The human mind, in all its vast potential, is like fertile soil—what we plant in it grows. And in Africa, a continent of diverse cultures, untapped resources, and over a billion dreams, the soil is rich and capable of yielding marvels. But imagine that soil poisoned, weighed down by the stubborn roots of outdated traditions, by endless repetitions of “This is how it’s always been done.” We have a problem, and it's far bigger than we realize.
From the earliest days of childhood, we are taught to listen, to accept, to respect tradition—and while some of these values are noble, they have been twisted into a dogma that stifles growth, snuffing out the sparks of ambition and creativity in our youth. Instead of nourishing minds that can think independently, we are training people to conform. We are feeding our young minds a gospel of “This way, and only this way,” and it is choking the dreams, creativity, and progress right out of them.
The issue of conformist education—of enforcing only one right way to think, believe, and achieve—is a global one, but its consequences in Africa are stark. When we tell our children, “This is the only way,” when we frown upon questioning and shun originality, we are effectively shutting down the engines of innovation and progress. We’re strangling the very thing that could propel Africa forward in a globalized world.
Consider the school system. Across Africa, many classrooms remain outdated and suffocating, built on the vestiges of colonial ideals that prized obedience over inquiry. Students are made to recite, repeat, and memorize rather than engage, challenge, and understand. From an early age, they learn that the goal of education is not exploration, but acceptance. It’s not about the thrill of discovery, but about fitting in. And what happens when a society repeatedly values obedience over curiosity? It shrinks.
Africa’s rich heritage is, without question, something to be respected. But reverence for heritage does not mean abandoning the spirit of progress. Instead, it means carrying the wisdom of the past forward with an open mind to the future. Yet, generation after generation, the expectation is passed down: blend in, don’t stand out. Aspire, but only within the box you’re given. Innovation, for many, is seen as a threat, and those who step out of line are quickly met with rejection or ridicule.
Imagine what would happen if we let creativity take the wheel. If we allowed our children and our young adults to challenge the way things are, to invent, to think, to disrupt the norms instead of fearing them. And not just in business or technology, but in every area of life: in agriculture, in culture, in science, and in governance. The desire to fit the mold has held us back in every conceivable way. From inefficient bureaucracies to outdated farming techniques, we are clinging to methods that no longer serve us simply because that’s “how things are done.”
The truth is, telling our kids that there's only one way to live, think, or succeed is doing more harm than good. We see it in the way young innovators and dreamers are shut down. The child who dreams of being an artist, discouraged because art “isn’t practical”; the young woman with a passion for programming, nudged toward more “fitting” roles because technology is “a man’s field.” Each young mind represents a different possibility, a different solution to the problems we face. Yet, by teaching conformity, we leave that potential unexplored, wasting an opportunity to leap forward.
And it goes further than education. This gospel of conformity seeps into family expectations, into community structures, even into governments and policy-making. It’s why we often see our most ambitious young people either losing hope or leaving the continent altogether. Frustrated by limited opportunities and rigid norms, they seek places where they can breathe, think, and create freely. This brain drain is a symptom of a deeper malaise: we are pushing away our own progress-makers because they don’t fit into the narrow spaces we allow.
What Africa needs is not another generation of people who are afraid to challenge, afraid to dream. We don’t need more rule-followers or box-tickers. We need people willing to break the mold, to stand up and say, “Maybe there’s a better way.” Africa’s story doesn’t have to be one of missed opportunities. It can be a story of progress, of innovation, of vibrant creativity—but only if we stop feeding our children the lie that there is only one path forward.
Let’s take a moment to imagine the African continent if we allowed more freedom of thought. Imagine a world where our classrooms encouraged questioning, where our children could look at history and be inspired not to repeat it, but to improve upon it. Imagine governments that welcomed fresh ideas, where leaders embraced diverse perspectives instead of dismissing them. Imagine communities that didn’t shun the dreamer, the artist, or the inventor, but saw them as integral parts of society.
Such a change would be monumental. Africa has some of the fastest-growing youth populations in the world. In their hands lies our future, and if they are burdened by rigid, outdated thinking, that future will remain stagnant. But if they are freed, if they are encouraged, if we allow them to shape a new kind of African experience—one that respects tradition but isn’t chained to it—we can unlock a flood of creativity and ambition that could transform the continent.
For this to happen, though, we must be willing to confront uncomfortable truths. We have to face the fact that our systems, our traditions, our ways of doing things may not be the best. That’s a hard truth for many people, especially those in positions of power who benefit from the status quo. But a future without innovation is a future in which Africa will always be playing catch-up to the rest of the world.
It’s time to shake things up. Let’s break down the walls of conformity that we’ve so carefully built around our young people. Let’s replace “This is how it’s always been done” with “How can it be done better?” Let’s stop seeing innovation as a threat, and start seeing it as a gift—a gift that could lift millions out of poverty, solve pressing environmental challenges, and create opportunities for generations to come.
It begins in the home. It begins in the classroom. It begins with conversations that inspire rather than silence, with questions that provoke rather than dismiss. It begins with each of us being willing to say, “Maybe there’s another way.” It’s about raising a generation that isn’t afraid to think differently, to act boldly, and to reject the idea that they must fit neatly into a mold.
Because here’s the truth: Africa’s future isn’t written yet. We have the power to make it a future of progress, growth, and creativity. But to do so, we need to abandon the conformist gospel that has held us back for too long. We need to unleash the incredible potential lying dormant in each young mind across the continent. And to do that, we must stop telling them that there is only one way forward.
Let them dream. Let them imagine. Let them create. The future of Africa depends on it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.