I have been accused too many times of inventing African Views from collective Worldviews. I have had enough time to ponder this proposition, and I have come to the conclusion that I can neither deny nor accept it. Because to deny it is to deny the evolution of humanity and the current state of affairs in all cultures and societies. On the other hand, to accept it is to deny the authenticity of Africanism.
We are all on a journey in search of meaning. The complexity herein is that the purpose of life is to give life itself a purpose. To do this one must understand life, which requires to have sufficient knowledge about life itself. In my observation, there are two main types of human characteristics: Destroyers, and Nurturers. This has nothing to do with good or bad because it depends on what the nurturer nurtures and what the destroyer destroys. This is why hierarchy is a natural phenomenon in all pedagogies. Its all not that simple, nothing can be taken on face value because there are inherent deeper meanings and intrinsic values in all creations. “The great secret of education is to direct vanity to proper objects.” This quote by Adam Smith has stuck with me, because it is indeed the great secret of education to understand knowledge and its utilitarianism. So, in conclusion, my goal has never been, and never will be the assumption that “I know” or “I understand” Africa in its pure or compound form, nor even in the aspects of its derivatives and heredity. To the contrary, I seek to understand, and yearn to see, I long to experience what if the postulation of the tapestry of the existential and substantial African prowess in its entirety can be fulfilled and presented on the world stage just like every other culture that has already taken a seat and global precedence at the table of opulence. Nevertheless, I think it is right to utilize the tools available today to explore the possibility to realize this vision, which in essence, is the African dream. Therefore, nothing else is more important than to setting aprecedence that serves the pupose of achieving this dream.
Dedicated to my daughters, C&L. Thank you for your love.