Mzee Jeremiah Ong'ech Ogola: An Autobiography: Documenting the Undocumented (in English)
Synopsis "Mzee Jeremiah Ong'ech Ogola: An Autobiography: Documenting the Undocumented (in English)"
As we write jaduong's (Mzee's) biography, the editor of this book, a retired University Professor, wishes to acknowledge that it has been a very enriching and worthwhile experience sharing and engaging with Mzee Dola. In all the three separate 4-5 hour sittings, coupled with at least 8 other shorter ones in the past, Mzee talks freely about leadership, community affairs, counsel to all age groups and gender, economic issues, education, health issues, national and global issues. Mzee talks with zeal and enthusiasm, always leaving one with appetite. This made me think Mzee is a continuous syllabus, the one which the professors neither teach about nor had the opportunity to learn from....in fact the one they never read...because the information in his head is undocumented....and therefore not in the library books and journals from where professors get their doctorate and subsequently professorship. As a result, this book is being processed as the first in a series of 'documenting the undocumented'. This is to mean, there is a lot of knowledge held by our elders that is in nobody's syllabus, which they are willing to give freely, and which we need to tap before it is all lost. It is a fast dying information and national resource. As a result, even after reading to the highest level, PhD, we seemingly still have lots of gaps in our heads. Whereas its al right getting to know and master all the items of our current syllabus in Kenya and Africa, it is clear that we have neglected a t more knowledge, residing in the head of our elders. The focus on formal education is killing a good part of us as people. We need to expand our education to cover the non-formal and informal education. For through these, our society shall be more complete devoid of the three national enemies as declared independence: Ujinga (ignorance / illiteracy), umaskini (poverty) and ugonjwa (wanton sickness). We need to document the undocumented, wherever they exist, and we need to strive to have all segment of the society having an opportunity of engaging with such sages in at least one stage in their lives. Otherwise we become educated, but remain unwise.
