Opinion / Columnist
Children's day is useless
18 Jun 2018 at 19:20hrs | Views
On Saturday the day of the African Child was celebrated under the theme , "leave no child behimd" and every 16th of June is marked the Children's day on our calendar in Africa, and sadly the day passed without majority of the day owners knowing. Part of children from the elite group are invited to celebrate this day and donors' pockets are siphoned by some aclaimed children's NGOs and a bunch of poor kids are fed, given T shirts and given the sound to dance to.....then they will be done: that's children's day for them but they are left with their day to day problems unaddressed. Still the number of those who enjoy the day is a little percentage of the total population of children in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole. For organisation which benefitted from the day...well good for them, we condone corruption but mind you they are following the steps of their leaders and such activities are known to be carried out by both parties but the hand of the law has been amputated by political power. And on the other hand the NGO folks are trying to eke out a living too since the employment rate is blazing around the 90s percentage.
Those who came up with a plan to make this day should be applauded for, but if the day owner is not aware of the day and never enjoying at all, then logicism suggests that the day is useless. In Zimbabwe people are in the election mood and most parties has released their manifestos and they all talk of equality.
Bespectacling the said equality I have noted that it's equality among the electorate - women and men/rich and poor, equal opportunity distribution- for those with the suffrage right only the word Children is talked about at seldom in these documents or not talked about at all. This will direct us to the fact that children's welfare is not a priority in most of our leaders' wish list, and that tells me that they only care about those who vote for them in office.
Children in Africa are far from being regarded as important and fragile parts of our diverse communities and societies.
As long as children are being deprived of lessons to attend rallies against their will and no noise comes from law enforcers, lobby groups and media.... then children's day is useless. As long as the script of the main news is not child friendly, then children's right to information is just a mere legal sentence thus children's day's existence is not a necessity.
As long as our leaders prioritise buying expensive cars, clothes and living lavishingly but our children paying for substandard health, education and shelter then let Children's day not appear on our calendars starting from next year.
As long as our children are still going to school barefooted but fathers with a rake of shoes, as long as our children are single paired with a multi-events shoe -school, church, at home, weddings e.t.c- then children are still regarded as less to African pets.
As long as a non working child is not on the transport budget and is made to sit on the burning hot kadoma in community omnibuses, then we still have a long way to go. As long as children are believed to have no worries and shame thus they can wear anything then children's day is useless. As long as parents give love to their children through lip service and their actions a divergence, well we better not have kids. As long as children are still being abused in any way and are abusing contraband stuff, then the state is failing to carry out its legal obligation to protect these children.As long as children are given guns to face other children on the battlefield to quench the ever power-thirsty leaders, then children's day is still a bad dream. As long as the privacy, best intrests and expressions of the children are not respected, let's withdraw our signature from the UNCRC and other child related convections we signed as a nation and continent.
It's the lack of love to children that made the world to bore robbers, thieves and adamant, dogmatic and suppressive politicians. Let's love the children and let's teach children to love too, for love is taught. Mind you these are fragile and vulnerable elements of our societies for their bodies are still weak and their minds are still developing. I pray that children's day shouldn't be just a day on the calendar but for everyday to be a children's day, a day to love, appreciate and thank God for such gifts.
Poseidon Tsautsau is the Secretary For Information and Publicity and Spokesperson for MDC-T Harare Youth Wing
Those who came up with a plan to make this day should be applauded for, but if the day owner is not aware of the day and never enjoying at all, then logicism suggests that the day is useless. In Zimbabwe people are in the election mood and most parties has released their manifestos and they all talk of equality.
Bespectacling the said equality I have noted that it's equality among the electorate - women and men/rich and poor, equal opportunity distribution- for those with the suffrage right only the word Children is talked about at seldom in these documents or not talked about at all. This will direct us to the fact that children's welfare is not a priority in most of our leaders' wish list, and that tells me that they only care about those who vote for them in office.
Children in Africa are far from being regarded as important and fragile parts of our diverse communities and societies.
As long as children are being deprived of lessons to attend rallies against their will and no noise comes from law enforcers, lobby groups and media.... then children's day is useless. As long as the script of the main news is not child friendly, then children's right to information is just a mere legal sentence thus children's day's existence is not a necessity.
As long as our leaders prioritise buying expensive cars, clothes and living lavishingly but our children paying for substandard health, education and shelter then let Children's day not appear on our calendars starting from next year.
As long as our children are still going to school barefooted but fathers with a rake of shoes, as long as our children are single paired with a multi-events shoe -school, church, at home, weddings e.t.c- then children are still regarded as less to African pets.
As long as a non working child is not on the transport budget and is made to sit on the burning hot kadoma in community omnibuses, then we still have a long way to go. As long as children are believed to have no worries and shame thus they can wear anything then children's day is useless. As long as parents give love to their children through lip service and their actions a divergence, well we better not have kids. As long as children are still being abused in any way and are abusing contraband stuff, then the state is failing to carry out its legal obligation to protect these children.As long as children are given guns to face other children on the battlefield to quench the ever power-thirsty leaders, then children's day is still a bad dream. As long as the privacy, best intrests and expressions of the children are not respected, let's withdraw our signature from the UNCRC and other child related convections we signed as a nation and continent.
It's the lack of love to children that made the world to bore robbers, thieves and adamant, dogmatic and suppressive politicians. Let's love the children and let's teach children to love too, for love is taught. Mind you these are fragile and vulnerable elements of our societies for their bodies are still weak and their minds are still developing. I pray that children's day shouldn't be just a day on the calendar but for everyday to be a children's day, a day to love, appreciate and thank God for such gifts.
Poseidon Tsautsau is the Secretary For Information and Publicity and Spokesperson for MDC-T Harare Youth Wing
Source - Poseidon Tsautsau
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