Dear Educated Africans- A PSA

It's funny how we can be so educated yet so deceived....

This is my announcement...

Its cool to laugh and all, but just think about it: this education system was created to fail our children from primary school right into tertiary. From grades to the price of quality education, to access to mentors and tutors and prized (but unpaid) internships : people are excluded or made to drop out. And how they do. You know, to keep the elite just the right size. After all, what good is a country, let alone a continent, of people who are given the tools to understand the system and with those tools, the ability to use them against those the system was created to benefit? They educate enough people to buy into their lies, to agree that Africa is a certain way and that it is in constant need of saving. But not enough that the Fanons and Mandelas and Winnie Madikizelas, you know the activists- the brave outliers, grow in number and ability to mobilise enough people against the system.

They say Africa is rising but have we even taken back the wheel to steer own our ships? Are we teaching ourselves to be our own pilots? Have we learnt to appreciate flying within our own skies? Do we think that's flying high enough?

My fellow university educated Africans: I hope we remember this as we attempt to fix the things we think are broken. As we use the same (sometimes racist and classist) theories and tools taught to us to bring "development" to the continent. May our minds remain open to our cultures and traditions. And may we continue to listen to those who don't bare the beauty and curse of knowing how to talk like the rest in the West. May we not be so quick to label our "uneducated" in the same way the West has always labelled us. There is value in the knowledge our grandmothers, grandfathers, aunts and uncle-s bring to the table.