Pictures are important, and where possible, they can be done professionally to keep the best memories. However, pictures of completely naked bodies of full-fledged adults just to celebrate the life of a child do not make sense.
Journalists, whether for audiovisuals, print media, or modern web-based platforms, need to have the basic and most important qualities of the practice, that is, being observant, analytical, with integrity, and reliably aware of the needs of the public.
Skills that have evolved in society for centuries will not magically come back to life unless they are progressively promoted, valued, and passed on through generations.
Walking the streets of Dar es Salaam sent a warning signal to my observant self. The streets are not yet at their best. Pictures can be deceptive, especially on the internet. It is nice that we deal with issues as they are, and as they are seen with the naked eye. There is some effort being invested in keeping our urban rivers, drains and waters at minimal risk of exposing surrounding inhabitants to diseases, discomfort, and other harms.
If care is not taken, the motivation to make young people cherish education, though purposed for good, can become their hypnosis pill in the future. For instance, a child who has been told by their parents she will do very well as a doctor may grow up not learning about the opportunities that life avails to them, apart from becoming a doctor.
Information is not necessarily true just because it originates from a certain person, group, media, authority, public figure, expert, etc. Schemes to disinform people have already overtaken us and found their way into different crucial systems by which people get themselves informed.
Shimbo Pastory This article was published in The Citizen Newspaper – Tanzania on 4th April, 2022. According to the data…
The question we seek to probe today is about the content of knowledge about money which is passed on in society, beginning from the family to school and society at large. There needs to be a way by which people are taught how money works. To merge, or minimize the poverty gap we need to create a generation of adults who are financially literate.
Children should be taught that being disabled is not something to use against people and make them feel ashamed, less valued, or of no substantial contribution.
The children who this year 2023 are learning under trees are technically expected to globally compete with their peers in the job market in 18 years. Are we expecting them to run at the same pace as other children in the country and the world at large while they are left behind in all aspects of learning?