By Dr Augustine Tirivangana

THE British and their host of tentacles are sparing no second in their bid to intellectually kill us off through their incipient shaping of education in general and ‘rights education’ in particular.
And their target is none other than our innocent children and unsuspecting paper-chasers all eager to run away from the noble profession of teaching to join the ‘greener pastures’ of non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
You should not be surprised why they are targeting our young.
Our children are the future of our nation and a future of ‘zombified’ and divided people pursuing individual rights and freedoms is the most exploitable chaos you can ever hope for a country that has stood the worst of odds in its defence of nationalist ideals.
The regime change and re-colonisation agenda is returning hidden under the garb of humanitarian concern.
It is therefore imperative to expose the malicious intents of such soft power.
First of all, let us expose the hypocrisy bushelled in the discourse of ‘rights’ and the so-called ‘fundamental freedoms’.
The Amnesty International believes that human rights education is fundamental for addressing the underlying causes of human rights violations, preventing human rights abuses, combating discrimination, promoting equality, and enhancing people’s participation in democratic decision-making processes.
All these mouthfuls have been drummed into our psyches and memories for time immemorial for a single reason – to alter our collective consciousness and replace it with a borrowed individual consciousness that relates to everything else except its original base.
Such is their art of displacement, of removing you from your material ancestral base so they assume it and all its resources themselves while you bask in the vacuum of unrewarding rights, wallowing in a sea of empty rights.
Today just below our noses certificates, diplomas and degrees are being offered in our institutions of education to prepare a vanguard of scholars who will complement the efforts of rights NGOs to spread the gospel of ‘rights’ to our children.
These are financed by NGOs and arms of the United Nations (UN) including UNICEF and UNESCO.
Meanwhile the agenda to ‘save’ African children has resurged.
Save the Children (UK), Save the children (Norway) and other Save the children (Something) are leading the campaign of ‘saving’ our children from us!
Anyone who has travelled to the US and Europe will tell you that the children of these nations are the most vulnerable by any stretch of imagination.
They shoot each other at school.
They shoot their teachers.
They are themselves prey for misguided elements of those societies who prowl their streets in their numbers like a pack of hyenas.
Are these children not the ones who must be saved?
But these people turn around and claim that children under the safety-net of responsible African communities must be saved?
From what?
And by who?
Europeans?
What benevolence is this?
Yester centuries, they chained our ancestors into slavery.
And when the cruel institution of slavery became unprofitable they lied to you that they abolished it.
To date a British man called William Wilberforce is credited with the abolition of slavery. Then they replaced slavery with colonialism with a backhand and when you took up arms against settler-colonialism some of them turned around again in the name of liberalism and claim that they handed you freedom.
Now they are up to a new gospel of ‘rights’, ‘children’s rights’ which they hope to achieve through the magic of internationalised legal jargon.
Yes, such ‘rights’ claims are legitimised by reference to the ‘UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’.
In addition to meeting legal obligations of the Convention to spread awareness of children’s rights to children and to adults, teaching children about such ‘rights’ is purported to improve their awareness of rights in general, making them more respectful of other people’s rights, and empowering them to take action in support of other people’s rights.
Models of such success stories are cited as Belgium, Canada, England, New Zealand, Germany and the US.
Haven’t these always been projected as Africa’s senior brothers anyway?
And is it not for the same assumption that they abrogate themselves the right to lecture us on anything including what is good for our children.
Note, too, dear compatriots, that the same nations are home to the multiplying so-called NGOs who represent the interests of these countries in our part of the world under the lie that they do not belong to governments when in fact they do.
They are part of the national budgets of these countries hence their sinister intentions of spreading false rights and freedoms are budgeted for by foreign governments.
May I categorically state that what Jean-Jaque Rousseau (1712 – 1778) is credited with, the statement that “Man was born free, but everywhere else he is in chains,” is not in keeping with the African wisdom of ages.
The words of this French philosopher are meant to create the impression that we as human beings are born free into this world and that from the moment we utter loud cries and take in our first breaths we are shackled by invisible chains. By this he meant we become subject to the rules of the society we live in, we are given names, identities, races and cultures which all oppressive.
In short we are deprived of freedom of choice.
With all due respect this is not our view.
Our view is succinctly captured by our own African philosopher, Okotp’Bitek who says:
“Man is not born free.
“He cannot be free.
“He is incapable of being free.
“For only by being in chains can he be and remain ‘human’.
“Man has a bundle of duties which are expected from him by society, as well as a bundle of rights and privileges that the society owes him.”
In a nutshell individuals owe their societies responsibilities.
This is the primary call of Africa-centred education: to equip our young with skills to serve their societies.
Once they discharge their duties to society, rights and privileges become automatic.
They do not have to be taught as a separate package, let alone by a foreigner. And by the way there is no age boundary to childhood in African philosophy. For a simple reason: entitlements are not tied to age, but are predicated on discharge of responsibilities to society.
We do not put the cart before the horse.
Freedom without responsibility is a mirage Africans cannot afford to entertain. So beware soul brother and sister.
The wolves are at it again.