“The surest way to keep people down is to educate the men and neglect the women. If you educate a man you simply educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family”
A powerful message from Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey (an intellectual, missionary, and teacher ) , who in his fight to educate women as well as men persuaded Governor Guggisberg that Achimota college(Ghana, West Africa) should be co-educational in the early 1920’s.
Quick Bio before the lost Black and white Keys:
James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey was born on October 18, 1875 in Ghana. Acknowledging his brightness, he was selected to be trained as a missionary in the USA at the age of 23. He lived in North Carolina and attended the Livingstone College where he ended up teaching. It was during this time that he met and married Ross Douglas, a native of Virginia. From a minister at African Methodists Zion church in Salisbury (North Carolina) to his various doctorate degrees earned from Livingstone College to Columbia University, he has been “the quite, yet powerful” influences in African education. He is credited for his 1920’s visits to Nigeria, Liberia, Gold Coast(Ghana), Congo, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Cameroon, and Angola for a research to improve education in Africa. He is also acknowledged as the co-founder of Achimota college. Believe me when I say, James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey had a great impact on famous leaders such us Dr Kwame Nkrumah (The first president of Ghana), Nnamdi Azikiwe A.K.A “Zik” (First President of Nigeria) ,Hastings Kamuzu Band( Appointed as Prime minister of Nyasaland who later led the country into independence and called it Malawi)
James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey (October 18, 1875 – July 30, 1927)
The lost Black and White Keys of Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey?
During his visit in South African on a mission to improve Africa’s education, Dr Aggrey made a significant speech while he was there.A speech that I believe should be revealed more often and not hidden behind the curtain. He used the keys of the piano as an image of racial harmony. As I quote him:
“I don’t care what you know; show me what you can do. Many of my people who get educated don’t work, but take to drink. They see white people drink, so they think they must drink too. They imitate the weakness of the white people, but not their greatness. They won’t imitate a white man working hard… If you play only the white notes on a piano you get only sharps; if only the black keys you get flats; but if you play the two together you get harmony and beautiful music”
As significant this was then to whom he was addressing, this can be significan in todays world as we deal with the struggle of race, religion and culture. Can we play the the black and white keys in harmony?
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