Thursday's lecture was focused and directed towards the aspect of Omoluabi, what it is and what it means. Omoluabi simply means a child begotten of the chief (or source) of Iwa. Also meaning a person of character, disciplined, and self-improving, thus earning the respect of peers and community on account of practical wisdom, putting knowledge acquired through education to the service of the community, and not shying away from personal sacrifices when needed. We were introduced to other new words, such as, Ijuba which means to pay homage (tribute) to the creator and the created. We also touched basis on The Philosopher in Kemet. Kemet is "the ancient Egyptian name of the country Egypt, which means "black land", referring to the fertile black soils of the Nile flood plains, distinct from the deshret or "red land" of the desert." A philosopher in Egypt or 'Kemet' is considered as the one “whose heart is informed about these things which would be otherwise ignored, the one who is clear-sighted when he (she) is deep into a problem, the one who is moderate in actions, who penetrates ancient writings, whose advice is (sought) to unravel complications, who is really wise, who instructed his (her) own heart, who stays awake at night (looking) for the right paths…who is wiser than the sage…..” A philosopher of such standard is apparently praised upon or some type of Ijuba. Another concept in which we discussed during lecture was Iwa. Iwa means existence/character and was the name of Orunmila's wife, a Yoruba God of Wisdom. It was taught in class, her story. She was mistreated by her husband Orunmila so she left him and he eventually lost everything.
Reflection:
A lot of information was gained from the lecture. Knowledge that I clearly was never taught. I thought the lecture was okay. I mean, I did accumulate new things, but I wish the lecture was given in a more entertaining way so that we weren't just given information directly and so straight forward, if that makes since. I guess because of Dr. Carr's presentation of last week’s lecture, I expected more from this lecture by comparing the two. On a different note, I did see a comparison between Dr. Carr's lecture and Dr. G. It does feel like a continuation from one lecture to the other because the concepts seem, or rather is related. I think I will see myself and my discipline to knowledge transform and extending to African traditions as I learn more and more each lecture. I want to end with a quote that was quoted in the lecture by Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, "The purpose (of education) is to transmit from one generation to the next the accumulated wisdom and knowledge of the society, and to prepare the young people for their future membership of the society and their active participation in its maintenance or development”. This quote really projected to me. It will motivate me to spread the knowledge I have to others.
- Alexis Jackson
Sources: - “Egypt: Ancient History of African Philosophy” in Wiredu A Companion to African Philosophy, Blackwell, 2004, p. 35- Neolithic, about 6000 BC a. "Egypt - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt
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