Raising Afrikan Children to be Critical Thinkers in a Global Technological World

I have recently read a blog-post from Jamal Ali with dated content information for the year 2007 : http://electronicdrum.wordpress.com/2008/06/06/education-where-we-are-at-right-nowdid-you-know/#comment-10447 - I became profoundly aware of the exponential changes that must have occurred since that information was presented… and the clock is still ticking! As a parent and educator, I was then presented with an awesome task before me! When you combine this article With another posts from Khepera: Why Love Matters- How affection shapes a baby’s brain: http://electronicdrum.wordpress.com/2004/07/17/minding-the-baby/ -knowing that you can shape the future outcome of a child within the first 2 months of their lives is a daunting task and responsibility. This Education content also reminds me of a documentary that I watched called 2 Million Minutes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niU1E3SSTAM We must produce global thinkers.

I did notice what I think is a critical oversight in the film; "Did You Know." It was disturbing to note the complete absence of the African continent, and the participation of African countries in the statistics that were presented. Many African countries, now free from colonial rule, maintain high a academic discipline of education and the sciences. Timbuktu, was renowned in history as the seat of knowledge and scholarship. Sankore University, Senegal, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology - Kumas, Cheikh Anta Diop University, in Dakar, The University of Ibadan, The list goes on... There are many African scholars who are graduating with doctorates and PhD.'s from prestigious universities in Europe as well as the United States.

I consider my world view perspectives to align with Pan Africanism. The historical presence of Africans are found, and continue to be discovered, everywhere in the diaspora. We traversed the earth as migrants and explorers with benevolent gifts and philosophies- long before the travail of the Maafa. Having this perspective helps me to connect to a global worldview. Understanding that every technological achievement is a tangible manifestation of what each one of us already possess within ourselves.  Our human brains are still very vast and sophisticated organic structures that are still uncharted in the realms of untapped resources and capabilities. We must cultivate and polish our critical thinking skills to not only to amass knowledge and skills for technological applications, but to understand and interact with the inner-verse and our spiritual connections with all living things. We need more of the presence and participation of Afrikan mathematicians, scientists and engineers not only for the cultivation of a "Brave New World,"  but yet, for the stewardship and sustainability of this planet and to the rest of the Universe. I think that as humans in a society, we will ultimately be held accountable for our responsible (or the lack there of) care and use of this planet's natural resources and environment.

The 4 Major Points That We Must Move Our Afrikan Children To:

1. We must teach our students how to deal with massive amounts of information.
2. We must teach our students global communication, starting in Pre-Kindergarten
3. We must teach our students to be self-directed learners and understand how to organize more of their own learning
4. We must teach our African children, to obtain knowledge of the sciences- and then return to their own communities to promote our abundance and prosperity.

The Call for MAAT in Our Time Sequencing!

It seems that even time has been hijacked for the perpetuation of imperialism and world domination in this western-neo-Roma-Greco-Jew system.

MY "Happy New Year" for instance, begins around March 20th At the Vernal equinox. That's when nature wakes up, (at least in the northern hemisphere!) March is under the planetary constellation of Aries, which commemorates Birth and renewal and the commencement of astrological time. (So, Easter should be about the birth of a "Christ" [or higher state of renewal,] not death.) A new year doesn't make sense in January, it is the coldest part of winter! Everything is hibernating and in a deep sleep. Nothing in nature is displaying anything new. All these crazies, following the rituals of drinking alcohol and shooting guns and screaming, is just foolishness to me.

December's "Christmas" should have been celebrated as the death and resurrection of "Christ," because the 21st-24th was the death and resurrection of the Sun/Son!)
(And yes we should be celebrating "Kwanzaa" in September!) September is the Autumnal equinox and a time of harvest. (It's much warmer in the northern areas- not so much snow and ice to contend with too.) Just analyzing all of the European cultural-pagan rituals, including the national-patriotic holidays, makes one think of the curious web that one is caught up in. As an Afrikan in the Americas, My many cultural traditions and rituals are not incorporated (or integrated) into the mainstream society. We are all taught, at an early age, not to tell lies- but also taught to believe in lies, like the tooth faerie and Santa Claus... So, that later it is more culpable to believe in hope, religion, duty, patriotism and justice etc. Yet, these beliefs are opposed to our natural Eastern/ Afrikan values, principles and ethics. For instance, look at the seven principles of Kwanzaa: Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Creativity, Purpose and Faith. All but Faith, represent principles that are similar to the Kemetic principles of Maat. Faith and BELIEF are spells. They are part of the distractions that keep us in the "dream world" or "Ghost-Spell" instead of understanding our true Afrikan conscious knowledge, which will empower us!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnaQXJmpwM4

When I had to memorize the months of the year in elementary school, I new even then, that something was wrong. Then I found out that the root of "Sept" in September meant 7, Yet it represented the 9th month, "Octo" in October meant 8- for the 10th month!, Novem-Nova=9- the 11th month, Dec=10- 12th Month... yes, I knew as a child, that the Gregorian Calendar and this western time system was really off!!! The remaining months of the year are also named in honor of pagan gods. January is named in honor of Janus, the 2-faced god. February for Februa, goddess of the fever. March for Mars. April for Aprilis. May for Maia. June for Juno. July for Julius Cesar. August for Augustus Cesar, and on and on. I then became curious about time and calendars. For instance, why do most indigenous cultures follow a 28 day (lunar) cycle- which is very harmonious with nature, while we have this 30, 31, plus the 28-29 leap year structure?

Look at the names given for the seven days of the week. European paganism is also represented. Monday is named in honor of the Moon (Moon's Day). Tuesday named in honor of the God Tiwaz (Tiwaz Day). Wednesday is named in honor of the god Odin, or Wodin (Wodin's Day). Thursday is named in honor of the god, Thor (Thor's Day). Friday is named in honor of the goddess Frigg or Freya (Freya's Day). Saturday is named in honor of Saturn (Saturn's Day). And Sunday is named in honor of the Sun (Sun's Day).

So, not only is the names of paganistic deities and rituals embed in the time frames of this Neo-Greco/Roma society, I think this establishes the designs in place, to throw off the masses of human beings from natural and celestial rhythms and timing, to force the masses to live in an artificially contrived and distorted time structure just for control, power, exploitation, and capitalistic gain!

Yes, we are controlled by time. I still find it really awkward (outside of the fact that I didn't like Pres. Bush) when the President of the U.S. announces daylight savings time. Also, to think that this is supposed to be the 2010th year when we know that history can be traced for hundreds of thousands of years! Very is odd.-

To think- The seasons are just the opposite, south of the equator. So Winter is Summer, and Spring is Autumn, below the Equator; Just as the Sunset is Sunrise on the other side of the planet.

I would like to end with a quote from the prolific writer and author, Jamal Ali Aka Ogun Ptah Aka KhepeRa;
http://electronicdrum.wordpress.com/2010/08/25/integration-or-separation-is-this-even-the-right-question/#more-992

A simple example of how this shift in vision/thought can manifest, consider the following. Nearly everyone reading this is well familiar with the Gregorian calendar, so much so, that if someone asks you the year or month, it’s likely all they would think to reference. Consequently, the source/authority of this calendar is then accepted, largely without question, in all matters relative to time. If it’s a discussion of age, antiquity, ancient civilizations, anthropology, dinosaurs – whatever the chronological context, there is essentially one authority, one voice in the room. However, many are also aware of the Indian calendar, and the ones of China, the (Kemetic, Islamic,) Hebrews, Mayans and Aztecs. All but the last two are actually commonly in use today, within their respective cultural contexts. Further, each of these carries a current year much older than the one we use:

Hebrew: Year 5770/5771
India:Year 5111
China: Year 4708, 4707, or 4647

One of the key things to consider in all this is the issue of Puranic time, and the question of which yuga it is year 5111 of.

The point here is that when people from these cultures listen to Europeans speak of Stone Age this, or Pleistocene that, the Jurassic or Mesozoic periods, they listen in context, because for them, there is more than one authority, more than one voice in the room. As a result, they are less inclined to accept the European/western model as ‘gospel’, and beyond question. Case in point, the idea of Stone Age has shifted as those clinging to those references have been compelled to a regionalization of their chronological order. There were high civilizations in existence before and during the European Stone Age, and there are islanders in Melanesia/Polynesia who are presently deemed as living at a ‘Stone Age’ level. So what does this mean? That one’s sense of time – and thereby the very context of their living – is liberated/empowered by a knowledge of one’s cultural root chronology, and they will be less likely to be swayed easily in discussions related to time…..like history.

• Olatunji Mwamba Commented:
  

  
  I've known this for years. Most of our people are celebrating what they think is the new year, when in fact what they are celebrating is "Jubilee Day" (January 1, 1863). Our people also ...don't realize that most people celebrate a famous event and have commemorated this event by starting their calendars based upon this particular event. For instance, the Arabs commemorate "The Hejira" (The Flight to Medina) as their start date and their calendar is a Lunar Calendar. The Small -Hats (so-called Jews) started their calendar and commemorate what they call "The Exodus". Christians start their calendar and commemorate the so-called Crucifixion of the man named Jesus ( we have no scientific proof he even really existed), although their calendar is a Solar Calendar. The Kemetic calendar has 12 months and this calendar starts in August and ends at the end of July. The Kemetic names of the months:
  
  1 August (Meso-Ra -Birth of Ra)
  
  2 September (Tehuti-Knowledge/Wisdom)
  
  3 October (MenKhet-third month)
  
  4 November( Het-Heru (House of Heru)
  
  5 December (Ka-Her-Ka -The Ka over Ka)
  
  6 January (Shefbedet The sixth Month)
  
  7 February (Rekh Wer-The Great Burning)
  
  8 March (Rekh Nedjes-The small burning)
  
  9 April (Renutet -Neter of The Harvest)
  
  10 May (Khonsu- Khonsu)
  
  11 June (Paini- The Festival Of The Valley)
  
  12 July (Ipet -The One of Ipet)

Come the end of July, we will be entering the year 6250. This calendar is based upon the liberation of Kemet from the Asiatics and the unification of Kemet by Suten Narmer in 4236 B.C.E.

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