As there are divergent views on branches of knowledge which preside over men’s conception of perspectives and realities, Africa Unmasked is engaged in a programme to educate an African child. This is done at the backdrop of the low levels of literacy and innovations in the continent. These maladies are impediments to Africa’s growth and development in an age where other nations in the world pride themselves with unprecedented innovation and development since the advent of the industrial revolution.
In the two dominant but varying spheres of knowledge which are idealism and materialism, Africa Unmasked is making a call for people to support its #donate-a-book campaign to ensure that the majority of underprivileged and knowledge starved masses receive and access knowledge and literature which have always been synonymous with our African continent.
Africa and Africans also conform to the idealistic view which embraces both prophecies and religious teachings whilst on the other hand materialism embraces reality and science. These spheres of knowledge are part of the history and culture of African people who were the first people on earth for a period spanning over 60 thousand years.
As climatic conditions worsened as a result of the change in the angle of the earth’s orbit around the sun, large parts of northern Europe were covered in ice and the African continent became very hot and uninhabitable, leading to one of the greatest migrations not only from Africa but to places across all corners of the world.
The geo-spread of the first humans who were Africans also meant that the African indigenous knowledge systems were also distributed across the world. This transfer of our indigenous knowledge systems reached the Americas, Europe, Asia, Australia and many other islands.
Africa’s superiority of knowledge in science and innovation was actualised by various communities who traded and built cities and monuments which continue to puzzle the modern world. The pyramids in Egypt, the civilization in Timbuktu [Mali] and the city of Mapungubwe [South Africa] are some of the few testimonies of African amazing ingenuity.
As Africa Unmasked embarks on a programme to educate and inform African children, it is prudent that books with African indigenous knowledge systems and literature be donated so that an African child can be liberated from ignorance and indoctrination from norms and values of western education which promotes self-centeredness and capital greed.
As this is the century of Africa to rise from ignorance and indoctrination as a result of colonialism, Africans should seize this moment and reveal their superiority through learning and innovation. These can only be attained through deliberate and protracted resolve to educate one another.
Rhulani Thembi Siweya is the founder of Africa Unmasked. She is also a NEC member of the ANCYL and writes in her personal capacity.
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