*"I have a right to my opinion?" Does anybody need to be reminded of this ?
I have no time to waste on useless Shakespeare and Killing a mocking bird. But like I said, Museveni is way way right on this one. * On Tue, Sep 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Don Wanyama <[email protected]>wrote: > You have a right to your opinion—only if you could develop it further, > without sounding derogatory! > > > > Don > > > > *From:* Mitayo Potosi [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Tuesday, September 15, 2009 5:15 PM > *To:* The First Virtual Network for friends of Uganda; Don Wanyama; > [email protected] > *Subject:* Museveni is right > > > > *Mr Wanyama, > > Of course M7 is right !! Shakespeare is nonsense and completely irrelevant > to us. > > "To Kill a mocking Bird" is also a set book for Literature in Uganda. > It is a story of how African Americans are seen by a white racist in the > deep South of the USA. > > What is the relevance to us? > > Our curriculum was, long ago, high-jacked by the supremacist and racist > Anglos. > Ask Kevin O'Coner, the Irish guy in Kampala who used to work with the > British Council in Kampala. > He will tell you the true and vile agenda of the British Council !! > > We have to throw out all the trash and embark on mental de-colonisation. > > I am 100% with m7 on this one !! > > Mitayo Potosi. Toronto. > ================* > In berating Literature, Museveni is scared of critics > > Don Wanyama > > Last week, I watched a documentary on unemployment aired on NTV. It > explored its causes, using case studies of graduates who have ‘tarmacked’ > the roads for ages after university. But what was disturbing was a clip in > which President Museveni placed the blame on subjects students study at > university. He singled out Literature in English as one of those ‘redundant’ > subjects, wondering what one could do after studying William Shakespeare. > “Shakespeare said this in this year, so what?” the sarcastic President > asked. > > I don’t think Mr Museveni’s choice for Literature as a subject to berate > was accidental. Literature emphasises critical thinking, using works of > fiction, at times reality. Most literary works draw inspiration from real > life, with authors either seeking to celebrate or criticise these aspects of > life. It trains learners to look beyond the surface, equipping them with > investigative and analytical skills. > > It is therefore very understandable for President Museveni to berate such a > subject. I mean which leader would not be worried about many students > studying George Orwell’s Animal Farm and discovering how revolutions (read > liberations) can be abused? Which leader would not turn in their seats with > unease if most subjects know about a certain Napoleon taking on the same > behaviour and mannerisms of the Farmer Jones he deposed? Just imagine the > strife we would have if half this country understood the concept of “eating > eggs and drinking milk” as propagated by Squealer - and was able to name and > shame modern-day Squealers? Who would feel comfortable reading Shakespeare’s > tragedy of Macbeth, cognisant that the betrayal and deadly ambition therein > abounds in their neighbourhoods? Is it not Achebe who talked of old women > feeling uncomfortable whenever bones were mentioned in a tale? > Leaders who have skidded off the path of the ideals they promised have > found safety in muzzling critics who can ably alert societies about the > ills. It is why the likes of Alex La Guma were banished by the South African > apartheid regime. Does it surprise anyone that during the riotous moments in > Europe in the 1830s and 1840s, students and lecturers of Literature were > targets of the monarchical repressive regimes, many arrested and > incarcerated? > > Mr Museveni’s argument of promoting science subjects at the expense of > arts/humanities is hollow and escapist - mainly because employment in this > country has ceased to be a question of merit. I know of several nursing > graduates who are unemployed because every time they have applied for a job > at a district, the commissions have asked for bribes that they can’t raise. > Those who have been able to oil the palms have been employed, irrespective > of their competencies. The same cancer has eaten most public institutions > and is gradually rearing its ugly head in the private sector. > > Unemployment therefore, is an indictment on those charged with the duty of > planning for this country. The Asian tigers we admire are able to predict > human resource needs of their countries - at times decades in advance - and > deliberately influence training in that direction. What do we do here? Let > majority children get half-baked primary school education, go to > facility-less secondary schools and fizzle out thereafter - adding to the > statistics of the unemployed. Meanwhile, the few with the means send their > children abroad to Ivy League universities and remind us about why we should > not study Literature. > > Can anyone explain why a President who sees no value in Literature at one > point had an adviser on literary affairs? Saw it fit to back a local > Literature guru as his party’s spokesperson and keeps lacing his speeches > with metaphors and similes - all literary qualities? > > *Mr Wanyama studied Literature in English > [email protected]* > > DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is > intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain > confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No > confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If > you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all > copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the > sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, > print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended > recipient. > > Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and > do not necessarily represent those of the Monitor Publications Group. > > ‘To get fresh news visit http://www.monitor.co.ug ’ > ------------------------------ > This e-mail message has been scanned for Viruses and Content and cleared by > *MailMarshal * > ------------------------------ >
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