OUR-FUTURE

This page is dedicated to the nurturing needs of all our children. If you are a child or parent in the Motherland or our global diaspora, this page is for you. Use it as your guide for fashioning your intellectual, social & psychological maturity. In essence, this begins at birth and progresses through puberty and beyond. Many view this as a daunting prospect. It shouldn't be; it needn't be; it wouldn't be if we all play our part. Yes, we each have a role to play: parents and children, but also grandparents, great grandparents, our extended family, our immediate community and beyond. In short, "It takes a village to raise a child." Thanks to slavery, our village is splintered. Thanks to the internet, our village is easily connected. Get ready. Roll up your sleeves: we all have work to do! ..... STTOU ..... STWOO!

ROOTS & WINGS: they both begin at HOME

We are meant to bequeath two things to our children: roots & wings. Roots anchor the child to his/her history, heritage, and culture. Wings enable the child to function successfully in the outside world, which is ours as well. We are the centre of our world and the resultant perspective & agency situate us at the center of the world. To cede agency to others is to purchase a distorted perspective on ourselves & others. Agency means that we take full responsibility for educating our children. We cede it to no one!

Our home must be the place where our values predominate: a refuge from the vagaries of the outside world. Its design, decoration and social aspects must reflect this, as well as our history, heritage and culture. Our home thus becomes a place of self-affirmation and thereby serves the crucial function of reflecting us to us. As well, it provides a cue to how others must relate to us; must interact with us.

For our purposes, there must be a place for reading and quiet reflection: a study, a bedroom or a den, augmented by such community facilities as public libraries, social clubs or religious establishments. These too should reflect our history, heritage and culture; either exclusively or partially, depending on whether the public space caters to other cultures besides ours. The internet is an integral part of the mix. We must use it judiciously: we use it for our benefit and that of the world, while never giving up agency.

NOTE:

This page is currently under construction. We hope to have it completed as soon as possible. Thanks for your understanding.