Celebrating the African Child - Brown Oga

I was a Kid, atleast in 1987, I was when Idika Kalu launched a massive campaign for the African Child.. Back then in Army Day Secondary School Ogoja, a village secondary school by present day assessment, but the campaign was so serious that I contributed a poem to that particular project. Years gone by and there is little or nothing to show for that beautiful effort.

The African Child is bereft of any deliberate assist to keep their hope of growing up alive and the drum-song of "Children are the leaders of tomorrow" is no more than lip service.

The theme for the 2015 year of the African Child bothers om early marriage. The average African Child is living a surreal existence, what with insurgencies, drought, natural catastrophe and several sexual harassment on their sensibility.

My daughter at the age of six asked me only three(3) questions and until adults like me answer those questions, the dreams and aspiration of the African Child is on hold. These questions succintly bother on reproduction and sustainability. The questions:-

1. "who born God?"
2. "how does a woman become pregnant?"
3. "how does a grandma be?"

By these questions, I decipher from my daughter Dotuchowo that early marriages by the African child, will take from them the initiative to grow older to answer their own questions. Rather these kids are snatched by the adults to begin a life they have no grasps of.

Beginning from the 16th of June, 2015, the SORO magazine team will be asking some kids across Africa, how early they will wish to get married. At least let us hear from the horses' mouth what influence they have got from their parents. Here lies our answers to helping to understand the African Child.

"Truly I say to you,

Whoever shall not recieve the kingdom of God

As a little Child shall in no wise enter therein."

- Luke 18:17

The African Child knows no hate, no corruption, no tribalism, no religion; if we all as adults remember our childhood, we will surely know how to celebrate them so as to wipe away forever the gory spectacle of the Soweto Child massacre that happened in South Africa.

At SORO we are celebrating the African Child. Join us

Earn joy    

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