You think going to Africa did nothing for these boys? Going to Africa changed their lives. Being told they could not go back crushed them, exspecially Richard and his younger brother. It seemed they were used to broken promises and when this happened - to something that they enjoyed and loved, they were crushed and gave up. No one spoke to them, counseled them, so they faltered. You would think a program designed to target inner city at risk kids would take this into consideration. You know? Those parents and kids were owed more than what they got. Despite that the kids hung in there making it to high school.
Now, it is so easy to say from the outside - "those people need to mobilize and change themselves and stop acting juvenile." There are so many psychological aspects that come into play. These people live in a psychological quagmire. They witness death and destruction daily, society does not care for them, theyve witnessed drugs distroy their community, mobilization in the past was destroyed by said intorduction of drugs and absurd police presence that does not live to serve and protect, but more act as exterminators mining out rats or kennel workers keeping the "dogs" in check. These people are stuck with learned helplessness.
There was a famous psychological experiment about learned helplessness conducted with dogs. These dogs were shocked repeatedly, and when they were given the opportunity to escape, they did not because of all the abuse they were given. They did not trust their sorrounding and instead opted to stay put in sadness and depression. This experiment has been repeated with people and in many different contexts. It is a part of our nature. These people have lived with learned helplessness and the only with to undo this is for them to unlearned generations of being put and looked down upon.
It took taking these kids to Africa for a year and giving them nuturance, while they were still at a very young age at that, in order to help get them out of the mire they were born into. What hope is there for their parents? For their older siblings. Socialization happens very quickly after we are born, and after our minds stop developing at around age 18, what are we to do after growing up being taught that we are lazy and scum and utterly useless?
Frankly we as a Black community need to start doing things. We can't point the finger true, but we need to be sympathetic. We need to cry and realize that this is a legacy of slavery - the denial of our full potential. That for children who would otherwise be phd's, doctors, engineers, great philosophers, and so on and so forth to be marginalized to menial jobs for their lives, to be accademically starved, and to be called below average when clearly they are not. That's sickening and I for one am putting my college education towards dealing with these problems in my collective Black community.
Damn Cosby, or anyone else who thinks, to use an analogy, that those whose legs have been chopped off should somehow automatically pick themselves up and run a marathon. The most we can do is give their parents prosthetics and make sure that the next generation is born with and have their legs kept intact. It is our obligation to those not as fortunate as us.
As for the Africa comment about having babies and living in squalid conditions. What rock have you been living under or have you not heard of the devestating effects of colonialism and imperialism? For example, one thing Hotel Rwanda didn't want to go into is how hard the Belgiums separated and breeded discontent between the Rwandian people that led to the massacre. What I am saying is that The suffering of Africans have a source, and the descendants of that source abhor feeling any kind of guilt or trying to truly understand their actions. For all I know this is just the next generation of the mess their ancestors initiated with their greed. All in all though, not all of Africa is squalid (it's a continent), and if anything Africans have a lot of community and pride (something even the boys mentioned in the film that is lacking in the ghettos of Baltimore). Also, living a traditional lifestyle in a village does not equate poverty. Poverty is when foreign corporations prevent you from farming your lands, or collecting your seeds to plant the following year, or polluting your water; it is when things like the world bank making false promises and puts your fledgling country in serious debt in order to keep you in debt; or corrupt politicians backed by foreign moeny dominating your country and keeping you poor.
Your words are so painful to my ears.
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davidkuten
17 years ago
I agree with alot of what's being said here. The film wasn't as good as it could have been and, more importantly, the Baraka School was a joke (in my opinion). It must have been enormously expensive to send these kids to Africa. While I'll of course admit that the school gave them an opportunity they may not have had before it, I can think of many more practical and less pretentious ways to teach troubled kids.
Issues with the school:
(1) The counselors at the school were a joke. I'm convinced one of the main problems with public schools in places like Baltimore is that women are teaching kids who are really in a position to only take advice from a father-figure. At Baraka it was the same -- the kids needed to see strong black men and in there place they saw more idealistic white people. Imagine how much greater an impact the program would have had if kids like Richard became aware of the existence of strong black men. Richard's story is truly the most heartbreaking in the film and what is most heartbreaking is that all his potential will never come to fruition in large part because of the school, itself.
(2) The school attempted to distance the children from Baltimore ghettos but did they really have to take them to Africa in order to do so? I felt this was a decision made by some idealistic rich white person. Kenya? These kids are striving to become successful in America: why not send them to a private school in the U.S.? Or simply in a better area of Baltimore? It was sad that the school closed down but, located in a place like Kenya, I'm not surprised it did. Of course the reactions of the parents to the school's closing reflect an unjustified sense of entitlement--to an extent. This program filled the kids and families with hope (Ms. Jackson's rhetoric was over-the-top and Montrey was correct in calling her a liar) and was unable to fulfill their promise. I must admit that when Devon's pastor cheered him on before the trip on-stage and said that Devon is getting a rare opportunity to "study in Africa!!" I couldn't help but laugh. America has some of the best schools in the world (if you go to rich areas), so why not send the kids to those schools with all that money?
(3) There seemed to be very little structure or disciplinary system. The extent of discipline seemed limited to a few trite discussions with the kids. There was no methodology to it. These idealistic white people (I'll just keep using this description) acted as though they were the first people to try to talk to the kids.
In the end, I feel the same outcomes would have emerged with or without the Baraka school. To think that one more year at Baraka would have changed Richard's life completely is naive--the kids hanging out on his corner weren't going to leave, his mother wasn't going to change, his father would still be absent, and he would still be significantly behind in his studies... but despite the school's failings he still finished school and got a job (as indicated by the special features), which goes to show that his course was largely unaffected by the opportunity and disappointment the school gave.
What point am I trying to make? Of course I think the program's motives were noble. At the same time, I think that a solution for these kids must come from within their homes and neighborhoods. Most importantly, get some strong and educated black men in the schools and in the homes!!! On the legislative side, make it viable for men to become teachers by increasing the salary. It's clear from the film that the kids needed attention more than anything else. Spend the money that was going to some backwoods place in Africa on teachers salaries so that there can be more and better teachers. I realize that if strong black men did not exist then white people should take their place, but I know these people do exist and it's just a matter of leadership in the black community to corral them.
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pynkpanther
16 years ago
david, i appreciate your comments. however, we must recognize the urgency of a solution. now is not the time to question or critique the program. we TRULY need to save all tat concern and the inquiries for why 76% of black boys in baltimore do not graduate from high school. why are we in iraq fighting a war when children are dying physically, mentally and spiritually if not across the street from us, in our own homes?
we need to critique once we have a multitude of programs with which we can draw on for inspiration and examples.
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