• Toni Morrison

This philosophy is so essential to building a better world. Do whatever is necessary, do whatever is meaningful, do whatever is within your capacity. Enlightenment, empowerment, emancipation, empathy. These are the four E’s we need to build our future.

Several governments, organizations and educators are implementing the service of free education. The benefits of this is of the greatest magnitude for the sustainable development of all societies. Education is the one way an individual can conquer the hurdle of economic and social oppression. Free education truly is the pathway to an earthly salvation for many and it is what every nation should aim to provide.

With the power of the internet, some sources of this work for empowerment and emancipation of the people are available all over the world. When considering free education that is globally available, the following are leaders in this realm:

• University of the People – www.uopeople.edu
• Coursera – www.coursera.org
• Alison – www.alison.com
• Udemy – www.udemy.com
• Edx- www.edx.org
• Future Learn – www.futurelearn.com
• Udacity – www.udacity.com
• Teach 2030 – (for teachers) www.teach2030.com

Let us acknowledge these revolutionaries that are implementing real and tangible change in the lives of many. They are transforming the globe in a monumental ground breaking way. Let us whole heartedly applaud them.

Now, let us also not forget that there are still many who do not have access to this free learning and are in need of education. This is the case for various reasons, such as the lack of availability of the internet or a computer or other such technology. There can also be the language barrier. As you may have discovered, all the free education providers listed in this article use English as the medium of instruction.

Considering these hindrances to accessibility, it is apparent that we still need to make committed efforts to reach the grassroots and the marginalized.

I am currently teaching free adult classes for the English language and entrepreneurship for individuals who have not been able to pursue higher education and come from deprived backgrounds. One of my students cannot read or write. It would be ideal if we could take the time to learn literacy, however, she works full-time and has responsibilities at home. Time is the one thing she does not have and this is the reality for many adult learners. So I try to meet her halfway and audio record lessons for her so she can have some way of having them documented for review.

The rise of smart phone use has made the days of internet cafes more or less a thing of the past. The unfortunate thing about this is that the common man or woman who cannot afford a computer hardly has any common access to a PC. And if a person cannot afford a smart phone there is no public service that allows for the access of the internet (or if they are, they are very few and very far between). It’s almost an all or nothing situation. If people can’t afford the gadgets then they are left with very few provisions to compensate for that. In this prospect you might say that the gap between the haves and have nots has become broader. I am using the term ‘have and have nots’ tentively to illustrate a point.

I am going to segway a bit here because for a moment it is necessary to debunk this phrase ‘the haves and the have nots’ before it blinds us of other broader horizons. This term only takes into consideration economic status but there are other things one can ‘have’ that are not related to economic wealth. Such as: cultural wealth, spiritual wealth, wealth in health, wealth in wisdom, etc. To ‘have’ is not only wealth based on currency. One of these alternative wealths could very well create a life far more enriching than money could buy. Let us not allow these terms in the English language make our perceptions narrow or our thinking obtuse.

With that being said, let us return to the topic at hand, which is: accessibility to education.  Free formal adult education is oftentimes only accessible with the knowledge of the English language and/or the availability of certain technologies.

Let us avidly cheer on the providers that are facilitating free education worldwide. Let us also look to making sure free education is available for our brothers and sisters in the grassroots or who are marginalized. Even if all you have time for is one individual person. That education could change the trajectory of their lives for generations. Let us galvanize for this, if not with our time, then in resources (technology, an old functioning phone you no longer use, books and stationary, etc). Some people collaborate with an external family or person to financial fund their school fees. Education is a necessity and a right for all. Thank you for taking the time to read this article.

Are there not enough Tanzanian children’s books in the United Republic of Tanzania? No, that is not the case. There are plenty. The problem exists in prevalence of quantity, but not quality. What is lacking? Not the stories. Whether simple or complex, new or old, Tanzania is not short of good children’s stories. The problem is the presentation. As children’s story writers we have to think of ourselves as chefs, and think of children as guests in a 5 star restaurant. A significant part of the literary meal we serve lies in its presentation. The presentation of the meal is part and parcel of the entire dining experience. Before that plate of delicious themes and well seasoned characters leaves your kitchen, it ought to be a delectable and glorious feast for the eyes.

Before they are old enough to read chapter books, children interpret most of the world through images and pictures. A child of 2 years of age is not going to pick up a book and say, ‘I think I’ll read this book here because it has very interesting intellectual content.’ No. She or he is going to look at the pictures and judge the book on that. Imagine how wonderful the world of literature would seem to a child if the pictures were dynamically creative, if the colors were bold and the protagonists appeared cleverly detailed. This is what I often do not see in Tanzanian children’s books.

The illustrations in Tanzanian children’s books are very often the same. There is a generic method of drawing that you would typically see in template Tanzanian newspaper comics. Not the witty, satirical comics but the type of common comic that might be about more mundane topics. Like an illustrated guide of how to get ones passport at the immigration office. Now let us think about how enthusiastic a child would be about seeing the same sort of illustrations in a book that was supposed to intrigue them.

Art is vital and Tanzania needs to learn to have more reverence for it. If the country did, I think we would encourage artists to take courses, travel abroad and collaborate in projects that would inspire more creativity and more dynamism for the world of children’s book illustration. We need this because art is part and parcel with literature in producing great children’s books. And if we want creative, innovative, articulate, well-read citizens, children’s books are where we need to start.

If you are going to be a children’s book writer be passionate about it and couple that passion with the aesthetics that make your product a sight to behold. Remember, children are sensorial beings.

Set the imagination free, appeal lavishly to a child’s eyes. If I may use the food analogy again: A child ought not to look at a shelf of children’s books and see a cabinet of dull vitamin supplements. A child ought to look at a shelf of books and see a beautiful buffet of nourishing cuisine. Serve it up! And do so with flambuoyance and pizzazz.