The Creativity in Africa!

Many times, I want to write when words keep rushing to me because of an experience or because I want to give an issue a face. Sometimes, I really doubt if the words I write will turn out sensible but I write and before I know it, it’s the last dot. Well, let’s see this.

Fifty years ago, Africa was a continent struggling to find identity and freedom, despite centuries of control and change that destroyed the cultures of a diverse group of people. As Africa struggled to free itself from colonial rule in the second half of the 20th century, there were many who wondered if Africa could survive in the industrial age and move beyond colonialism.

In 2008, it's hard to say whether Africa's independence from colonial rule has resulted in freedom. It has certainly allowed many nations, such as Nigeria and South Africa, to compete globally, but it has also left many others in the throes of poverty, genocide, and war. As African nations found their independence throughout the '60's and '70's, many hoped Africa would become a new world superpower, but it never happened. It has been a tumultuous time, and Africa continues to struggle with the scars left by colonial rule. Africa is therefore the only liability to the whole world.

As African Youths, we need to be empowered to make progress and that means seeking for information on our own.

The difference between an informally trained Engineer and a Graduate is that one is taught dogmatically while the other is taught with understanding. The former is taught the process such that when there is a problem, he has to start all over again, but the Graduate understands the principle behind every step and when there is fault, he can always identify the source of the problem from the problem and rectify it without having to start again.

Intelligence does not mean understanding things the way you were taught but rather in your own way. There are many other ways to accomplishing a task which are better and time-saving. The way of life is the way you view life. There is no other world somewhere; the one you create for yourself is where you live. Create a unique world for yourself by thinking in a unique (uncommon) way. View all things differently coz it brings out the distinction in you and you are not seen with the crowd.

Hence, Creativity!

Brain Tracy began studying creativity more than 20 years ago. He thought it was an ability that was possessed by a few, especially intelligent people, such as artists and writers and scientists. But as he delved further into the subject, he came to a remarkable conclusion: I am a genius! Not only that, but everyone, too, is a genius! In fact, probably 95 percent of the population has the capacity to function at exceptional levels. Creativity is as natural to human beings as is breathing in and out. Everyone is creative to a certain extent. People are highly creative because they decide to be highly creative. It’s no miracle. Creativity is like any human faculty; it can be developed with practice and strengthened with constant use.

If creativity is improvement, in what areas do you want to use it? The answer is simple. You want to use your inborn creativity to improve the parts of your life that are most important to you. You can use your creativity to improve your relationships, to increase your income and improve your business, and to assure yourself higher levels of health and happiness. With that definition, you can see clearly that you have opportunities to be creative from the time you get up in the morning to the time you go to bed at night.

Creativity is like a muscle. If you do not deliberately and consciously flex your creativity on a regular basis, it becomes weak and soft. It loses its strength.

As Africans, if people criticize us for our ideas, or if we conclude that we are not particularly creative, we tend to be more passive and submissive and look to others for new and better ways of solving problems and achieving goals. However, if we start to practice creative thinking, we will be absolutely amazed at how smart we really are.

I used to think that you had to be highly intelligent to be creative. Then I found that intelligence is not just a matter of IQ. There are many people with high IQs who got excellent grades in school but who are doing very poorly at life.

Intelligence is a way of acting. If you act intelligently, you are intelligent. If you act stupidly, you are stupid. That’s all there is to it. You can decide to be highly intelligent and highly creative simply by doing the things that highly intelligent and highly creative people do.

I will continue this piece soon. Please Check back but make a comment or add to this wonderful piece before you step out.