FREE THINKER
Am sited with my laptop on my lap on a chilly Tuesday evening trying to confirm the opening dates for my 2016 academic year, this thought crosses my mind: do we really know the true meaning of the phrase “institution of higher learning?”. I check my universities website and alas it has the same phrase. Then I ask myself; do the people or rather the students know the true meaning or the power in the phrase “institution of higher learning”.
Am writing this blog in a somber and sorrowful mood. Not to shame, insult or critics anybody but to acknowledge the challenges institutions of higher learning are facing. An important idea in the definition of “institution of higher learning” is the notion of academic freedom. I will not indulge myself in the whole notion of defining academic freedom but again l ask does anyone really acknowledge what academic freedom translates to?
I happen to love my motherland country Kenya at the same time I happen to love my school too. I love the people of Narok and the students of Maasai Mara University are just amazing. The school happens to have some of the most beautiful women. Maybe l should get a wife as one guy said on national TV “we need HELB to marry”.
Apart from the beautiful women and the good people of Narok there is a big problem with the students. The stupid tribal driven chaos and the whole idiocy of students fighting each other. Did you guys forget the whole idea of comradeship?
It gets shameful to read how people were holding discussions and meetings trying to bring their people together. The people who happen to be students. If the elite members of the society are involved in tribal wars what about the poor illiterates in the village?
One point should be clear Maasai Mara University does not belong to either the Maasai the Lou the Kalenjin or the people of Narok County. Maasai Mara University belongs to the people of Kenya. It’s a government institution, funded by taxes paid by all the people of Kenya.
No one or any community should sit and discuss about the future of an institution funded by the tax payer’s money. If your fellow tribesmen cannot live in peace take them back to school to learn about tolerance and living in harmony.
Then I come across #TheMaasaiMraWhitePeaceParade. It’s a noble and commendable idea but the whole concept and wording should be re looked at. I read it’s an alumni and communication student brainchild idea. Its shocking reading this and its shocking to actually think it’s true our universities are producing half-baked students.
Did these communication students do any research on the use of and origin of the word “tribe”? In a simple definition Tribe has its roots in colonialism. The word has no shared referent whether in political form, kingship relations or shared culture. In fact the word tribal conveys a negative connotation of a timeless unchanging past. It’s abusive to refer to a group of people as tribe. To avoid these implications ethnic group is used.
An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural or national experience. Unlike most other social groups, ethnicity is [primarily an inherited status. membership of an ethnic group tends to be defined by a shared cultural heritage ancestry, origin myth, history, religion, dressing style, and physical appearance.
It’s reckless and shameful for people trying to drive a reconciliatory campaign to not do research on their wording and their way of doing their campaign.
Asking people from all “tribes” to attend a peace campaign is reckless and discriminatory. What of us who have parents from two different communities? What of us who do not tolerate the idea of tribalism? What of those who do not even identify themselves with any tribe?
And before we even call for a campaign have we healed from the tribal chaos?
It was not a tribal week but a cultural week. Your native language is not your tribe but it’s your culture. Culture is a way of life. Culture is not tribalism it’s a way of life. Everybody has their culture the punk and up street cultures should also be included it’s a way of culture.
It’s a noble idea to bring people together but let’s rethink the whole idea of healing. It’s not about a tribe or tribal. It’s about a way of life. Let’s not invite the media to portray tribalism but to display our way of life. The Maasai Mara University culture.
Let’s be free thinkers, come out of the tribal and village bondage. I end by quoting” take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way”.
Am sited with my laptop on my lap on a chilly Tuesday evening trying to confirm the opening dates for my 2016 academic year, this thought crosses my mind: do we really know the true meaning of the phrase “institution of higher learning?”. I check my universities website and alas it has the same phrase. Then I ask myself; do the people or rather the students know the true meaning or the power in the phrase “institution of higher learning”.
Am writing this blog in a somber and sorrowful mood. Not to shame, insult or critics anybody but to acknowledge the challenges institutions of higher learning are facing. An important idea in the definition of “institution of higher learning” is the notion of academic freedom. I will not indulge myself in the whole notion of defining academic freedom but again l ask does anyone really acknowledge what academic freedom translates to?
I happen to love my motherland country Kenya at the same time I happen to love my school too. I love the people of Narok and the students of Maasai Mara University are just amazing. The school happens to have some of the most beautiful women. Maybe l should get a wife as one guy said on national TV “we need HELB to marry”.
Apart from the beautiful women and the good people of Narok there is a big problem with the students. The stupid tribal driven chaos and the whole idiocy of students fighting each other. Did you guys forget the whole idea of comradeship?
It gets shameful to read how people were holding discussions and meetings trying to bring their people together. The people who happen to be students. If the elite members of the society are involved in tribal wars what about the poor illiterates in the village?
One point should be clear Maasai Mara University does not belong to either the Maasai the Lou the Kalenjin or the people of Narok County. Maasai Mara University belongs to the people of Kenya. It’s a government institution, funded by taxes paid by all the people of Kenya.
No one or any community should sit and discuss about the future of an institution funded by the tax payer’s money. If your fellow tribesmen cannot live in peace take them back to school to learn about tolerance and living in harmony.
Then I come across #TheMaasaiMraWhitePeaceParade. It’s a noble and commendable idea but the whole concept and wording should be re looked at. I read it’s an alumni and communication student brainchild idea. Its shocking reading this and its shocking to actually think it’s true our universities are producing half-baked students.
Did these communication students do any research on the use of and origin of the word “tribe”? In a simple definition Tribe has its roots in colonialism. The word has no shared referent whether in political form, kingship relations or shared culture. In fact the word tribal conveys a negative connotation of a timeless unchanging past. It’s abusive to refer to a group of people as tribe. To avoid these implications ethnic group is used.
An ethnic group or ethnicity is a category of people who identify with each other based on common ancestral, social, cultural or national experience. Unlike most other social groups, ethnicity is [primarily an inherited status. membership of an ethnic group tends to be defined by a shared cultural heritage ancestry, origin myth, history, religion, dressing style, and physical appearance.
It’s reckless and shameful for people trying to drive a reconciliatory campaign to not do research on their wording and their way of doing their campaign.
Asking people from all “tribes” to attend a peace campaign is reckless and discriminatory. What of us who have parents from two different communities? What of us who do not tolerate the idea of tribalism? What of those who do not even identify themselves with any tribe?
And before we even call for a campaign have we healed from the tribal chaos?
It was not a tribal week but a cultural week. Your native language is not your tribe but it’s your culture. Culture is a way of life. Culture is not tribalism it’s a way of life. Everybody has their culture the punk and up street cultures should also be included it’s a way of culture.
It’s a noble idea to bring people together but let’s rethink the whole idea of healing. It’s not about a tribe or tribal. It’s about a way of life. Let’s not invite the media to portray tribalism but to display our way of life. The Maasai Mara University culture.
Let’s be free thinkers, come out of the tribal and village bondage. I end by quoting” take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way”.
Told ever so succinctly. Preach it on the mountain tops I'll be an Aaron to lift your hand till the war is won
ReplyDeletefor the word came upon him..and the dragon inside him wanted him to say what it thought and his writtings were the writtings of the great dragon
ReplyDelete