Shabait.com (Asmara)
14 August 2008
editorial
Asmara — The renowned scientist, Albert Einstein once said: "There are two aspects to every person's mind-the rational side and the intuitive. The rational side of our minds is the part meant to serve us through life, but the intuitive side is a divine gift. Unfortunately, we have been born into a society that only values the rational side while ignoring or disregarding their intuitions. That is why only few venture to explore the creative side of their minds."
Creativity is one of the many distinctive qualities that sets apart human beings from other animals. Sadly, however, this innate human quality has long been considered as a rare gift bequeathed by nature to very few individuals. Furthermore, colonialism not only played a determinant role in promoting the viewpoint just mentioned but also propagated the idea that only a few people in specific areas of the world are blessed with the gift of creativity. Today, however, this kind of attitude has become a thing of the past and the speedy developmental progress in different parts of the world continue to prove that every individual or community have their own potential for creating and inventing new things. The only difference lies in how much a community encourages and promotes the innovation and ingenuity of its members.
In every community there are individuals who continuously endeavor to invent new things and change or improve traditional methods with innovative techniques for better and more efficient outcome. Most often such enthusiasm for advancement is found in young people, for they are by nature the agents for change and development. Thus, with the understanding that creativity is vital for socio-economic and cultural development, communities should provide a conducive atmosphere for members who are interested in change and development. Because as the experience of the world demonstrates, the societies that encourage innovation are always at the forefront of development and progress.
The Eritrean people have long since shown interest in technological works and are as a result known for their technological abilities and efficiency. Similarly, many Eritrean citizens have the tendency to create new things and renovate old ones. Self-reliance being one of the cardinal principles of the EPLF, creativity and renovation had played a decisive role in the success of the Eritrean people's struggle for independence. The fact that this innate aptitude for innovation has been handed down to the present generation of youth is becoming more and more apparent. The different creative works presented in the Eritrea festivals are but a few examples of the ingenuity of the youth in their daily lives. Nonetheless, it should be noted that individual innovation can have an impact in the economic development drive only in the presence of an encouraging and conducive atmosphere. It is to be recalled that President Isaias Afwerki had previously given a directive for innovation and creativity to assume an organizational level and be provided with the necessary financial and technical support. In our national festivals songs and other artistic works are usually recognized and awarded prizes, but creativity and inventiveness have yet to receive similar attention. Even if they are recognized, it is clear to note that innovation has not received as much attention as artistic works. Therefore one cannot say that there exists a conducive atmosphere for such endeavors so far. However, being a decisive factor for economic development, innovation should receive due attention and encouragement.
As is well-known, our long-term vision is to make Eritrea one of the economically and technologically developed nations in the world. Our National Charter states that the most important factor in economic development is human resources and not natural resources, capital or foreign aid or investment. Thus, parallel to the substantial investment and efforts for the development of different sectors of the national economy, it is essential to strengthen the role of innovation in the nation-building process; for the encouragement of innovation is an important impetus for development.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Shabait.com. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
