Man in the Mirror

Ah well, first things first, J texted me late last night to tell me that Michael Jackson is dead. As usual the radio this morning was full of people reacting to his death saying he was this or that… Just like when he lived, people claiming him for themselves as if they owned him or else projecting onto him their own ideas about who he was or what he represented…For me, I just know he wrote some amazing music and hope he rests in peace now that no-one can touch him. Am currently listening to Man in the Mirror...

Had a fab day yesterday. Jemimah called me on Wednesday and asked if I’d like to do a couple of the sessions at Mbuga. I popped along a couple of weeks ago, just to see what they were doing there. With 150 participants, I had thought it was far too large to demonstrate active methodology but actually, it worked out fine. The teachers were already grouped according to ages taught so when the work started it was more disciplined than I’d imagined and by the end of one of the sessions they were happy to go away with an origami cup filled with ideas about what makes good teaching. Was demonstrating ‘thinking creatively’ and how literal and symbolic concepts can be explored…Was lots of fun.

One difficulty though was not having a mike. Jemimah explained that following a school trip to Murambi (memorial site), some students had been left traumatised. As a teacher trainer here she had been told, along with other colleagues, to take the trainees to the site to ‘sensitise’ them. It was interesting talking to her about how she felt about it, having been through her own experience of unrest in Uganda and seeing events I can only imagine. She herself didn’t see why the students had to go. Most of them were at the most 2 years old when the genocide happened so did not remember this themselves. However, being forced to confront it as a group, some had now been left mentally exhausted and were having to be counseled in some quiet areas of the training centre. She felt angry that she went along. I don’t think she quite knew what to expect and couldn’t see how this kind of trip helps students to understand what happened especially when people still rarely talk about it. What she seemed to be saying was that dwelling on the tragedy of the past, the gruesome image has only heightened the horror but has done little to ensure it won’t happen again. She talked of superstitions surrounding the history and how this has become, for some people, more real than the events themselves. I tended to agree.

The reality of what happened, of course, only those who experienced it will ever truly know. Seeing a corpse doesn’t make me think, ah now I know killing is bad. I know this already and I’ve been fortunate enough never to question it. With less secure foundations who can say what anyone would do…

What might be interesting to explore is how situations arise where a father has to kill his brother-in-law to secure the lives of his children. Such things happened during the genocide where people clung to identities, groups, tribes…and so were divided. This, we know has happened for years. People associate themselves or are associated with different groups ethnic or otherwise. I’m probably a bit weird but I don’t see the attraction or the need. I am me first. If someone wants to slot me somewhere that’s up to them but I can’t help thinking this is where problems start. I don’t know actually what I’m trying to say here, kind of lost the thread a bit but anyway I agree with what Michael Jackson says in Man in the Mirror

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror / I'm asking him to change his ways / And no message could have been any clearer / If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself, and then make a change.”

Vive the individual, it’s the only way to be.