"Obviously war is one of the major problems which bring disaster on the life of mankind. In spite of the differences of color, race, creed or religion between women in this world, they all hate war, because the fruit of wars is nothing but disaster. War exterminates their beloved husbands, their brothers and their children. It destroys and eliminates their families. We would like to bring to the attention of all women of the world that it is their duty to voice and express solidarity against such acts."
Empress Menen of Ethiopia
I went to a class tonight on conflict resolution at the local African American Research Library. Before class, i had the opportunity to meet and speak to a visitor, who was herself an educator. She mentioned something that I had previously not really paid attention to. I was slightly startled to hear that there were few to almost no graduate doctoral programs in African Studies here in the US. Thinking back to how many immensely influential professors I've had in African studies, it is disappointing to know the reality.
A people that do not have complete knowledge and mastery of themselves, will simply never be fully recognized and accepted at the table of the family of nations. The charade of consulting the African Diaspora and recognizing African authority when conflict and other disasters present themselves in our respective jurisdictions will continue. There will always be foreign boots on our soils and neighbors who have long since overstayed their visit. Until Africa not only recaptures the fullness of her story, but also engages and retains her daughters and sons, we will forever need to lean on the pragmatic "kindness" of strangers.
That, educating our mass with one complete history, goes for the Diaspora as a whole. We have one story with many, many chapters. We must at least begin to see ourselves as a monolith group, with as many different faces as there are of the diamonds that bubble up from the earth. And while we make education a priority, paying attention to educating the young girls and women is paramount.
It is important in the Diaspora, especially in Africa where some traditions value little the education of girls, but also anywhere those traditions and cultures persist. The women of this planet are the backbone of nations and their education only enhances the surrounding community. Their inherent capacity to love with humanity and justice leads them into fields and career paths that generally provide a greater good, that have positive effects across all spheres. In my life I have generally known women to be more fair and just; devoting energies to preventing them an education does not provide for the betterment of the nation. I have never seen a case when that worked.
Also I feel that women bear the burden of war far more severely than men. As a matter of fact, those of them who are also uneducated, pay an even steeper price. It cannot be said enough that war benefits men in an extremely disproportionate way. But there are many women, who given the chance and venue to voice themselves, would fight fiercely to see wars and rumors of wars come to a decisive end. It is on the backs and shoulders of these people who have brought us into the world and weened us and encouraged us to educate ourselves, that we stand. But the weight is an unbalanced load. The world will continue to suffer if the voices of women and their respective issues are not addressed.
Follow me on Twitter@JahKwasiAbahu
Empress Menen of Ethiopia
I went to a class tonight on conflict resolution at the local African American Research Library. Before class, i had the opportunity to meet and speak to a visitor, who was herself an educator. She mentioned something that I had previously not really paid attention to. I was slightly startled to hear that there were few to almost no graduate doctoral programs in African Studies here in the US. Thinking back to how many immensely influential professors I've had in African studies, it is disappointing to know the reality.
A people that do not have complete knowledge and mastery of themselves, will simply never be fully recognized and accepted at the table of the family of nations. The charade of consulting the African Diaspora and recognizing African authority when conflict and other disasters present themselves in our respective jurisdictions will continue. There will always be foreign boots on our soils and neighbors who have long since overstayed their visit. Until Africa not only recaptures the fullness of her story, but also engages and retains her daughters and sons, we will forever need to lean on the pragmatic "kindness" of strangers.
That, educating our mass with one complete history, goes for the Diaspora as a whole. We have one story with many, many chapters. We must at least begin to see ourselves as a monolith group, with as many different faces as there are of the diamonds that bubble up from the earth. And while we make education a priority, paying attention to educating the young girls and women is paramount.
It is important in the Diaspora, especially in Africa where some traditions value little the education of girls, but also anywhere those traditions and cultures persist. The women of this planet are the backbone of nations and their education only enhances the surrounding community. Their inherent capacity to love with humanity and justice leads them into fields and career paths that generally provide a greater good, that have positive effects across all spheres. In my life I have generally known women to be more fair and just; devoting energies to preventing them an education does not provide for the betterment of the nation. I have never seen a case when that worked.
Also I feel that women bear the burden of war far more severely than men. As a matter of fact, those of them who are also uneducated, pay an even steeper price. It cannot be said enough that war benefits men in an extremely disproportionate way. But there are many women, who given the chance and venue to voice themselves, would fight fiercely to see wars and rumors of wars come to a decisive end. It is on the backs and shoulders of these people who have brought us into the world and weened us and encouraged us to educate ourselves, that we stand. But the weight is an unbalanced load. The world will continue to suffer if the voices of women and their respective issues are not addressed.
Follow me on Twitter@JahKwasiAbahu
No comments:
Post a Comment