This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ... read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or black color on this earth. I see pink and brown people as far as race is concerned. Lets change the name Africa and things may go better for this part of the world where human race started.
Nanasei. 10 years ago
Agya Kwarteng,
Thanks for your concern and the effort to educate some of us about the way foward for our motherland, Africa. My advise to you is that all these selected encyclopedia words do not commucate a message if peopl ... read full comment
Agya Kwarteng,
Thanks for your concern and the effort to educate some of us about the way foward for our motherland, Africa. My advise to you is that all these selected encyclopedia words do not commucate a message if people can't understand you.
Remember not all your audiance have Phd in Philosophy with Classical Civilization. When you write a sentence and people cannot figure out what that sentense means, that's not communication. Moreover, you scare some of away, because, i dom't have to have a college degree in medival history and classical writings to be able to follow your point. Nobody still speaks Shakespear's style of English, ok? This is modern 'tech' world, and things have changed.
So, please, just take a week of effective communication skills class on Youtube and you should be fine. Alternatively, I cam help if you need my assistance. You made some good points but you scared almost all the guys that I tried to show them your article. I do understand you, but not everybody does. I would like to see some improvements in your next article. Eyes are watching, so step it up, a little bit. Thanks.
Nanasei.
francis kwarteng 10 years ago
Hello,
Thanks for your comments. However, I think I should generally disagree with you.
The problem, I think, is not necessarily about the "encyclopedia words."
If I had titled an essay "Mr. John Mahama, Our First ... read full comment
Hello,
Thanks for your comments. However, I think I should generally disagree with you.
The problem, I think, is not necessarily about the "encyclopedia words."
If I had titled an essay "Mr. John Mahama, Our First Gay President, Sleeps With Mr. Akufo-Addo," for instance, and fleshed out the body of the essay in French or German, say,Ghanaian readers will quickly look for bilingal dictionaries to help them translate it. Possibly hundreds of commentators will flood the essay with all sorts of comments.
Look how many people commented when I wrote about Tsatsu Tsikata, Kofi Awoonor, and religion using a similar kind of language. No one complained about "encyclopedia words."
On the other hand, let me use similar language to write about pornography, NPP/NDC, prostitution, cheap gossip, female (sexual) anatomy, corruption, ethnocentrism (insulting ethnic groups), homosexuality, personal attacks, etc., there will obviously not be any problem.
Besides, I have seen essays on personal attacks written in difficult langauge and tons of readers still flood them with tons of comments. Our educational system do not teach us how to read (well). Unfortunately, I am not the kind to waste psychological and emotional resources on such topics. Let others do it.
Finally, the problem may partly be due to "our" educational. There is nothing wrong with picking a good dictionary and looking up a strange or unfamiliar word. Expanding one's vocabulary is part of human "intelligence." It also helps exercise the brain and puts it in shape like physical exercise does.
Then again, scientists (neuroscientists) have stressed how such mental activities help minimize diseases such as Alzheimer's, etc., in old age. I try to learn a new word each day. But exapnding your vocabulary and not using it is a futile exercise. How do you feel going to the gym and not exercising at all or using any of the machines there? Nanasei, give me one word (just one word) in this essay which is Shakespearean! Give me one word in this essay which is still not in use your "tech" world today. I bet you will not find such a word.
You know I have many readers (personal friends) without degrees who read my articles and discuss them with me all the time? You may be surprised that some of these have just associate degrees. In fact, I have a couple of friends (with associate degrees) who post my artcles in their Facebook accounts and then discuss them with some of their friends who do not even have any degrees. nderstanding a piece of essay does not have to be about degrees. It has to be about the mind and eagerness to learn, to explore, to challenge the mind, etc? They sometimes complain about some of the words but have never, not even once, misunderstood the general import of my essays.
Some even overlook the technical words as they read and still understand what I am generally trying to say. You don't have to understand every word in an article to appreciate its import. That's another skill a "good" reader has. I don't have to look up every single strange or technical word I see when I read. You are supposed to understand a passage on a GRE/SAT/GMAT test without the benefit of a dictionary in the examination hall. Its a skill one acquires. Readers must learn to read and undrstandt essays/books without necessairly having to know the meaning of every single or technical word.
Nanasei, I don't have to take a You tube class on writing. Writing is a subject I have taught so "many" people. My point is that readers shoud get a "good" if they have a problem with an unfamiliar word. That's part of intellectual growth.
Like I said before, let me write a hateful essay with unfamiliar or strange (English) vocabulary and there will not be any problem with my "encyclopedia words." Nanasei, I don't want to sound like I am blowing my own horn but I began building my vocabulary ("enclopedia words," however you call it, and several such "strange" or "unfamilar" words) way back when I was in preparatory school. I hardly use a dictionary when I am writing. I do so when I am not too sure about the exact meaning of a particular word. I have privately done a lot of reading beyond mathematics/sciences to put me in direct contact with "technical" jargon from the medical sciences, educational psychology, economics, anthropology, sociology, history, etc. I try to use the words I come across so I don't lose them. That's the essence of education/learning.
Overlook my errors ( I didn't proofread my response)
Thank you.
Nanasei. 10 years ago
I understand your point but remember, there is a difference between communication and writing, ok? Your audience is the general public, so it's important you communicate in a way that some people will not be eliminated. I ... read full comment
I understand your point but remember, there is a difference between communication and writing, ok? Your audience is the general public, so it's important you communicate in a way that some people will not be eliminated. I could rewrite your whole article in a different style, and trust me, everybody will like to read and comprehend. Well, a word to the wise id enogh. Please, don't be defensive here. I like your ideas, just that your style of english language is that og the 29th century style. Use the 21st century english style. Thanks, Francis.
HAWA YAKUBU 10 years ago
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ... read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or black color on this earth. I see pink and brown people as far as race is concerned. Lets change the name Africa and things may go better for this part of the world where human race started.
HAWA YAKUBU 10 years ago
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ... read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or black color on this earth. I see pink and brown people as far as race is concerned. Lets change the name Africa and things may go better for this part of the world where human race started.
HAWA YAKUBU 10 years ago
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ... read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or black color on this earth. I see pink and brown people as far as race is concerned. Lets change the name Africa and things may go better for this part of the world where human race started.
Theresia B. 10 years ago
Suggest you translate this article in English for the interested reader.
Suggest you translate this article in English for the interested reader.
Nii Ashitey 10 years ago
Afrocentrism posits that despite what most people would like to believe, ancient Africa had her own civilizations, languages, cultures, and history long before the arrival of the first Europeans to the continent. It is indeed ... read full comment
Afrocentrism posits that despite what most people would like to believe, ancient Africa had her own civilizations, languages, cultures, and history long before the arrival of the first Europeans to the continent. It is indeed a movement which believes in the the unity of ideas though a union of black progressive with a belief that that the black man is capable of taking care of its own.
Some African intellectuals maybe through inferiority complex or arrogance seems to misunderstand Nkrumah because they analyse him through the eyes of the neo-colonialists.It is time they assess him on his political and developmental programmes, and on his contributions to the political and economic advancement of Africa as afrocentrism is doing.
Professor Ali Mazrui is one of those leading African neo-colonial intellectuals who still analyzes Nkrumah through CIA propaganda. He said said that 'Kwame Nkrumah was one of Africa's greatest sons, but he was not one of Ghana's greatest servants'.
It is a strategy of the white man in African politics to brainwash us into believing that unless our constitution is based on an imitation of the Western Parliamentary system, we can't engage in politics and democracy. This is wrong and our intellectuals like Ali Mazrui must rid themselves of this colonial mentality. Kwame Nkrumah devoted his life's energy to Africa's political freedom and unification. His achievements are there for all to see. That is why he has a special place in the heart of Afrocentrism and progressives all over the world admire him for setting colonialism ablaze in Africa. Nkrumah has shown us the way, and we must walk it with confidence.
I find the topic refreshing especially its message. Francis must have picked his audience and communicated to them. It is not always simple to communicate to a general audience especially with the nature of the subject which is of such that for the time being, it must be limited to a target audience.
It is a dense subject and Nanasei and co must recognise that we have a diverse readership and some of us prefer the right choice of words in order to get the message through to its target audience. Perhaps when it comes to reducing the message in a simpler form for a different audience, for their understanding then nanasei may reduce the message to what he has in mind and approach it in a different way.
GB 10 years ago
I believe this article is intended to crtiticize Africa's education system. And criticisms are what lead to revisions and transformations.
I see here that the author's goal is to make African's accept his critique of the ... read full comment
I believe this article is intended to crtiticize Africa's education system. And criticisms are what lead to revisions and transformations.
I see here that the author's goal is to make African's accept his critique of their education, by he had failed to accept critique of his own publication. This is supposed to be a kind of peer review exercise, and dont get me wrong, this subject is very interesting and important.
The fact that I may be a Christian, does not mean I must understand tongue speaking. I can pray to God for some interpretations, but it must not a requirement. In the flow of communication, the goal is to achieve understanding on the part of the audience.
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ...
read full comment
Agya Kwarteng,
Thanks for your concern and the effort to educate some of us about the way foward for our motherland, Africa. My advise to you is that all these selected encyclopedia words do not commucate a message if peopl ...
read full comment
Hello,
Thanks for your comments. However, I think I should generally disagree with you.
The problem, I think, is not necessarily about the "encyclopedia words."
If I had titled an essay "Mr. John Mahama, Our First ...
read full comment
I understand your point but remember, there is a difference between communication and writing, ok? Your audience is the general public, so it's important you communicate in a way that some people will not be eliminated. I ...
read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ...
read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ...
read full comment
This is a very insightful observation my brother. The venal issue here is the general mind set of the African. I have a problem with the word "black". How can the entire world be color blind. There is no person of white or bl ...
read full comment
Suggest you translate this article in English for the interested reader.
Afrocentrism posits that despite what most people would like to believe, ancient Africa had her own civilizations, languages, cultures, and history long before the arrival of the first Europeans to the continent. It is indeed ...
read full comment
I believe this article is intended to crtiticize Africa's education system. And criticisms are what lead to revisions and transformations.
I see here that the author's goal is to make African's accept his critique of the ...
read full comment