The Reconstruction of African History

The Reconstruction of African History This context will analyze the contribution of historian B.A Ogot in the reconstruction of the African History. It will explore Kenya as one of the African nations and/ or countries where the work of B.A Ogot has contributed a lot in historical reconstruction. His significance in history can be accredited to the fact that his life was surrounded by the major events with specific reference to the independence period among other events that has built the history of this nation. In order to understand his contributions to the study topic, both his past and current dispositions will be analyzed by reviewing his literature that he has produced over the years. Following this, this study will also highlight various historical processes from the pre-colonial time to colonial administration in Kenya based on the Mau Mau organization, composition and its impacts. His reconstruction of Africans History The work of B.A Ogot presents various aspects of both pre-colonial history and colonial era in Africa. According to the researches conducted based on his contribution into the African history with reference to Atieno (2002) in The challenges of History and leadership in Africa, his main role was to offer defense for humanity, durability, historicity, complexity and wealth of African societies together with their culture. He offered criticism on studies based on African institutions and customary practices that were said to have failed in offering any defense to African history through adherence to African ideas of the universe, destiny and its existence. He examines the main aspects of Nilotic societies and cultures based on the concept of Jok  [1]  . This term is found in different forms of Nilotic languages whose meaning is God, spirit, Ghost among others. Ogot had immense interest in the institutional practices and the history of African thought for instance religion which was captured in his three essays he wrote. On making of a sanctuary is the essay that examines padhola religion that has been said to be contented in Jok concept and cannot be understood beside Nilotic culture. Ogot trace changes imposed in Padhola religion by the migration of Nilotes to the south, establishment of Bura shrine as a worshipping place, other denominational rivals and the infiltration of strangers among padhola in nineteenth century. Ogot embarked on effects of European religiosity on the lives of the Luo people, which led to religious contradictions in Nyanza. According to Ogot, there exists a complex process of converting first African Christians based on their motivations, training, sacrifices and evangelical activities among others. He presented how the first African Christians faced troubles from the European missionaries, African chiefs and the c olonial government. The religious struggle led to the establishment of Anglican Church in which Mango broke and founded his own church the holy ghost church. Both religious contradictions and conflicts resulted to the murder of Mango in 1934 during an attack that sprouted on the village he belongs. The essay A community of their own Ogot looked at both the rise and effects of the Maria legion of African church that resulted from a reformation of Roman Catholic Church in Nyanza. Ogot is argued to have been normalizing African initiatives, cultural systems, choices, activities and adaptations through analyzing religious based on their terms. He also showed how religion resisted toward the colonial rule in Africa. The emergence of the Nomiya Luo church and Church of Christian Africans offer a better indicator of resistance to colonial rule and/ or power. In his essay on Kingship and statelessness Among the Nilotes, he challenged the racist hypothesis that holds that, there exists a correlation between degr ee of political evolution and the peoples hamitic blood. Based on this hypothesis, he suggested that the establishment of both Shilluk and Bunyoro kingdoms was based on factors such as political, economic and military. In his work, Ogot identified segmentary states that were observed to be less advanced as compared to the Bunyoro Kingdom. Examples of these segmentary states include the Ruothships that belongs to Luo and Acholi and the stateless societies of the Dinka and Nuer. The work of Ogot showed that the process of state formation comprises different groups of people and other historical contexts. Ogot produced many essays that enable one to trace his contribution to the reconstruction of the African history from Kenyans independence to date  [2]  . There was only one essay that concentrated on the colonial state alone while others lay emphasis on the anti-colonial resistance: For instance, the Mau Mau movement that was Kenyas liberation movement during the colonial period or era. Ogot highlighted the colonial rule and its contradiction nature in Kenya and Africa as a whole. His work presented the view that the colonial state and/ or the conquest were observed to be both authoritarian and weak as it lacked legitimacy. Another contribution of Ogot is that through his work, he describes how illiterate and incom petent officials in Africa struggled to cope with colonial version of administration, the missionarys roles, impacts of both the first and Second World War, religious movements and the reformist political associations that resulted from the educated elite. Through the work of Ogot, it is clear that a connection exists between local and national manifestations of what was referred to as nationalism. Ogot explains why the nationalist party KAU failed to establish itself in Nyanza. He argued that Kikuyu leadership in KAU was the major cause of its failure in Nyanza since they only focused on land grievances in kikuyu, which had little connection with Nyanza. According to Ogot, Mau Mau movement had historical significance since it was based on Kenyas decolonization. The goals of this movement were to make Kenya a nation in other words, to nationalize Kenya but we cannot call this movement a national movement since it was confined to one part of Kenya that is the Central Kenya. In addition, B.A Ogot focuses on both the ideology and social composition of Mau Mau and its origin in the context of African imagination and colonial era.  [3]  His writing focused on the people especially those who supported the movement and who opposed it amon g the kikuyu community. He indicated that the class and ideological divisions among kikuyu people mainly implicated the variations between the loyalist and fighters. These variations were based on access to land, affinities to Christianity and traditional culture, attitudes based on constitutionalism among others. He further showed that the differentiation of memories, age, political ecologies in terms of location and dreams about the future accounts for variations. It has been argued that, songs played a major role in peoples culture because people use songs to express their visions, problems, social values and appropriate possibilities. It was therefore through songs that the Mau Mau movement came into practice in Kenya as people expressed their demand for decolonization after a long period of suffering from the colonial states. Through songs, people were able to mobilize each other therefore reinforcing their strength and spirits of other supporters. According to him, the use of songs implicated that the Mau Mau movement was anti-colonial movement fighting for the decolonization of Kenya. These songs were sang in kikuyu language, symbols, history and legends and this explains why they were said to limit their accessibility and their national appeal. Another contribution of B.A Ogot in the reconstruction of African history is showed on his analyses of The birth of national language. During colonial era most of Africans in Kenya lacked national language since the European language used by the elite lacked nationality in it The researches conducted by B.A Ogot on national language showed that kikuyu was first made a national language because the origin of Mau Mau movement took its roots in Central Kenya  [4]  . The elites borrowed their language from the European and/ or colonial state but were few to make the language a national one. Mau Mau left behind legacy in Kenya based on the inherent biases and propaganda that its still in practiced in Kenya of today. He analyses how different and important figures of Mau Mau movement were arrested and detained with unintended outcomes. Ogot has addressed several critical issues that faced African societies from the colonial period to independence. He examined Africa in terms of politics, leadership, culture, development, identities, and functions of universities and impacts of globalizalisation on Africa. Through his work, Ogot urge writers to investigate more into the social realities that resulted to the current forms of leaders and treat Africans as evil.  [5]  The corruption presented by the modern African elite began during the colonial period with writers such as Elspeth Huxley who was said to have had distrusted the over educated African elite. It was argued that most of African nationalist used political slogans of the western during their struggle against the colonial states. In conclusion, the African history is a complex process of historical events that occurred from colonial era to date. The study highlights that the struggle for African history began with the view of Ogots generations and continue s to the current generation meaning that as we come up with new topics, theories and methodologies we must adhere to the mission that Inspired Ogott generation.

Philosophy of life Essay

?I saw this quote in Mr. Laxman Gnawali’s laptop and I copied it right away, I don’t know but I liked that line very much. The quote was written on the wall of some park the place was really clean and that picture showed that it was really nice clean with lots of trees. After searching it in the internet I found it that it was the attribute to those who lost their lives in the war. We were talking about the teaching training session. We were told that we can achieve the next level in our career but we need to concentrate and do the session delivery seriously. There the quote was quite related because we had the freedom to be a teacher trainer but we have to be more responsible and develop certain habit, there with the freedom comes the responsibility. Looking at the history of freedom one can always see war as the synonyma for the freedom. The first thing that comes in our mind when we talk about freedom is war and quarrels. This phrase is mostly used by the people to show gratitude towards those who have lost their life in wars. There are so many articles and books written on them or about them. Shiv Khera have written a book â€Å"freedom is not Free† and there are mny other people who have talked about it and this is the phrase I think will be talked in coming future or as long as the existence of the human beings. Freedoms are rights of individuals, according to Webster it’s a state in which somebody is able to act and live as he or she chooses, without being subject to any, or to any undue, restraints and restrictions. As our country is democratic country and we proudly say that we are free, we have every freedom to do whatever we like to but in the beginning we fought for our freedom, can we still be fighting. In the beginning we fought for our freedom, with the birtishers, we fought with them not for the freedom but to keep our country free. We fought for the democracy from the Rana rulers and then we fought for the cruel royal rule and we achieve the freedom but the question remains that we have been fighting within ourselves. Now we have the ability to exercise free will and make choices independently of any external determining force, but are we truly free. I think we are still fighting within ourselves for the freedom we dream of. History has been our eyewitness that whenever we fought we fought to rule and not for the development or growth and we are still doing that. First we had MAHISHPAL than came GOPALA DYNESTYR and KIRAT after that many other than the most influential SHAH now we have politicians ruling still to rule not to develop. If I talk about the freedom realting with our history than it will never finish. Historians believe we’re not free, but on the other hand I just say we have our rights and restrains. Because completely unrestricted freedom of action would make peaceful human existence impossible, some restraints on freedom of action are necessary and inevitable. But, we do have to recognize that basic limitation, to make our life safe. We the people have to turn over some of our rights so that our country performs right and many say that the government is in our business but if they weren’t all chaos would occur. But, Freedom becomes a cost, a cost of just giving up some rights in return to be a great nation. But, some cost could become a concern. In the declaration of independence, Thomas Jefferson have clearly stated the difficulties and problems that America has to face on the process. The very recent and clear example abo;ut freedom is not free is our own country’s fight against the maost. We faced difficulties than one can imagine but ultimately we overcame with all the difficulties we faced. In the process of freedom government has to include all the armies of moist as well. There comes the pay for freedom. We had to go through traumas which many of the nation have been through but that trauma was from our own people to their own family. India, the biggest country with large population, which is emerging ijn every field in this modern time, have faced problems. They were colonized by British people and treated in the most cruel behave that one could ever treat to another human being in their own country but they fought for their freedom and have lost so many lives but at last they are free. The payment that they paid for the freedom are the lives, the great politicians and enthusiastic youths, there county were divided into parts and there is still fight among those country. Though they got the freedom they are still paying for it, that is why freedom is not free. America the land of opportunity, was not free and with the help of many freedom fighters they declare the independence. Instead of freedom they call it independent, as everyone knows in America most of the people are from different countries, the native people, the red Indians have actually lost their identity in order to be independent or free. the country have faced so many difficulties and still facing but it is the free country everyone says and believed that but they have the most criminal records and most frustration within their country. The fragmented society, self-centered individual, loss of culture and focus point of terrorism are the payment USA is paying with. Every country have their own struggle and history of freedom and the kinds pf payment they are paying as the freedom is not free. All the great people in this world has paid one or the other way for the freedom they fought for. Countries have faced the war and loss of the youngsters but the individual who are the great influential for that event lost their family ,loved once, and their own life as well. Hitler’s life story also suggest that freedom is not free.he hated zuse and to free himself from them he committed the crime which no human can forget and he is the most cruel person in this world. He could not face the failure and to make himself free from the thought of failure he continued doing the things which kept him free from that thought and the payment for the freedom of his thought is being cruel and called murderer and be alone in all his life. However his murder is still have no actual evidence but he was killed because he was becoming cruel and threat for many people so in the quest of freedom to free the abuse and feeling of failure he paid it with his life. Mahatma Gandhi, India call him their BAPU, was hated by his son because he had no time to spend with the family as he was in great mission to free his country from the Birtish. He freed his fellow country but the payment was his own children, he was killed by the very young person as people saw that his generosity is causing the country into many countries. He was free from all the material things and loved by all the people but to gain this freedom to loved by everyone with his life. The four martyrs, who was killed by rana rulers for their freedom speech also shows that whatever our country have got is not free. in whatever way we are enjoying or complaining about is actually the payment that those martyrs paid. They were from well known and educated family but in the quest to free the country from the ranas they paid their life and we got freedom. Being anyone as human is not free from all the responsibilities and rules that we need to follow. As a baby you are free to cry over anything but the payment is most of the time people don’t understand what your problem is. As a student you are allowed to make noise or make wrong choice but the payment is later on you have to fail in your exam and in your life. As a social worker you have the freedom to help others and take their pain as your own and the payment you have to pay is your time, for you and for your family, as an engineer, your freedom is to use any model but the payment is you have to be responsible for the lives of the people who will stay there, as writer you are free to write anything but the payment is no one will write about you, as the teacher you have the freedom to conduct your classroom as you wanted but the payment is you have to be the model all the time, you cannot make any mistake if you do you have to deal with all the consequences that might occur or the payment is your time and effort. When you see some advertisement on television about the free scheme, we always need to buy something with it because nothing is free, not even the water, the air. Freedom is actually the metaphor for all the responsibilities that comes with freedom. When one becomes the minister or join the politics, like in our country everyone blames them to be the negative one, you are free to be the politician but the payment is you won’t be trusted. When I first started to teach I don’t have any freedom to chose what I do in the classroom, so I was just following whatever the teacher told me to do and there no one expected anything from me so I was free from the responsibility and the payment I was paying is getting the low pay. As I developed the teaching learning skill and given the full responsibility of the class, I had the freedom to do any kind of things in the classroom and make it my own and include everything I have learnt but the payment is time and the continuous work load and no self time. Likewise with the PGDE course we had the freedom to garnish ourselves and the payment is all the criteria that was set for us to be what we were trained to be. FREEDOM IS NOT FREE, even the quote is controversial because when freedom is not free than why would one use these words and if it is used why it is mostly related with the people who have done so much for the betterment of the human being?

Prehistoric Elephants Everyone Should Know