I Spoke with Mama Africa: Children are the Treasure of Africa - CATTOA

Praise for I Spoke with Mama Africa

I Spoke with Mama Africa has covered many aspects in raising the child of African descent. It's a rich treasury of new possibilities. — Dr. Jean Augustine, former Member of Parliament, first African-Canadian woman to be elected to the House of Commons, former national president of the Congress of Black Women of Canada.

I Spoke with Mama Africa reawakens the treasures of wisdom our ancestors have handed down to us. We have to listen. — Dr.Yves Ekoué Amaïzo founder of Afrocentricity Think Tank, Independent international consultant and occasional lecturer in various institutions.

This is how children are the treasure of Africa—the single undeniable truth. Listen. — Dr. John K. Marah, Chairperson and Professor of the Department of African and Afro-American Studies at the State University of New York, Brockport.

Children are already capable of so much than they are given credit for, and with preparation, they are limitless. —Dr. Stephen M. Gennaro, Professor in department of humanities: Children's Studies Program at York University, Canada, Cultural historian of youth and media.

This book can be of great help in creating an unshakable character in the child of African descent. — Edna Adan Ismail, Founder and administrator of Edna Maternity Hospital in Somaliland, E. Africa, training Midwives and Nurses; combating female genital mutilation. Former Foreign Minister of Somaliland.

It's more than just a fundamental child-raising text. It is also compelling, contemporary and specific. It will enrich the field of study on child growth and development. — Filomina Clarice Steady, Professor/Department Chair -Africana Studies at Wellesley College, MA, USA.

It's a strong effort that outlines a unique approach to invest in early childhood development and upbringing of the child of African descent. It's bound to guide us in the right direction. — Charles M. Huber, German politician and former actor. Most notable for playing Henry Johnson in the German crime series Der Alte. He was one of the first two Bundestag members of African ancestry.

I Spoke with Mama Africa

Children are the Treasure of Africa - CATTOA

Peter Kalyabe

Copyright © 2014 Peter Kalyabe

All rights reserved.

Distributed by Smashwords

Contents

Details of Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1-The African Child Raised for Success

2-Colonialism, Imperialism, and Slavery

3-Foreign Religions and African Colonization

4-The Uniqueness of Africa

5-Globalization and the African Child

6-African Youths

7-Hope in an African Child

Details of Contents

1-The African Child Raised for Success

Before my Mama delved deeper into anything, She first highlighted all that is required to raise a successful modern child of African descent to meet the essential demands of today's current global society. To learn and relearn anew, discussed topics are: Theories about Children and Learning; Intelligence; The Laws of Learning; The Brain: The Greatest Asset; Faculties of the Mind; Influential Forces and Changes Shaping Children's Lives; Your Sister Asia is Rising; and Child Psychology.

2-Colonialism, Imperialism, and Slavery

You will realize how big and delicate this topic is to Maama's Life. She regrets some things. Through Her introspection we will listen to: Causes, Effects, and most importantly, Realistic Solutions of this topic; African Empires and Kingdoms; Resistances; Great African Personalities; Slavery: The Evil; The Theory of Racism; You are African: Be Proud; Different Forms of Slavery; and The Enemy within the Community.

3-Foreign Religions and African Colonization

In this part of the conversation, some listeners' beliefs might be stretched a bit as Mama examines the effect of foreign religions on the current image of the child of African descent. Here, you will find the following topics: We Need a New God; Modern Miracles; Open-Mindedness; You've raised us well, Ma; Welcome a New Kind of Religion; and Concluding Remarks.

4-The Uniqueness of Africa

Listen in when Mama reminds us what uniquely sets Africa apart. I loved what She said in this section. I felt more at home than ever before. She gathered lessons ranging from all corners of the world. You will find topics like: Who We Are, Languages, Lessons from Challenges Faced in Western Childhood, Criticisms of Africa, The Issue of Gender, Major Consequences, and Family.

5-Globalization and the African Child

The advancement of the modern global village we live in today is promising us a Golden Era. Mama answered the most important question that might be on your mind right now: How and where exactly does the child of African descent fit in this interconnected global village in relation to our main objective? Right here familiarize yourself with: People Growth and Development, Advantages of Globalization to Profit from, Investments in Africa, Exploitation, The Seeds of Freedom, Africa's Interaction with the World, Suggested Remedies, Stereotypes, and CATTOA.

6-African Youths

In this section, my Mama focused solely on youth as She highlighted how they are the mortar for social change. Maama sent Her greeting to all youths of African descent. Listen in to topics like: What do the Youths have in terms of Wealth?, African Youths' Accomplishments, A Youth's Responsibilities, Influences and Conditions, Music, Demanded Skills in Modern Society, Movies, and The Film Producer's Responsibilities.

7-Hope in an African Child

This is the section where my Mama shared Her practical excitement about hope in the African ancestral linkage and its bright future. Africa is the light as observed in these themes: Education, Schooling and its Criticism, Teachers, The Finnish Lesson, the Toronto Public Library, Wealth, Mind, The Duty of the Rich, Civilization, Leadership, The Rights of Children, The United Nations of Africa, and Why Africa Must Unite.

Acknowledgements

It's usually in this area that big shot writers express their gratitude for the help they've received in compiling their work. They typically have titles before or after their names, e.g. MD, PhD, XYZ, etc. I do not have anything like that. My highest title is being Your son, being someone who wants to talk.

Nonetheless, I owe a great deal of intellectual debt to the many sources I've consulted and it's practically impossible to do justice to any of them in mere words even though they're the only means I can use. So in just three words, let me say, I appreciate enormously. Let me single out one individual who should be mentioned anyway for a variety of reasons.

I thank my mother, Ms. Nakaggwa Robinah, for her tigress instincts. You continue to be the sheltering rock in these stormy winds of the world. Thank you for allowing me to borrow your motherly nature to demonstrate this philosophy that seeks to attach individualized expression to our gigantic Mamaland, Africa.

Some people may be tempted to think that this is a book. It's nothing of the sort. If you thought this was a book, you are wrong—very wrong. As a matter of fact, close it and put it down. Instead, listen to it, listen inside. This is a conversation between a son and his vast and all powerful Mama Africa. It's a conversation designed to reveal the master key to changing the image of African blood to the heights of respect, honor, and prosperity.

They say wisdom is modest and silent; my Mama is wise. She might not say much in this conversation but She listens and responds. When you listen instead of reading, you will hear all that She shares because She lives in each one of us as we live in Her. The fact is that the words of the wise are only heard in gentleness. Mama is calm, strong, and serene.

Introduction

It's me, Your son. I salute You, Mama. Thank You for taking this time to speak with me.

I have come to talk about the promise that would guarantee the prosperity of African lineage and our future. This master key is the magic pill to anything our ancestry has ever wanted and all that we've never dreamed could be achieved, including the rise of Your global status to extraordinary heights. With absolute certainty, this promise is the secret and the platform for all that there is for us to achieve. It's sacred and the noblest secret of all. It's set to change the global appeal of African DNA and write a new slate of history. There is nothing more important than this, today or ever in life.

This secret is the greatest discovery of all time, and second only to the supernatural force that created this world. It's compatible to everything that humans can ever come up with in life or throughout eternity. This promise is ready, and all we have to do is to say yes and then throw all our mind, muscle, and determination to work with it and let it lead the way.

This promise is already within our grasp, but we have to let it free and hand over the power to it because it's the only ultimate solution we have anyway.

As far as we are concerned, this promise assumes the status of the divine mandate. It's very powerful, and this reality should be reflected in every detail of our way of life. This philosophy You are going to talk about in detail is the most valuable for those of African ancestry.

Dear Mama, this is it and I am glad we've found it. When I stumbled upon the courage to talk to You while leading a solitary life in my apartment, I knew I had to knock on Your door as soon as I could get here. I find this solution strange because we've always had it but have never bothered to give it a way to unveil its potential. We are not only guaranteed a great image for a lifetime but also a strong, impenetrable security. We will never be the same again as our life is going to be altered for the better.

Gone are the worries, fears, and anxieties, plus other related tribulations, and welcomed is pure prosperity. I thought it necessary to first come directly to You, the great source, and the best provider of them all.

The decisive promise I need to talk to You about is the pearl of Africa. It's stronger than the power of death and money combined together. It's the most prized treasure we have: it is the children of African descent.

Children Are The Treasure Of Africa—CATTOA.

The child of African descent is all we've ever needed to add more to our lives, and there is no other better solution out there. If we were to put everything aside just so we could prepare this highly regarded promise, it would be the right thing to do. The unlimited potential of children of African descent has been staring us in the face all along, but when have we ever given them a true opportunity to be all they can? The African child is the most highly valued subject and should be held in uppermost regard. These children represent much more than all of the world's religions combined, religions that we've jealously embraced like our own.

Children are the greatest natural resource. Since the beginning of time, wise minds have all acknowledged and agreed on this single reality, but we've missed this point or at the very least, we haven't taken it as seriously as we ought to. Children are the only reliable seedling for manners of achievements that will ever be known.

Let me take this chance to apologize to You, Mama, for having failed to respond right away. I distracted myself because at first I didn't understand the promise's depth but now I know that this is what You wanted to talk to me about all along. I can tell by Your reaction. This is the single undeniable truth we've been searching for. Children are the only true treasure of Africa, the kingpin of all our aspirations.

Although I might share all that I have heard, felt, and experienced: fears, thoughts, worries, and aspirations, this conversation is exclusively about how the children of African descent are the sole key to our improvement. All other topics discussed here, as stretched as some may sound, seek to bring out the reality of this great truth. We all know that the past and the present have affected this truth in one way or another in order to explain the current results we see.

Welcome Listeners

Mama, can I invite some listeners out there to tune in if they can? I believe everyone has to know that the child of Africa, both off and on our mighty land, holds a badge of hope to change the future and soul of African ancestry.

Children are the only true treasure of Africa and nothing else is comparable—not even the untapped deposits of raw minerals estimated to be worth in excess of US$24 trillion in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. Not even the coltan, gold, diamond, platinum, or well-developed economic sectors of South Africa. Not Egyptian coal, oil, natural gas, or history. Not Algeria and Nigeria's crude oil, tin or large market base. Not Sierra Leone's diamonds or gold. Not Libya and Angola's reserves of oil, petroleum products, or gas resources. Not Morocco and Ethiopia's agriculture. Not Ghana's gold, cocoa, timber, or sound management. Not Tunisia's diverse market, fueled by the mining sector. Not the palm oil, coffee, phosphates, lead, zinc, manganese, or iron ore. None of these carry the value of the children of African descent; they are the only true treasure. This is the cornerstone of Mama's philosophy and we should embrace it more deeply than we've ever done with anything else in the past. Our children come first; everything else is secondary.

This cornerstone represents our common dream to construct a strong foundation for the most important treasure that can provide all the solutions we need to raise the status of our one Mama. Children have been at the core of every evolution of every group of people, small and large; within villages and empires; in every sector of life.

Let's talk about how we can give our children the maximum advantage to shape our condition, environment, and destiny—something so great that can't be killed by a gun. Many triumphant communities have faced similar challenges to us and they did the right thing by investing in their children. We are going to do the same because the wise person spends most of his effort trying to make his home more beautiful.

The child of Africa needs to be raised in a predetermined way for a specific, worthy purpose; this is our objective here. Mama. You are the eldest among Your siblings; You deserve great respect. Your generosity and understanding have been taken advantage of and as a result, Your children have had to go through rough challenges. This is the time for You to rise to Your rightful position through Your children. You are the truth and the truth will always be the ultimate victor. So we may as well start with You. You're the creative source that has always provided new resources as the old ones disappeared. You are powerful, wise, and vast. Bless this philosophy so that it may become a reality.

The African Child Raised for Success

Before we dive into anything else, in this first chapter, Mama takes a quick look at a few aspects that are significant in preparing a modern child for this ever-changing, global world. Some of the highlights in this part of the conversation are reinforcements from previous work. Now that we live in a global village of interconnectedness, it is advisable to raise a modern child of African descent with this broad picture taken into serious consideration.

Relearn to Learn Anew

Mama, as You are well aware, how children learn has been a subject of discussion in many fields of research for a very long time. The summation of various results has helped improve our understanding of the nature of competent performance. Cognitive psychology, neuroscience, developmental psychology, education, social psychology, anthropology, and other related subject matters have made it clear that all learning takes place in settings that have particular cultural and social norms and a specific degree of expectations. All of these settings have distinctively powerful ways in which they influence the transfer of information from one individual to another, from one generation to the next. It's a very important lesson that requires unwavering attention. It's set to guide the African child to unlearn, relearn, and learn anew for the better.

Generally, the younger a person is, the easier it is to learn. This is partly true because children are more flexible, adaptable, eager, and less afraid of making mistakes. There is a certain freedom to learning that comes with being young that regrettably is lost the older a person gets.

You've been the mother of so many, many generations and You've observed that children even as young as the age of one want not just to learn about but to be a part of the adult world. They want to become skillful, careful, capable, and able to make things just as adults do. For instance, children can't wait to communicate their ideas and feelings.

Children have an innate burning desire and determination to do real things not in the future but right now. This is exactly what gives children the curiosity, energy, determination, and patience to learn all that they do. Our efforts should be invested in children if we are to change the negative image associated with the African child to a positive image in the actual lives of those with African blood.

Children learn differently, a fact that parents and guardians of African children need to fully grasp and embrace. Sometimes children also do much of their learning in great bursts of passion and enthusiasm, barring the obtainment of physical skills, which require muscular and physical development.

These basics should form the paradigm by which African children are raised so that they will be prepared to fulfill their individual obligations—that is, growing to change the current global image of an African child and to cooperate with You, Mama, so that You can rise to Your rightful position of greatness.

Theories about Children and Learning

During some of the endeavors You've encouraged me to be part of, I have come across what are generally known as theories about children and learning. Let's briefly talk about some of them since some listeners out there ought to consider and practice them.

Rationalism is one of the earliest theories that claims that the principle of truth comes not from the senses but from intellect. The criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and is deductive. Rationalism emphasizes that reason has precedence over other sources of knowledge. It calls for encouraging children to trust their heads and think of solutions to their challenges. This theory asserts that the more awareness children have the better thinkers they become.

The Nature vs. Nurture Argument: Several hundred years later, dissatisfied philosophers like John Locke studied the existence of the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture paradigm. Locke proposed that our minds are like blank slates—tabula rasa—and that we learn from the raw impulses we get through our senses. Over time, these observations develop into knowledge. Locke believed that what you put into a child is what you get out of him. This theory has had tremendous effects on school systems. It compels parents to watch the environments and experiences their children get involved with.

Behaviorism: This theory suggested that children have to be deliberately stimulated to behave in a specific preplanned manner. Guardians, parents, and the community should encourage good behaviors and discourage unwanted behaviors in children in relation to the desired outcome. As everyone would agree, there is something wrong with repeatedly doing the same thing when it brings about undesirable results. Everything has its own origin that we should educate ourselves about in order to achieve the desired results. An awareness of how children learn is of great value.

Cognitive Learning Theory: Unlike behaviorism, this theory operates from the belief that humans are logical beings and make choices that are the most sensible to them. For this reason, children of African descent should be trusted and given authority and responsibility to improve their challenging circumstances, with of course some guidance and some help here and there.

Constructivism: This theory recognizes that children love to discover. It views children as active explorers, who are engaged in discovering things for themselves and constructing their own understanding. The world we are living in today is changing too quickly to spend time dwelling on the past or our current dysfunctional structures. Children should be given a chance to explore within and beyond their comfort zones. They will come back with better, well-tested ideas. Adults should create the right environment for learning and then allow children to practice problem-solving techniques and learn through their own active discovery.

VAK (Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic): The last important theory is abbreviated as VAK. This theory argues that children learn differently and it's the adult's responsibility to note how their children learn best and to support them in doing so. Are they visual learners? These children learn better through seeing. Auditory learners prefer hearing and listening to information. Kinesthetic learners are more hands-on and favor getting physically involved in activities.

We can't afford to stop at IQ and SAT standardized test results to predict a child's eventual future and his abilities. We need a revolution in all sectors of our lives here. Mama, You are right that we should encourage the creative ability of all children in what they do best instead of confining them to conform to standard measures of success. Life is moving too fast for anyone to keep up with it, never mind attempting to restrict it into static structures that would be easier for us to understand. When You sighed, Mama, You reminded me of the related topic of intelligence, which I think You should comment on.

Intelligence

One can't fail to recognize how teachers and parents want all children to be intelligent. It's a very important and highly praised trait to possess. It's a trait that requires hard work, time, and substantial continuous attention. It should also be noted that it's a trait that is assumed to describe an inherited and fixed measurable cognitive ability. I've also been made to understand that there are several types of intelligences that should be maintained in a balanced manner. They include emotional, physical, financial, and IQ intelligences, among others.

Intelligence is an ambiguous trait with several definitions. The good thing is that all its definitions are necessary and should be taken into consideration because they hit on important abilities that can guide a child in developing holistically into a better and more capable individual.

Definitions

Intelligence can be defined as the unique ability to make finer distinctions—to know what is appropriate rather than what is simply right or wrong. To some, intelligence is the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. Sometimes it's defined exclusively in relation to verbal and literary ability. According to the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), intelligence involves the ability to draw inferences, to think on the spot, to solve problems, and to employ inductive reasoning.

To Thornton, it's the capacity to solve problems and interact with the world in adaptive ways. It's viewed as the product of all of an individual's knowledge, strategies, and mental tools. In a similar fashion, to Howard Gardner, it's the ability to solve problems or to fashion products that are valued in one or more cultural or community settings.

Improving this trait in a child requires paying attention to the kind of environment the child is a part of. Children would benefit from the knowledge that their parents and guardians value and appreciate self-education. Children should receive encouragement to constantly search for a deeper awareness of themselves and their surroundings. This calls for teaching children to maintain a positive self-image in order to increase their self-belief.

Obviously there is no substitute for eating rich and healthy foods. Mama, You've always noted how one can eat his way to optimum brain power. A habitual practice of discussing with children the topics that require thinking and analysis are of great help as well, but such topics have to be appropriate to their age level, experience, and development.

Creativity

As long as we are focusing on how we learn, in our search for ways to unlearn and relearn information, creativity is another concept I would ask You to comment on. I know creativity is a term used to refer to the richness of ideas and originality in thinking to generate things and solve problems. Creativity is a skill applied especially to situations where the popular or conventional responses are not appropriate.

It's observed that in this modern global society, creative thinking is a skill that is more greatly demanded than before. Things have to be done differently to fulfill the current demands of our daily lives. African children would be of even greater value to this noble cause if deliberate steps are taken to sharpen their creative mental faculties.

We may not have enough time to drill deeper into this concept, but there are certain basic things that guardians should ensure are in place and ready for application.

Self-confidence

First and foremost, it's very important to instill a high degree of confidence in the children of African descent so that they can come up with extraordinary ideas that will change the course of events, including their global image. Self-doubt is a crippling mentality that most people can't afford to live with, certainly not African children, who have so much that they need to accomplish. Children should be encouraged to lead the way in their personal discoveries with concrete knowledge that failure in an endeavor has nothing to do with their own abilities. Failures are simply practice shots on the path to attaining greater things in life. Children long for opportunities, experience, and exposure to add to their level of awareness. Guardians, parents, and every well wisher should make it a point to provide all of these.

The Availability of Sources of Information: Mama, how come we've been constantly denied good information and certain pieces of knowledge? The young ones need access to various sources of knowledge as they develop a habit of constantly searching for greater awareness. There is a high degree of power in cultivating deep reading skills since we know that good books can be life-altering.

Lack of access to useful information for any period of time is a very risky business and it's extremely expensive as well. We can't afford it any longer. We all know that knowledge is potential power of all forms, especially when it's organized and applied toward worthy ends. Indeed, knowledge can be sacred. It is sacred.

When I visited Your brother, North America, I met something that I admired: the public library system. Wow! I had never heard of or experienced such a thing in my life before. I remember the first time I entered the Toronto Public Library (TPL) branch at Yonge and Bloor in Toronto, Canada; I was simply blown away. I thought to myself, I have laid my sights on something extraordinary. Well, I certainly had. Books store treasures recorded in symbols on a page. With a public library, all children have to do is to simply enter one and access any kind of information they want for FREE. I immediately loved this functional idea.

Mama, if You can get us something like that or an even better version, it would make a positive difference. I am not talking about a mountain of outdated and irrelevant data that has no value to our way of life. We need applicable and relevant knowledge and responsible sources of information that can be put to use when facing life's daily challenges. We will talk more about the TPL later on.

Good Thinking Habits: Another subtle yet profound approach to improve the creative ability of African children is to develop good thinking habits. For instance, it's important for us to practice the understanding that there is always more than one answer to a challenge. More often than not, good questions are more revealing than well-constructed answers. Therefore, instead of focusing on teaching children the right answers, it is of lasting value to emphasize the actual process of learning rather than the final answer. There are multitudes of discrete ways to think. Each child is uniquely endowed with these abilities and no one in their rightful, knowledgeable mind should restrict these abilities. Certainly it wouldn't help us achieve the stated objectives of improving the image of children of African descent and helping You, Mama, rise to Your rightful position of respect.

Imagination

Imagination is another sister term in the proper utilization of brainpower. Let's briefly talk about it as well.

Imagination is the mental faculty responsible for the formation and creation of mental images, concepts, or entities that are not perceived as real and are not present to the senses. It has the capacity to draw mental descriptions of things or events. I have often heard that anything physical and perceptible to humans was first built in the mind using this powerful art of imagination.

Many great minds have agreed that imagination is more important than reasoning as far as creativity is concerned. It would be wise, therefore, to encourage its development and usage in the minds of our children as they get ready to draw all of the beautiful pictures they could ever want to.

Although imagination can pull ideas from original intrinsic sources, it is enhanced by any information that it receives from external sources. For that reason, any person involved in a child's life should make sure that he refines the child's basic five senses. This is not to forget that humans have other physiological capacities through which they perceive information.

It's of untold value for adults to share their experiences with growing children. Experience in a word is value. It's a commodity. It can't be passed on in the practical sense but it can be shared, and children do learn a lot from it. Nurturing a child to sharpen her imagination involves paying attention to both the left and right brain hemispheres (more about this later). Just as quizzical questioning is important, encouraging originality will lead to good things. It helps to encourage children to think, to compare, to riddle, to find and connect all sorts of patterns, and to link what they already know to what they don't fully understand.

It is uplifting to know that children, right from birth, have a good attitude toward learning and are great at imagining. All that has to be done is to keep providing the necessary support. Children naturally try to associate what they know to what is simply imagined; that's how meaning in life is constructed. Experience and exposure aid in teaching them and solidify what they've already thought about.

The Laws of Learning

Thank You, Mama, for supplying all of this information about learning, and as long as we are at it, let's also briefly talk about the laws of learning. All of these valuable bits of information about child development need to be fully understood.

Worthy structures normally tend to have principles or laws by which they operate. These laws shouldn't be ignored by those who seek to prepare children of African descent to change their image on a global scale.

Law of Practice and Feedback: Repetition is a basic practice in the development of adequate responses. Coupled with feedback, it improves the skills that need to be developed.

Law of Readiness: A child can learn easily when physically and mentally adjusted (ready) to receive information (stimuli).

Law of Relevance: Effective learning is what is relevant to the child's life and daily activities.

Law of Expectations: Children's reactions to a learning session are shaped by their expectations related to the content area, training format, fellow participants, and the trainer—the whole environment.

Law of Self-image: Children have a perception of who they are and what they are capable of doing. It's very important to make sure that they develop and maintain a perception that is encouraging and that they can achieve just about anything with effort.

Law of Active Learning: Active responses produce more effective learning than passive listening or reading. Children need to be in direct contact with objects, content, activities, and assessment techniques.

Law of Individual Differences: Different people learn in different ways; this fact shouldn't be neglected.

Law of Learning Domains: Different types of learning require different types of strategies.

Law of Response Level: Children master skills and knowledge up to the level which they are expected and required to reach.

Law of Reinforcement: Participants learn to repeat behaviors that are rewarded.

Law of Emotional Learning: Events that are accompanied by emotions lead to long-lasting learning.

Law of Previous Experience: New learning should be linked to (and built upon) the awareness and experiences of the child.

The Brain: The Greatest Asset

Nurture the Greatest Asset

Mama, I think we should further investigate the sub-theme of the brain not only because it operates hand in hand with learning but mainly because it's the engine room that runs everything we see and even those things that we have not yet seen. I will recount the little that I can remember from what You have told me about this complex machine.

You would agree that the brain deserves all the attention that can be mustered if children of African descent are to become fully empowered and attain personal fulfillment. Due to the fact that the best things in life are not yet perceptible to man, it makes sense that we should provide focused attention to this, the most limitless gadget ever created. It's wholly responsible for any improvement that will be achieved.

I believe that everything You require from Your children as well as their children so as to get to where You should be is up in their heads and not down in the ground. I don't care how much is down there; after all, it has only brought us misery and bloodshed. What is down there in the ground is the most likely reason why what is up here in the head has been suppressed in such an overwhelmingly determined fashion. Children are the Treasure of Africa (CATTOA) and their brains are the fastest, most efficient, and everlasting solution to whatever positive growth that can be achieved.

The brain is our most precious asset and we are all equipped with it at birth. If it is used properly, we are fully equipped to solve all kinds of challenges. It's the only asset that its owner has absolute control over. Whenever it's neglected or left unprotected, however, it can be manipulated to serve the interests of outside forces. Unfortunately, this has been the case with us.

The brain is a gift that should be constantly developed, healthily maintained, properly utilized, and jealously protected against any negative habits, influences, or determinants. It's an amazing, uniquely organized organ that binds together all of the mechanisms of humanity. It's the control center, the seat of all our hopes, dreams, consciousness, feelings, memories, plans, problems, personality, emotions, thoughts, and our sense of identity.

The brain is the driving force behind all of these concepts that interact to form and influence the state of mind that eventually shapes human environments, circumstances, and destiny. It is the largest room in the world and a powerful agent with great ability to absorb, retain, judge, and imagine as it penetrates through time and space.

As a matter of fact, the world would achieve so much more from studying the brain if it strategically merged the skills of neuroscientists, educators, and cognitive psychologists in order to fully address the relationship between the brain, thinking, and learning. This point leads to an interestingly relevant observation if we all consider the contemporary society we are living in.

This is the age of the mind, to say the least. Children of Mama Africa, in relation to their living circumstances, crave such knowledge more than anyone else. The brain of an African child has got all the answers we need to create anything our lineage requires. Africa must invest in the development of its children's minds as much as it possibly can to see successful, preplanned, specific results.

I know, Mama, that You wouldn't advise the neglect of anything that is important to a child's holistic growth and development. This note is as true here as it is anywhere. The holistic growth of an African child is a noble call that any parent or child caretaker should unerringly place in high priority.

I can't forget how You've always pointed out that humans live simultaneously on three planes of understanding: the mind (conscious mind), the spirit (subconscious universal existence), and the body. Faith in action is the major blending factor that connects these valuable planes for the all-encompassing growth and development of an African child. In this faith lies belief, the mother of all kinds of practical hope and attainments in life. (faith as used here is not meant to be synonymous with religion).

The Gender Question

Some matrilineal and patrilineal communities in African history have been accused of neglecting females. Even though there is a degree of truth to that, just as there is anywhere in the world, there is also a degree of misunderstanding. This is especially the case when foreign influences and interpretations are created and sold to us. You will have to talk to me more about this sensitive topic later on. For now let's note that there have been suggestions and some evidence of anatomical, chemical, and functional differences between male and female brains in terms of memory, emotions, vision, hearing, and navigation. It's accepted that there are differences between males and females but there is no general agreement on what these differences mean. We equally need all the various functions we are capable of and should pay attention to the development of the female and male brains.

It is obvious, though, that regardless of what science and statistical averages tell us, children's thought patterns are also greatly influenced by the gender roles found within their communities. The outcomes of the models they see around them and the encouragement they receive about gender-related activities can't be underestimated either. You know that we have our challenges in our family, just like any of Your sibling's families, but we don't want those challenges to be used against us. Help us in this endeavor, Mama.

The Left-Right Brain Theory

Look at this highly popularized theory for instance. It recognizes that different types of mental tasks are processed in a few specific areas of the brain, either on the left side or the right. This theory, too, has received its share of criticisms. Nevertheless, there are a few insights we can extract from what has been compiled so far to improve the art of parenting African children. Let's look at the characteristics of each side of the brain to enrich a guardian's observations of children's mental strengths and areas that need further support. Any listener out there should ask herself, based on some of the provided characteristics, where does my child seem stronger?

Characteristics of the Left-Right Brain Theory

Left-brained children prefer logical and practical facts and rules. You will find them interested in math and science and they have an appreciation for reality-based situations. They respond better to verbal instructions. As they value controlling their feelings, left-brained children have the upper hand when it comes to solving issues sequentially, based on established information or symbols, like rules.

Right-brained children, on the other hand, prefer imaginative approaches to issues, drawing from their spatial perception advantage (three dimensional). They not only use a lot of feeling words but freely express their feelings clearly. They are multi-taskers and can accomplish activities in a random fashion, thus providing a variety of possibilities including those drawn from fantasies and visualized ideals. I have enjoyed the author Jeffrey Freed's fascinating observations. In his hypothesis he stated that children who are classified as having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) fall on the extreme end of the right brain continuum.

Right-brained children are intuitively powerful. They can be observed easily picking up on the emotional and physical expressions of the people around them and reacting accordingly. It should be noted that the development of these types of skills is usually neglected by formal institutions, including schools.

Whole-brain

But as everyone listening would agree, for children to reach their full brain capacity, there is a need to pay attention to both halves of their brain's architecture. This is what is called the whole-brain perception. It appreciates the balance of the two brain hemispheres. Whole-brained individuals develop and access the strengths of each side of the brain, providing them the opportunity to produce all-round high-quality solutions to their challenges. This is exactly what the child of African descent should be aiming for, nothing less.

It's this holistic kind of development that becomes a fused thinking that draws from different sources to create new things. This kind of thinking can be viewed as a specific skill that is not only active but also intentional. To talk more about this type of thinking, we need to acknowledge that it's what research books usually describe as having master control over the way things are run. It can be as imaginative as it wishes to achieve goals and purposes. It's in close touch with reality based on knowledge and existing conditions.

It should also be recognized that most aspects of human cognitive activity do involve the use of memory to a significant extent. Everything adds its own bit of grain to the heap.

Faculties of the Mind

Mama, I also think that it would be of tremendous help to consider the parts of the mind that are categorized into faculties. Of course I still remember, as You put it, the mind deserves a lot of attention.

Each of these faculties should be given due attention so that they can fully develop in children of African descent. Very briefly, the faculties of the mind are:

Will: This is a mental faculty by which a person decides and deliberately initiates a certain course of action.

Memory is a mental faculty responsible for encoding, storing, and retrieving information. People wouldn't make much progress if all they did was forget what they had previously learned.

Intuition: Not to be confused with the sixth sense, intuition is the ability to know or sense and understand something immediately without the need for conscious reasoning. This is developed over time in close relation with the experience gathered along the way.

Reason: Reasoning allows a person to think, understand, and form judgments through a logical process. Life itself is a product of logical, systematic structural patterns and so the ability to reason well is of untold importance not only for children but for everyone.

Imagination is probably one of the greatest miracles bestowed to humans. We've looked at it already.

Influential Forces and Changes Shaping Children's Lives

The other important issue I dearly wanted You to talk about, Mama, is the influential forces, tangible and intangible, that dictate the world we live in and that the African child is getting ready for. Unless we have an idea about the depth of what lies ahead of us, we won't be able to make headway. I regard this issue highly enough that I believe it has the ability to single-handedly shed light on the attainment of our objective.

We are living in an ever-changing modern world, which is creating new powerful forces and solidifying the timeless old ones that determine and shape the trends of our lives. It's a new world full of possibilities, opportunities, and new sets of challenges.

Many experts are convinced that we are living in a transition period from the Information Age into the Communication Age, which is characterized by mining, integrating, and spatially transmuting informational concepts into a multifunctional whole. This is an era of increasing communications, networking, and social media. Put simply, it's an era where long-term trusted relationships are of great value. These relationships have the ability to span across time, opportunities, prices, possibilities, space, and competition in order to serve the interests of those involved.

It is a very exciting era because it is appropriate to dream of the possibility of uniting all of the other sources of wisdom that have held the human race together: philosophy, science, theology, psychology, and cultural studies can be integrated to launch us to great achievements.

No one can fail to acknowledge the massive impact of the internet on our modern lives. The internet has created new possibilities, access to more knowledge, and has helped us leverage time and space. As amazing as it may sound, most of the changes that we are going to briefly