I WONDER WHAT our Ministers of Social Care and Education might have said to the young David Thompson, who as a teenager appeared on CBC Television, or for that matter a Malala Yousafzai. What we know is that they seemingly disapproved of a young 13-year-old Khaleel Kothdiwala speaking to thousands here in Barbados
We may recall that Malala was born July 12, 1997 and is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest-ever Nobel Prize laureate. When she was 11, Malala wrote a blog under a pseudonym for the BBC Urdu detailing her life during the Taliban occupation of Swat. She was younger than Kkaleel.
On the afternoon of October 9, 2012, Yousafzai was injured after a Taliban gunman attempted to murder her. In January 2013 Deutsche Welle (a German publication) wrote that Malala may have become “the most famous teenager in the world”.
These young people who subsequently become well known or even famous have offered different skills, talents and ideas to the world. For instance, we have Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who became a world famous teenager as well and is now a substantial entrepreneur in a number of fields.
It is no longer enough for children “to be seen and not heard”. Nevertheless, one can understand how some parents and indeed teachers, brought up under that dictate, may find it difficult to deal with children who now seem to know more, far beyond their years. These young people have been variously described as “star or indigo children or other”.
While some should stick to reading their prepared statements as they usually do and others may want to “crack heads”, we all, especially leaders with a social responsibility, need to provide an environment in which young people may feel free to blossom, grow and even, with respect, challenge the rest of us.
Their new thinking shall be for the good of our country in the long run as they – star or indigo – may suggest solutions we have never dreamed of before.
– MICHAEL RUDDER
