FWilliam Jackson, M.Ed. Metaverse Education Program Director of the World Metaverse Council and Director Technology Education of One Africa Forum
The ability of Africans to share their authentic voices has never been more possible in the history of mankind. Since the beginning of writing on the walls of the pyramids to even earlier cave drawings that told a story to the use of animal skins to display diagrams, pictorials and
storytelling of the history of mankind.
Technology now has presented an opportunity to reinforce and to amplify the voices of African’s across the 54 nations on the second largest continent on Earth. The use of storytelling by writers like Chinua Achebe, celebrated as the Father of African literature heralds a time when writing motivated African people to action across a broad spectrum of behaviors. From seeing the importance of reading, writing and personal storytelling, to writing in the traditional languages that were slowly being forgotten. Chinua Achebe when talking about “When Things Fall Apart,” his first novel that, “something needed to be done.” In this age of algorithms, data bytes, machine learning there still are something(s) that need to be done for the future of Africa.
To tell the true stories of African’s not the false narratives of what the British and other colonizers even still try to share about African people. Africa needs to stay independent, free and build on its continued growth and development an African education free of colonial lies and misrepresentations. Achebe states that “the reason for the colonial storytelling was not very
far from the reason for the slave trade. Because it is as deep as the story to make the people (Africans) look bad.” Jeffery Brown Interview 2008.
The integration of technology to be used not just for entertainment, but for prosperity and protecting the authentic voices of Africans. Now is the time for Africans to use the strong edges of technology to broadcast African lives that show they are worthy of being listened to and allowed to use their own resources to rise globally. African must use tech to tell their own versions of being African and the strength of Africa. To take hold of their best resources in their people and natural resources to build Africa stronger, more independent and working in unity.
Being an activist in telling the stories of how Africa can and should go in a certain direction resonates across the continent when there should be no visa requirements since there are no requirement using the internet, metaverse, social media and digital engagements to collaborate and unify in making Africa a better continental society. Other nations should not be able to tell Africa they are too active in their own growth and development. The mind-set for potential colonizers is that technology can be a threat, a threat to the “emperor” or those who have plans to try and colonize the minds of Africans again. Denying Africans their rights to free speech, free assembly and even the freedom of border crossings. Technology is allowing an increasing number of boys and girls that are youth, teens, and young adults to share their voices for positive changes that were once denied by colonizers.
The blending of technology with education shows that the people have a different agenda than the colonizer, because the people’s eyes are being open to their freedoms, not just physically, but psychologically and even spiritually.
The possibilities of what can be achieved for the future are in the faces of Africans. Technology must be allowed to permeate the schools, businesses, entrepreneurialism, and commerce of African nations to allow an equality of access, an equality of opportunities and equality of generations for the changes that the world is embracing.
Having taught virtually at Zetech University in Nairobi, a 5-week course in Metaverse
engagement and proving that University African students are smart, creative and brilliant enough to apply technologies. This is making past colonizers fearful because as Africans begin to see they too can have global access to information they will strive to want more, strive to be earned and see as Achebe states” Africa cannot be ready under colonial rule and will move those who try to stop Africa from growing those will be moved out of the way.”
The internet, the metaverse, the use of social media gives unparallel access to information.
That information needs to be vetted to be sure the visions of Africa are positive, productive, inspirational, and important. Storytelling has the power to change minds, re-shape perceptions, either strengthen cultural norms or changes cultural traditions. Stories bring memories, and as Achebe states in the book “Ant Hills of the Savannah” how memory is important. African memories can be placed on the metaverse to preserve and share historical truths and facts.
“The ant hill survives so that the new grass will have memory of the devastation of the fire” the old memory brings remembrance to the present, or new generation to make sure the new generation does not repeat the errors of the past.
Words of intelligence and intellect are shared with the world by Achebe when he stated during the 2008 interview with Bill Moyer, “look at Africa as a continent of people, there are people there, just people, not angels, not devils, just people.”
Throughout Africa, digital literacy is becoming a core part of curricula and education policies, alongside fundamental literacy. It has to, and will be growing because governments in Botswana, Mauritius, South Africa and more have all placed digital competency at the heart of their education policies. Boosting education in Africa to support tomorrow’s workforce.
The World Economic Forum https://www.weforum.org › agenda › 2024/01
The quest to explore Space, the deepest oceans around Africa, solving it climatic changes, no other nation will do it for them and addressing social challenges that will happen. Africa must face these issues united, unified, collaborative and with consensus because other nations are waiting for Africa to fail and once again to attempt to colonize, enslave, and devastate the natural resources not found any other place in the world. Africa must stay free, by any and all means necessary.