our goals. We have even been dehumanized and de-spiritualized. We must return to the upward ways of our ancestors. We have forgotten our aims, methods and content.

We must not bring shame on ourselves and upon our descendants. We must bring light to the world again.

Selected References and Bibliography
Ainsworth, Mary (1967). Infancy in Uganda Infant Care and the Growth of Love. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press

Anderson, J. D. (1988). The Education of Blacks in the South, 1860-1935. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Callaway, H. (1975). “Indigenous Education in Yoruba Society” in Conflict and Harmony in Education in Tropical Africa (Studies on Modern Asia and Africa : , No. 10), G. N. Brown and M. Hiskett (Eds.). Rutherford, N. J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.

Carruthers, J. (1995). MDW NTR Divine Speech: A Historiographical Reflection of African Deep Thought from the time of the Pharaohs to the Present. London: Karnak House.

Erny, Pierre. (1973). Childhood and Cosmos: the Social Psychology of the Black African Child. New York: New Perspectives.

Erny, Pierre (1981). The Child and His Environment in Black Africa: An Essay on Traditional Education. New York: Oxford University Press.

Finch, Charles. (1998). Star of Deep Beginnings: The Genesis of African Science and Technology. Decatur, Ga.: Khenti Inc.

Fu-Kiau, K. Kia Bunseki and Lukondo-Wamba. (1988). Kindezi: The Congo Art of Babysitting. New York: Vantage Press.

Geber, M. (1958). “The Psychomotor Development of African Children in the First Year And The Influence Of Maternal Behavior.” Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 185-195.

Hilliard, Asa G. III. (1998). SBA: The Reawakening of The African Mind. Gainesville, Florida: Makare Publishers.

Pearce, Joseph Chilton. (1977). Magical Child: Rediscovering Nature’s Plan. New York: E. P. Dutton.

Webber, T. L. (1978). Deep Like the Rivers: Education in the Slave Quarter Community, 1831-1865. New York:W. W. Norton

Wilson, Amos (1991). Awakening the Natural Genius of Black Children. New York:Afrikan World Infosystems

Woodson, C. G. (1968). Miseducation of the Negro. Washington, D. C.: Associated Publishers (first published in 1933)

Asa G. Hilliard, III is the Fuller Callaway Professor at Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. He may be reached at ahilliard@gsu.edu.

t r u t h o u t | Women Hardest Hit by Food Crisis

t r u t h o u t | Women Hardest Hit by Food Crisis

Our Economic Woes and Opportunities

Greetings Comrades,
A happy Monday to you and all your relations. After a wonderful weekend of nourishing "struggle", I felt obligated, indeed duty bound to share with you the fruits of our labor. A major aspect of our efforts was the examination of the prevailing economic crisis, our economic survival and what opportunities obtain therein. What resulted was a reaffirmation and clarification about our personal and collective human experience, of which economics is but one aspect.
Actually there was only three of us that gathered together and teleconferenced one sister into the conversation. It very quickly became clear, that what we are struggling with is beyond an orthodox construct of economics. Interestingly my wise brother had pointed observed that our economic solutions had to be linked to our spirit, the energetic dimension of our being. The poignancy of this point blew with refreshing brilliance into our deliberations.
We began, by affirming that the material conditions we face individually and collective, were untenable and out of this consciousness a new vision must emerged to move us to where we need to be. Initially we discussed the validity of the goal of economic sustainability with our collective and our community. The objectives towards that goal seemed quite obvious, do like our ancestors did, struggle collectively, develop co-ops, share our resources, "su-sus", box hand, think about, creating community housing, share our living space. Well this is not rocket science, the models exist...Maroon communities, the efforts of Marcus Garvey, the nation of Islam, Hebrew Israelite Nation, cooperative and intentional communities thrive in several areas of the US and beyond. The material resources, the knowledge, even the need exist. So what is the problem.
The question of trust emerged in our discussion, because even as we identified simple, affordable collective proposals the need for a functional level of trust, the need for sincerity, for comradeship marched into our consciousness with unrelenting pace. Why should we trust each and invest our hard earned and already short financial resources with each other, even if we all claim the same cultural identity, one love etc.
Now we could have proceeded on faith and said that, we will just have to trust each other. However, bearing in mind the admonition of that great sage that " we should tell no lies and claim no easy victories", we humbled ourselves. We agreed that in order to secure the trust needed to pursue an effective economic solution, we needed to build relations withs ethics and integrity and that this would be our essential investment. We believe that we need to invest time, intention and effort in getting to know each other to , know our comrades and as we "ground with each other" ( a la Walter Rodney's Groundings with My Brothers), clarity and trust will result and allow us to invest precious resources with each other.
Over the next few weeks this collective will do just that, build our relationships, so that we can create a healthy, nourishing way of being, that will allow not only to cope with the prevailing economic crisis but to facilitate the development of a sovereign, liberated community, made so because it will and can only come from our souls and from us nurturing each other as we move forward as comrades.

Peace
Sizwe

PS as we struggle to deal with our very real challenges over hear consider the plight of our relations on the continent and elsewhere.
The link above is the article dealing with the plight of that sister in Burkina Faso. As a people we can really tolerate a lot of trials and tribulations , but things are really dread.