Knowledge is one of the greatest gifts we can pass to our children. Unfortunately, knowledge is often viewed as something that we need to get to be able to get something else. But gaining knowledge can be a reward, one that opens up our minds and our lives before real change can be brought about in reality. Imagine if all students understood the transformative nature of knowledge. They would be banging on the door to be let into lessons.
Truly great creators are also great learners. Take Leonardo Da Vinci. He was an illegitimate child of a wealthy notary (back when being illegitimate was a hurdle). Da Vinci was fascinated with learning and discovering. So much so that it would take science 450 years to catch up with his discoveries in fluid dynamics.
He realised at an early age that much of the knowledge he craved was only available in Latin, and because of his circumstances he was barred from a formal education. His solution? He taught himself Latin (no mean feat) so he could gain the knowledge he craved. Da Vinci is known as a polymath – someone whose knowledge extends across multiple areas. He was a genius – but largely self-taught. Da Vinci knew the transformative nature of knowledge.
Another hero of mine is Marie Curie – the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice, and the only person to win the Nobel Prize in two scientific fields. Impressive! Her accomplishments are even more astonishing because they were made back when women were wrongly considered to be intellectually inferior to men.
During World War I she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals. Recognising an urgent need for field radiological centres near the front lines, she set about accumulating knowledge on radiology, anatomy, and automotive mechanics, and after buying X-ray equipment, vehicles, and auxiliary generators, she developed mobile radiography units. Known as ‘Little Curies’, her invention is thought to have treated over a million wounded soldiers. All from a thirst for knowledge.
Both demonstrate the last part of the word knowledge: edge. They were on the edges of society, all rejected or diminished in some way: Da Vinci for being illegitimate; Curie for being a woman in a misogynous era. But they ignored that edge and went to the edge of their capabilities, using knowledge and learning as fuel to their ambitions. And both changed the world as a result. So how do we encourage children in the classroom and at home to go to the edge in the search for knowledge? Here are three suggestions:
Be the change
We've all heard the saying, "Be the change you wish to see in the world" attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, although what he actually said was, "We but mirror the world.” The sentiment is the same and simply made clearer in the well-known version. In short, who we are is what we see in the world. Who we are is mirrored back to us by our experiences. If we are always angry or sad, we tend to meet other people who are always angry or sad and find reasons to be angry or sad.
It therefore follows that if we could accumulate knowledge and change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. We would therefore ‘be’ the change we wished to see. I love that our younger generations are actively speaking out and protesting to make their world better. From Greta Thunberg to Emma González, from Amika George to Xiuhtezcatl Roske-Martinez there are many who want to bring about change.
We can’t expect positive change unless we are actively involved in that positive change. So, cycle back to the free knowledge. And experiment wildly. Learn new things. Have new experiences.
Take a moment to encourage children to be the person they want to be. They are in control of far more than they imagine. Ask them to notice how their mood impacts their results. Help them to see the connection between who they are and what they experience in the world.
Get into the good stuff that’s FREE!
In Da Vinci’s time, he needed to teach himself a language and beg and borrow to get access to the smartest minds of the time through books. Today we have 24/7 access to the world’s smartest minds via the internet. We also have equal access to idiots and cats playing the piano, but never has the accumulation of knowledge been easier or cheaper.
There are amazing free resources online from short courses offered by prestigious universities to sites like Wikipedia. It is possible to learn everything from Python coding to how to make the perfect cheese scone online either via YouTube demonstrations, or more structured training programs. Many are free or virtually free.
What we learn doesn’t need to be limited to the classroom. There is so much knowledge out there. We should all be encouraging children to explore that knowledge and to experiment wildly. If it’s free, the only cost is a little attention. How can we ever know what we’re good at or enjoy or find fascinating if we don’t experiment wildly?
Take a moment to explore stuff online with your kids, at home or in the classroom. What obscure thing could someone learn? Have a look at what’s out there? Challenge the class to come up with one free course that looks interesting. Encourage them to sign up and do it. Look on Udemy, FutureLearn or others.
Wherever, Whoever or Whatever you are, you are the journey
Louise Hay was at the forefront of the modern self-help movement. One of her mantras was, “I am in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing.” The idea that we should be someone else, doing something else, with other people in another place is incredibly toxic for our lives. We are in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. Even if those things don’t appear right, they are for the learning journey we are all on individually.
If you don’t agree, then where should you be? And how are you going to get to where you want to be? And what knowledge and insight are you going to need to attain to get you there? We all suffer from self-doubt at times, but the key question is what are we going to do about it?
I met someone in a prison a few years ago and he had spent over twenty years of his forty-year life behind bars. I asked him what advice he would pass on to others. This is his quote: “The choices are always there. It’s the decisions you take that really matter.” We often bemoan that life is unfair and that things don’t go our way. But why? All the choices in life are on offer, we just need to make good choices and course correct if we don’t. If you don’t like where you are, change it. Because with knowledge, you can.
Take a minute to encourage youngsters to look objectively at where they are, where they want to be and how they can bridge that gap via knowledge.
Sid Madge is a transformation and change specialist and founder of Meee. Meee draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people embrace change and achieve extraordinary lives. Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in Minute’ series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.
The Covid-19 pandemic has arguably been one of the greatest challenges faced by many people in their lifetime.
There is no question that it has put enormous strain on public health systems and healthcare workers.
“It changed the way we live, socialise and work, disrupting vital aspects of our lives,” points out Mimi Kalinda, a seasoned communications professional. “These changes have had a massive impact on our emotional well-being. Bereavement, isolation, loss of income and anxiety have triggered mental health conditions and exacerbated exiting ones. Around the world, mental health started to become a growing concern for people irrespective of age, demographics or income groups.”
While Covid-19 has resulted in a growing need for mental health services globally, in Africa funding for much needed mental health services was either disrupted or halted as a result of the pandemic3. Mental health conditions on the continent are often not addressed as a result of the stigma attached to mental illness, coupled with a lack of government budget. Even prior to the pandemic, the continent had one of the lowest mental health public expenditure rates globally.
If the bad news is that Covid-19 exacerbated mental health, the good news is that a growing number of studies are pointing to the fact that receiving the Covid-19 vaccine results in significant improvements in mental health.
This is primarily due to the fact that vaccinations have proved to reduce the risks associated with contracting Covid-19, which in turns lessens general anxiety. Those who are vaccinated are increasingly reporting reduced anxiety and depression compared to those who choose not to get vaccinated. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0256406
“After a period in which many people felt disempowered, getting the vaccine and knowing you have some protection against the risk of severe disease provides a sense of control and lessens feelings of anxiety. It also provides hope that your life will return to a semblance of normality,” says Kalinda.
“All indications are that when you reduce your health risks – through the vaccine, for example – mental distress will be similarly reduced.”
Around the world businesses, restaurants, airlines and other public establishments are starting to check people’s vaccination status, with entry reserved for those who are vaccinated.
“In a highly unpredictable environment, vaccinations appear to be the only way in which society will see a return to a semblance of normality. It is looking increasingly likely that the civil liberties we took so for granted in a pre-pandemic world will only be returned to us if we are vaccinated,” concludes Kalinda. By Carême Kouamé, AMA
Tanzania’s Minister for Information, Nape Nnauye, said in a recent meeting with editors that the government has lifted the ban on the Mseto, Mawio, Mwanahalisi, and Tanzania Daima newspapers. This is an important decision, as freedom of media and expression in Tanzania has seriously deteriorated since 2015 when the late President John Pombe Magufuli came to power.
Since 2015, authorities regularly revoked the licenses of newspapers for publishing material critical of the government.
In 2016, the information ministry banned Mseto for reporting corruption allegations in Magufuli’s presidential campaign. In 2017, they used the 2016 Media Services Act to ban Mawio after it published an article linking former presidents with a mining contracts scandal. That same year, Mwanahalisi was banned for allegations it tarnished Magufuli’s name. In 2020 ahead of the October elections, the ministry revoked the license of Tanzania Daima, whose owner is married to opposition leader Freeman Mbowe, over “excessive and repetitive nature of violations of the laws and the ethics of journalism.”
The authorities have also regularly harassed journalists, activists, and political opposition leaders. The government has further failed to adequately investigate the disappearance of investigative journalist Azory Gwanda, who has been missing since November 2017 when he was picked up by unidentified people.
Although Nnauye told the editors at the February 10 meeting that the government is now ready to work with the media, the authorities need to do more to ensure freedom of media and expression in Tanzania. The authorities should start by reviewing repressive provisions in the Media Services Act, the Cybercrimes Act, and the Electronic and Postal (Online Content) Regulations, and protect journalists from physical attacks and arbitrary arrests. - Oryem Nyeko, Human Rights Watch
The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). FILE PHOTO | NMG Photo Courtesy
A Kenyan man travelling from Burundi has been arrested at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi with $2 million in foreign currency.
Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) custom officials intercepted the traveler on Thursday and seized his parcel. He was arrested on suspicion of being part of a money-laundering scheme after failing to declare the cash as required by law.
“The money has been held and the matter is under investigation,’’ KRA commissioner for Custom and Border Control Lilian Nyawanda said in a statement.
KRA says when the passenger arrived at JKIA from Bujumbura, Burundi, he made a declaration of the currency indicating the origin as Banque de Credit de Bujumbura (BCB) to a recipient Brinks Global Services, Kenya.
After clearance by Customs Unit at the airport, the traveler later, presented the same money at the Swissport Cargo shed with different export documents for shipment to Global Services, UK.
The documents produced to support the export request were different from those produced on entry into the country.
The documents produced to support the export request were different from those produced on entry into the country.
“After noting the inconsistencies in information provided by the passenger, KRA has invited Asset Recovery Agency (ARA) to assist in investigating the matter as a possible money-laundering attempt,” said Ms Nyawanda.
The arrest comes barely days after KRA arrested a foreigner at Kenya's main airport with undeclared cash.
The foreigner, a Bahraini national identified as Khalid Jameel Saeed, was intercepted at JKIA with $975,000.
He was on transit to Bahrain through Egyptian Airlines. Last year, Posta staff working jointly with KRA customs officers based at City Square Post Office recovered $28,000 concealed in a jacket shipped into Kenya as a parcel from South Carolina State, US.
In another case last year, a Nigerian national was arrested at the JKIA on his way to Dubai with undeclared foreign currencies. Mr Mauzu Bala was arrested with the money-- in 880,000 US dollars, 60,000 euros and 63,000 Nigerian naira -- stacked in his handbag.
Section 12 (1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act requires a person to declare any amount above $10,000 (approximately over Ksh1 million).
The law requires individuals travelling or sending parcels with a huge amount of money to declare and produce documents supporting the legitimacy of the cash in the fight against money laundering.
The United States government in the past has put Kenya on the list of global hotspots for money laundering, citing insufficient controls on the circulation of dirty cash and the lack of laws against terrorism financing.
A report published in 2019 by the United States Department of State Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs said money laundering in Kenya occurs in the formal and informal sectors, fuelled by domestic and foreign criminal operations.
Raila described the remarks as reckless and disappointing to come from a person of the DP’s stature.
In Summary
Raila demanded that Ruto owns up and apologises.
Amb. Masafui said the remarks received negatively in DRC
Deputy President William Ruto on Wednesday came under fire over his remarks on the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Kenyan embassy in Kinshasha expressed displeasure at Deputy President William Ruto’s remarks on DRC as ODM leader Raila Odinga waded into the matter.
Raila castigated the DP demanding that he apologises over his unfortunate remarks capable of creating a diplomatic tiff between the two friendly nations.
“The DP must own up and apologise to the government and the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo,” Raila said.
Ruto while addressing business community in Nyeri county, insinuated that the Central Africa nation has no single cow.
“We have a market here to DRC which has 90 million people but not a single cow,” Ruto said during the meeting with Nyeri business community.
Raila described the remarks as reckless and disappointing to come from a person of the DP’s stature.
In a statement to newsrooms, the former premier said DRC is a friend of Kenya and the attack by Ruto is unwarranted and short sighted.
“Ruto’s attacks on the DRC are a manifestation of a reckless lack of vision and foresight, a pathetic failure to see where opportunities abound for Kenya,” Raila said.
Raila’s comment came on a day Kenya ambassador to DRC Amb Dr. George Masafu issued a statement expressing dissatisfaction with Ruto’s DRC comment.
Already, Masafu has written to Kenya’s Foreign Affairs ministry protesting the remarks.
According to Masafu, the remarks have not gone down well with the business community terming it an insult.
“The embassy has informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nairobi on the negative reactions that the comments have triggered among the business community and general populace in DRC,” Masafu said in a statement.
“The Kenya embassy wishes to reiterate that the government and the people of Kenya share a deep and respectful historical relationship with the government and people of the DRC. This relationship stretches back to the independence of our respective countries.” By Luke Awich, The Star
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