“African parents – the master dreamers”

Dreaming of the future is a powerful motivation, but as Richmond Setrana, 25, a Correspondent from Tema in Ghana writes, parents sometimes take over the dreams of the youth.

The true worth of a man’s life is not in what he achieves whiles he plies the land of the living, but is determined by the legacy and milestones he leaves behind long after he departs the lonely shores of this earth to begin his eternal journey to the land of the Dead.

As a rule of life, the African child is no exception.

Legacies and milestones are achieved not on a silver platter but on the canopy of something extremely powerful called dream. This is something some African parents seem to forget exists.

Undeniably, a dream propelled by a burning desire and passion to succeed is crucial for proper human resource development. However, some African parents have not only been a major contributing factor to the downfall of mother Africa, but have also ensured that this atrocity is perpetuated in an endless cycle of generations.

Africa, a land of enormous human resources – so talented that when developed appropriately, would not only be an indomitable force to reckon with but become a global force to contend – has been crippled by this simple but yet heinous crime. Yet Africa is so strategically placed in terms of numeric and geographic strength that she can be just about anything.

Slowly with time, the African parent has become the Master Dreamer, carefully planning their ward’s career as soon as the news of their conception is received. Unfortunately, the situation can be so bad that the African Child has no right  in the African household to think of or talk less of dreaming for themselves. The African Child is thus slowly turned into a puppet by their Master Dreamer parents. Africans are now serving Mother Africa in capacities that they have no passion for. Africa weeps!

A couple of days ago, I was having a conversation with my friend who was undergoing her internship at a hospital in a city in West Africa. Apparently, the hospital where she had been undergoing her internship had lost a patient (May his soul rest in peace) a week earlier due to the negligence of medical staff of the hospital. After hearing the events that led to this unfortunate incident, it made me weep. I wept not just for anything but for the poor old man who became an unwitting victim. I wept more for Mother Africa, for all the illustrious children she has had to lose in one way or the other due to the killing of dreams, for that lands people in jobs and occupations for which they have little or no interest.

A piece of literature taught me that if a man desires and dreams to be a sweeper, that man should not be stopped. It reiterated that when that man is allowed to be a sweeper, at the end of the day he would do that job with his whole heart so much that when he dies, the angels in heaven would cry and shout his name and the people in the streets would call out his name and say “There was a man who once lived and swept this street so well with all of his heart”.

Growing up, I have placed so much reverence on this literature and what it has taught me as a young man and an illustrious son of Africa. I so much wish African parents would realise the power of a dream in this world where we live in; a world of endless possibility.

I often look forward to a new millennia of African youth armed with requisite information and given the right to dream their own dreams. Indeed, time is long overdue for a change in this attitude of dreaming for our African children. African parents must be sensitised on the effects of this menace on their children, and ultimately on Mother Africa.

Reach me on Twitter https://twitter.com/datTallDiplomat

photo credit: marcoverch Dart-Zielscheibe und zwei Darts in der Mitte via photopin (license)

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About me: I am a vibrant Pan-African. I engage in activities that develop young Africans in sharpening their skills and equipping them with relevant knowledge that will help them compete effectively on the global stage.

I am Chief Protocol Officer at ImpactiNation, a non-profit organisation that seeks to bridge the gap between the youth and their dream fulfillment by providing them with mentorship and leadership skill enhancement tools that will make them stand out among their contemporaries.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
To learn more about becoming a Commonwealth Correspondent please visit: http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/submit-articles/

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