VOL. NO: 57     DATE:
 
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AFRICAN ECHO NEWS

TRUSTWORTHY
IT TAKES A VILLAGE….
Isaac Amo- Kyereme

I cannot pretend be an expert on family and community affairs within the UK. I must confess I have not been into a lot of "community" areas and I honestly do not feel comfortable being in such places with a lot of young men and women in hoods, lots of chains hanging over their necks, their trousers fighting for a place to hang around their backsides, wearing huge sized shoes, smoking and standing in circles, laughing and chasing after each other. I am just afraid of these young ones. I do all I can to avoid them on the bus, in the train and even in a restaurant. My slogan is not to "mess" around with these young ones who are a law unto themselves. In a situation when I cannot avoid them my natural instinct and defensive mechanism leads me to put on monster face and if my Alpacino like walk does not desert me I am able to walk through these fearful young ones safe and sound.

Many people who grew up in Africa that has had a long relationship with Europe and for that matter the UK get very disappointed when they immigrate here. The European you knew in Africa as the prim and proper, well behaved, respectful, kind and generous, law abiding Christian epitome of civilisation is not the kind of British you encounter when you are here. You really feel betrayed and cheated especially if you were brought up in the British way that was passed unto us as a result of colonialism that inadvertently "developed" our parents into British people.

Your first shock is about how nobody seems to care about each other anymore. The spirit of self centeredness and self gratification rules. You do what is right and suitable to you and no one dares raise an objection. So everyone kisses around without caring a hoot about where and who is there. The ipod is at the highest volume and you cannot complain.

Celebrities struggle to consciously make an effort to be desired by dressing to reveal their assets and society applauds. some young people smoke on the bus or in the train and no one even pretends to notice. Well if you see no evil, hear no evil you will not talk no evil and that will make sure you get home safely. That is the Britain of today.

It is amazingly difficult to understand as to why no one seems to notice that the train in which we are travelling is heading for an accident. Britain is heading for a disaster if nothing is done to steer it back unto the highroad. This MOT of the nation must begin with the youth of this land. But who will begin the redemption exercise. Is it the government, parents, schools, churches, pubs, football clubs, community groups etc that is to begin this exercise. Should you ask any of the key players that should be leading in this crusade they will pass the buck around. As you listen to the arguments on radio and on TV it is clear that all the key players suffer from the same fears I also suffer from and the key players are not able to determine who should bell the cat. Yet as they keep on the arguments more young people especially of the black community continue to lose their lives through gun crime, stabbings, drugs etc.

The solution is very simple and straight forward - BRING BACK GOD INTO THIS SOCIETY and all others shall fall in place.

It amazes many people as to why a society that was built of God and survived on being a people of God is turning it's back to this fundamental pillar of it's nationhood.

I cannot understand for instance why it has become a sacrilege to openly declare ones religious affiliation when in truth the message of all GOD based religions teach one to love your neighbour as yourself. What is wrong with living a temperate life in which you do away with smoking and drinking. What is wrong with religion teaching husbands to love their wives.

What is wrong with you abiding with a principle that tells you not to kill, steal or lust after what is not yours. What is wrong with a principle that tells the youth to honour the elderly in Society. I do not understand why all these principles should not at least regulate the lives of our young ones and society as a whole.

Today whatever was good in the past that kept this society together is wrong now and everything has been turned around. Just look at the hairstyles, torn clothing sold in the shops as new. Body piercing and tattoos at wrong places.

Nakedness in the streets, wickedness is good and being caring and gentle is a weakness. It is very regrettable that many young black men of late have been stabbed and killed all over the UK. Most of the perpetrators of these crimes do so just because they think they need to be hard and tough in order to survive in this Godless society. So they need to take out any person they might not like along the way.

Some might even do so for fun. There have been cases when young people bullied each other and their actions were recorded for fun. Society, families and religious bodies must rise up to take back the responsibility of raising up our children. It is time for children going wayward to be brought back into the right way. Parents must be able to say no to their children.

Teachers also be given the right to discipline our young ones at school. And just like an African proverb says "it takes a whole village to raise up a child" the whole village of Britain must rise to raise up our young ones.

 

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