Nowadays, the scarce condition of I&I educational system is due to several different factors, and one of them is surely the disproportion of deal between entertainment and education.
We invested in music industry tons of money, attention and support, and we have thousands of artists, sound systems and bands. Myriads of events, festivals, frameworks, structures and superstructures to push and exalt them. To get what ? Nothing actually, for without Education – that is the Root Word – Sound cannot bear actual fruit in Power. Ironically, this is the Tree without Roots that they chant about, and we see that reggae-dub people very often is completely alienated from I&I faith and purposes.
People should learn to spend in their education, as much as they spend in their artistic fun. They should learn to support the educational workers and teachers, and give them space of working expression and economic subsistence. I remind that His Majesty devoted the higher percentage of national budget to financially sustain educational activities. We need books and teachers now to grow, as it was for Imperial Ethiopia, and create a minimum balance of responsibility.
Certain ones claim that teachers are delusional. How much delusional musicians are instead ? Sometimes it seems we have created a privileged caste of richmen that give no contribution to I&I and spread stupidity, indecence and moral confusion. Their environments, without educational basis, become like shameful sodomitic chilling areas with no consciousness at all, and all our resources are wasted in the final instance. We will stop to deceive ourselves with expectations when we will realize they are two essential human jobs and services, that someone has to perform, and earn a living from that, without excesses of esteem and through clear Ethiopian standards.
Let we stop to replace education with music. We need schools and academic workers, and it could never be a concert or a tune to give us that serious learning we need in life. They got another role, another function, another charisma and another talent, and only a handicapped people mix up the two realities without professional discernment.
So let the people start to buy books as they buy vinyls and albums, even at crazy prices; let the people start to pay and respect writers and teachers for their performances, while they worship and idolatrize musicians without reason; let them stop to give educational efforts for granted, like we manage something of second-class, that should be always freely given and got no sacrifice or toil behind.
Indeed, teaching is art and wisdom is worth more than silver and gold. Wake up and give us the Root of Roots.
