LINGERS OF A DARK AGE..

"Reading opens up your mind," they said. That wasn't our way, us the pure Africans, as our reading was always done verbally or in action. Sitting at the fire or around the charcoal stove in the evenings and listening to the elders ooze gold in words or being mindless about something and then walloped with a bamboo shoot before cooking it to make "amalewa sauce", the Bagisu tribe of Uganda's delicacy. Hell!, even a cooking stick was employed by the fountains of authority in the homes we grew up in. So, the lessons were learnt too, our minds were opened too, just with a different formula. 

Anyway, we are catching on slowly, using the alphabet more to learn and experience what it's like to be in the mind of the writer. The fear that remains is for the digital and technology based reading age to wipe out what is left of the rich tradition of ancient African learning. I also sluggishly joined the book reading squad recently and have touched a few books, the most recent of which I was reading until I got to this page, deserving of a red highlight and the angry emoji but only a blue marker could be seen in my space at the time this page befell me.

Wait, what!! Did I just read the N-word?!😠🤦...

This is a book written on enhancing positive thinking in young people and most notably, by a clergy man! Disappointing is what comes to mind first, for lack of a better word. This de-meaning language is most surely not Christ like, not healthy, not positive. To tag low cut provocative names to a group of people based on their natural make up is a lot short of humane. By now you know that I closed chapter on that book, way before the chapters closed in on me. 

You see, we trash technology every passing minute even though somehow, we never get off it but think about it, with all these social media spaces, I can air my grievances, have my voice heard, basically do something visibly about it. This kind of messaging can be reacted to, pulled down and countered, in almost real time of posting and the uproar sets stage for humanity. But with reading a book like this, hard copy style, all you can do is get beyond annoyed, feel attacked, de-humanised and maybe at most shred the damn thing straight into the fire with your emotions crashed and sense of self torn. You could argue that a lawsuit would be in order and that's so on point to do but in how long with these bureaucratic institutions will a satisfactory judgement make an appearance, if it does? Also what does that leave what matters the most, your heart and inner being dealing with, as you wait?  Technology might be a drain for normalcy but it is also a strong force for timely and empowering action.

By the way, when that page dawned on me, I quickly went to check what year this book was written! It was 1955 thereabout and maybe it was a dark age for skin colour inequalities which were soaring but it wasn't right then, it's not right now and will never be right! Know who you are and you will know what to do.