Re: [Jambo] Does an African Child Learn to be poor?

From: Charles Njau

I will go straight to the point. The African Child is not learning to be poor. I believe sometimes we over analyze situation. The African child is not learning to be poor from their parents or that Africans are not doing a good job in bringing up their kids to be successful, nothing can be further from the truth. Every parent want the best for their children and it is very insulting to claim otherwise. Why then do African parents sacrifice everything to send their children to school? Let hit the nail at the top, there is poverty in Africa and it need to be tackled from all angles. Better government and better policies both locally and internationally these are the wheels which will change this situation.

It is a fact that African schools do not have facilities that are in the west for their kids. But that does not mean only pianos can stimulate a kid’s brain, a kayamba or a nyatiti can do as well. Furthermore most Africans kids create their own toys, some of them very impressive and they take care of them because they are their own creation.

Conversation between a parent and a child cannot only happen when they are reading a book or watching a DVD or a newspaper it can happen when they farming or herding. Parents are not teaching children not to like good things they are teaching them not to be greedy and work hard for their goals. If Mr. Nyongesa thinks the cut and throat competition practiced in corporate world is the way to go then he need to reevaluate his theory. You may climb to the top of corporate ladder through covert or overt tactics and look successful but you are not human any more.

There are many Africans who grew up on ugali (corn cake) and kales as the writer put it but grew up to be very successful and developed appetite for beef, pork and sea food. So eating kale and ugali did not inhibit them from eating better once they could afford.

Let us address the real issue of poverty where some people, societies or nations lack the moral to share with less fortunate rather than start saying it is the upbringing or it is the father, it is mother or other kind of nonsense.