Follow
Wandia Njoya
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Reviews
  • CV
  • Media
  • Gallery

Sabbath for the people

24/6/2014

0 Comments

 
We Kenyans have a big, big problem, and education has everything to do with it. We think that we can develop by putting up buildings and setting up great projects, and hyping them up in the media, but without involving the people. Our county is buying costly equipment, getting alot of huge names behind a certain project, employing people, but the people on the ground who are the greatest resource, and for whom the project is being developed, aren't involved.

So today we tried to advice this team to get back to the "fundamentals," forget about the equipment and big names and go back to the people, but I don't think they really heard us.They say they've hired a consultant who has advised them to buy this latest tech equipment which even I, who isn't an expert, will tell you that you don't need. You see, even we educated professionals are dishonest (or at least, we're not always objective). If you tell a techie that you have funds to buy the latest equipment, he will go on a spending spree for the latest gadgets which he'd always dreamed of using but knew he couldn't afford (and could frankly do well without). And the county is paying this guy consultancy fees, while we gave our advice - that was more useful - free of charge.

And that's where your taxes and mine will go, on glory projects by well meaning government officials. But even in private institutions, the story is the same. Within educational institutions, alot of money is used hyping courses, equipment, IT, but try to get 200 bob for refreshments for students to network with guests from the industry, or pay for posters for a project, or hire a vehicle for a field trip, you're made to feel like you're pulling out teeth. I guess the idea is that if you're asked what your legacy is, its easier to talk about roads and than to talk about people. Yet Jesus left us no temples. He left us with stories, faith and lives that were changed.

But today's episode has reaffirmed for me the value of a liberal arts education, or education in the humanities. My colleague Larry Ndivo and I were able to talk to this team because our education is in the basics - language, literature and the humanities, whose focus is human beings. In fact, we were trying to suggest that probably the best way forward is to train people in story telling, writing and collecting their heritage before jumping to film making, cinematography and recording. However - and no disrespect to my counterparts in communication - Kenyans have decided that studies in language and literature, compared to communication, are not "commercial," as my friend Ngala Chome puts it, or "sexy" as I put it. So we're jumping to the cameras, makeup, costume and films before we've decided what exactly we're going to say, and about whom we're going to say it. And like I've said, universities are encouraging this warped intellectual development by supporting infrastructure more than the development of the students' minds and experience. It's really sad.

But isn't that what our national leaders are doing? The current government won by a slim majority, which meant half of Kenya still feels alienated from this country. The national priority should have been the alienated, but instead, they were told to "accept and move on," or "look at the projects we'll do, and forget how you feel." But the truth is, it's the people who matter most. We cannot be a nation based on roads and facilities - a nation is her people. Kenya must be for the people. As our Lord put it, Sabbath must be for human beings, not human beings for the Sabbath.
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    THANK YOU
    ​for voting for wandianjoya.com as
    ​best
    social issues and active citizenship blog
    2019!



    Wandia Njoya

    African. Woman. Wife. Teacher.

    Categories

    All
    147not Justanumber
    Administration
    Africa
    Arts
    Education
    Faith
    Football
    Health
    Ideas
    Kenya Elections 2017
    Kenya Elections 2022
    Land And Environment
    Leadership
    Love And Revolution
    Music
    Neoliberalism
    Racial To Ethnic Capitalism
    Rwanda
    Speeches
    Youth

    Archives

    December 2022
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.