Learn about home first
Octavia Tsibes
We are very ignorant about things that happen in our own country. The majority of the youth are not fascinated about what is happening at home. Many of us have turned a blind eye to situations that affect us daily.
I do not know whether I should blame the advent of globalisation or, the rise of technology as part of the reason why we are no longer patriotic. I understand that we have become global citizens and thus, have access to information on many other cultures and traditions but that should not be used as an excuse not to pay attention to what is happening within our own borders. I was engaged in a conversation with about 16 youth this weekend about what is currently taking place in our country. We were discussing everything from politics, entertainment and finance. We rounded up our conversations by talking about the closure of the SME bank and how it affected us the youth. I was really surprised by the “don't care attitude” and lack of interest showed by the youth in some of the issues that affect us. The people I spoke to did not participate in the talk and their excuse was, it was not important to them. What really shocked me was that the same people, who said they were not interested in the SME bank saga, were up to date with current affairs of other countries. They knew all about the pop culture in America and what Trump was going to do next. They knew all about the TV and radio shows in Europe but had zero to little knowledge about the local NBC content.
I really tried to put myself in their shoes and think like they did but, I was only disappointed. The picture was clear to me; we are very ignorant and show no interest about local issues. It's not wrong to focus on global issues but it becomes worrisome when all we care about is just how the Kardashians looked or how many goals Christiano Ronaldo scored.
It is pretty simple. Read! Show some interest in the things that will directly impact you. You do not have to do much but just read and watch the content that will keep you informed about what is happening in your own country. Buy our newspaper, or any other paper, watch our local TV channels and listen to our radio stations and you too will have something to say about your own people just like you proudly do about other nations and their citizens. Be a bit more patriotic and balance the amount of news or information you get. Make it a point to know what is happening in your countries economy, sports, finance and many other factors.
You will only be proud when you talk to people because you will be confident about the kind of things you say. Globalisation, the increasing integration and interdependence of domestic and overseas markets, has three sides: the good side, the bad side, and the ugly side. We all need to balance the good and the bad. If you do not show interest in the things that affect you, who will? How will we preserve our own culture and traditions if we do not even know enough about it?
That is where it all begins. Soon, we will be dressing and talking like them because we chose to be ignorant about the things that make us proud. Your ethnicity and traditions should be something you love, not hate. I've had too many encounters with people who are shy about who they are or where they come from. It's important to keep traditions and culture alive. Everyone should be proud of where they come from. We didn't drop from heaven like manna. I understand some of the effects technology has on our tradition and the way they are shaped but, still there is no justification for not being patriotic about what Namibian is or where you come from.
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We are very ignorant about things that happen in our own country. The majority of the youth are not fascinated about what is happening at home. Many of us have turned a blind eye to situations that affect us daily.
I do not know whether I should blame the advent of globalisation or, the rise of technology as part of the reason why we are no longer patriotic. I understand that we have become global citizens and thus, have access to information on many other cultures and traditions but that should not be used as an excuse not to pay attention to what is happening within our own borders. I was engaged in a conversation with about 16 youth this weekend about what is currently taking place in our country. We were discussing everything from politics, entertainment and finance. We rounded up our conversations by talking about the closure of the SME bank and how it affected us the youth. I was really surprised by the “don't care attitude” and lack of interest showed by the youth in some of the issues that affect us. The people I spoke to did not participate in the talk and their excuse was, it was not important to them. What really shocked me was that the same people, who said they were not interested in the SME bank saga, were up to date with current affairs of other countries. They knew all about the pop culture in America and what Trump was going to do next. They knew all about the TV and radio shows in Europe but had zero to little knowledge about the local NBC content.
I really tried to put myself in their shoes and think like they did but, I was only disappointed. The picture was clear to me; we are very ignorant and show no interest about local issues. It's not wrong to focus on global issues but it becomes worrisome when all we care about is just how the Kardashians looked or how many goals Christiano Ronaldo scored.
It is pretty simple. Read! Show some interest in the things that will directly impact you. You do not have to do much but just read and watch the content that will keep you informed about what is happening in your own country. Buy our newspaper, or any other paper, watch our local TV channels and listen to our radio stations and you too will have something to say about your own people just like you proudly do about other nations and their citizens. Be a bit more patriotic and balance the amount of news or information you get. Make it a point to know what is happening in your countries economy, sports, finance and many other factors.
You will only be proud when you talk to people because you will be confident about the kind of things you say. Globalisation, the increasing integration and interdependence of domestic and overseas markets, has three sides: the good side, the bad side, and the ugly side. We all need to balance the good and the bad. If you do not show interest in the things that affect you, who will? How will we preserve our own culture and traditions if we do not even know enough about it?
That is where it all begins. Soon, we will be dressing and talking like them because we chose to be ignorant about the things that make us proud. Your ethnicity and traditions should be something you love, not hate. I've had too many encounters with people who are shy about who they are or where they come from. It's important to keep traditions and culture alive. Everyone should be proud of where they come from. We didn't drop from heaven like manna. I understand some of the effects technology has on our tradition and the way they are shaped but, still there is no justification for not being patriotic about what Namibian is or where you come from.
[email protected]
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