(TALKZIMBABWE) Obama is Africa’s beacon

Obama is Africa’s beacon
Edwin Kamanda – Opinion
Wed, 05 Nov 2008 01:37:00 +0000

BARACK Obama is a young, astute, articulate and morally upright politician. His meteoric ascension is an inspiration to young men and women of Africa. Obama is stepping into the political limelight merely on merit, a rare phenomenon in modern day politics let alone in Africa .

From politics, business, education and family life, lessons are going to be learnt from a credible standard bearer. Gone are the days when young people of Africa will emulate the oppressive styles of educated leaders like Robert Mugabe and Kamuzu Banda. Gone are the days when shameless professors are admired for practising naked opportunism in order to feed themselves from the misfortunes of the oppressed masses in Africa. Gone are the days when so called “Black entrepreneurs” will align with despots and pose as role models to young Africans. From now on, Barack Obama will represent a new generation of selfless, educated and principled young people who are passionate about serving their own people.

Obama is in stark contrast with the majority of high ranking, self serving African leaders who enrich themselves at the expense of starving masses. As he grew up he might have been taught something which the majority of African leaders were not taught. As he went to school, Obama might have read something which the majority of educated African leaders did not read. Maybe....only maybe, Barack Obama was told the following words which were not heard by educated African leaders from Martin Luther King Junior:

“I often wonder whether or not education is fulfilling its purpose. A great majority of the so-called educated people do not think logically and scientifically. Even the press, the classroom, the platform and the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths.To save man from the morass of propaganda, in my opinion, is one of the chief aims of education.

"Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and facts from fiction. The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason but with no morals.

"We must remember that intelligence alone is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living."

Edwin Kamanda