 |
| Image Source: blizz.co.ug |
The
case of Fresh Kid, Uganda’s “Rap” Maestro, is the case of many a genius
that came before him. Those bright and daring kids who were/are labelled
stubborn by our mundane education systems, not to mention their largely
frustrated teaching establishment! (Not to say that all teachers are
frustrated). That a state minister comes out to censor the expressions
of this blooming act is the tip of the iceberg to all that is wrong with
our education system; a system that is entrenched into a foundation of
subservience and mass manipulation. A system built to champion the
colonial master plan of diversion. Have us divided into elite classes,
chasing after courts of different colors in the name of social promotion
and effluence, while they continuously feast on our real treasures. But
this is not a piece about colonialism.
Back
to Fresh Kid. Our systems are not built to nurture or harbor
geniuses/extreme cases. They too are not built for the future. Look at
the Olympics. Search the average age of gold medalists since the 1920’s.
This has gone down from the 30’s to the teenage years. Search the
average age of millionaires & billionaires world over (Forbes list
millionaires. Not these Mwanainchi as one of the generals calls them).
Their age is on a downward spiral. In a normal western world scenario, a
15 year old is working at the local diner and contributing to the
monthly arrears and expenses back home. If his/her parents enabled them
to pursue a talent they displayed in childhood, such kids would be world
sensations. Search the most decorated female gymnast in the US history
Simone Biles or the South African Dj. Arch Jnr. In Uganda, you will be
lucky if a 15 year old is asks for help in some irrellevant foreign
subject matter. Most of the time, they are seated on TV most of the day
watching “Ekinigeria!” or some Indian sitcom. But then again, this is
not a piece about your average 15 year old relative. Let them do their
homework in peace. Call me when at 24, they are walking the streets with
a brown envelope, looking for a job that went obsolete a couple of
years ago!
This
is about Fresh Kid. Nobody knew this kid in early 2018 (except of
course, his parents and peers). His people got behind him and today, he
is a sensation with a lot of growing to do in his craft. he is
performing to mammoth crowds (for his age), dominating prime TV
interview slots and hopefully, making some bucks off his efforts and
exposure. Now all of a sudden, everyone except his skeptics means ill
for him. His rights are being violated, he has to stop with his music
and go to class like everyone else. Like ostriches, we have opted to
bury our heads in the sands of the law, simply to reduce this genius to
the status quo that majority of us measure our children; Uganda’s future
who will go through an education system for 18 years and come out
unable to switch on a photocopying machine! But we all watch Little Big
Shots in the US, and probably marvel to ourselves at the possibility.
 |
| Image Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yG08lSdFSPs |
If I
were a parent, I would rather that at 7, my children can earn from any
craft, rather than come home to mumble over the English alphabet. A for
apple, one they probably have never seen in real life. Fresh kid should
not stop at his music, instead, his parents and management ought to find
him an education system that builds around his talent. Teach him music,
Teach him how to play a music instrument, and of course, how to read
and write. When he grows older, they should introduce him to financial
literacy, business law and entrepreneurship. Believe you me, by the time
he is 16, 25 year old graduates will be applying to join his camp!
To
the Honorable Minister, view this as a challenge to reform the
education system and encourage alternatives; a clarion call for you to
induce practice into our Education system. Let this inspire you to
finally kick out unnecessary baggage for students. You don’t need to
reach 20, to decide you want to be a Doctor. At this age, life has
instilled into you the idea that you are incapable of doing certain
things. At seven, Fresh Kid believes himself one of the best musicians
alive. Let’s kindle that fire and make sure that at 20, he still feels
the same.
There
are millions of children who have the love for medicine and humanities.
They want to be a Picasso, a Leonardo da Vinci, perhaps an Einstein.
They look in the sky and see possibilities. Our challenge is to create a
system that enables them to explore that uniqueness and perhaps witness
them create solutions relevant to our communities. Squeezing them into
our old wine skins benefits no one. To the parents, “Go to School and
earn good grades” is a thing of the past. Invest and encourage your
children to explore their talents! Formal Education is no longer the
only key!
Comments
Post a Comment