We Must Teach History like Never Before

Over the past few decades, the international financiers who call themselves “donors” have discouraged Third World countries from promoting the humanities and social sciences in institutions of higher learning. Their view is that such subjects are irrelevant, if not an outright waste of time, for countries striving to feed and clothe their impoverished populations. Yet human beings are not merely organisms desiring food and clothing; rather, they are also rational and emotional beings whose quality of life is greatly enhanced when these two latter faculties are developed – and this is where the humanities and social sciences come in.
What is more, a mature citizenry, one capable of making intelligent choices, knows its history, social dynamics, fine art, literature, and its philosophical orientation.
Let us therefore resist the forced death of the humanities and social sciences by insisting that our young people have a right to holistic education – not merely training that moulds them into cogs of international capital.

Reginald M.J. Oduor, Ph.D.

Let Us Take a Long Term View

Following the Westgate tragedy, many Kenyans have been very excited about the prospect of a more united country. The "We are One" motto has so reverberated across the country, that anyone who suggests that we might not be one after all is considered to be a pathological enemy of unity and development. Yet we must all come to terms with the fact that even after the August 7 1998 bombing of the American Embassy in Nairobi's City Centre and the death of more than two hundred people, there was a feeling of unity in the country; yet that sense of unity was not strong enough to avert the 2007/2008 near-civil war. Let us then enjoy our sense of unity, but strive to address the issues that really divide us.