The Fourth Heritage Initiave
Newsletter
ISSUE NO 02 | Oct 2022 | VOL 01
At the launch of the Organisation:
The symbolic laying of a brick to represent the Fourth Heritage as the cornerstone idea that will unlock people’s change of mindsets
Inauguration of the Organisation
On the 12th of September 2022, The Fourth Heritage Initiative was launched at the Uganda National Cultural Centre [UNCC]. The event was co-sponsored by the UNCC and in his opening speech, the UNCC Executive Director Mr. Peter Ojede highlighted how the Initiative can be a UNCC strategic partner in the area of mindset change, because UNCC is the body tasked to lead the National Programme for ‘Social and Mindset mobilisation’.
The ceremonial chief guest was the Minister of State for Gender and Cultural Affairs Hon. Peace R. Mutuuzo, who highlighted, among other things:
- The Initiative is a social innovation akin to innovations in science, technology and other spheres. She applauded it.
- The centrality of Africa in the social evolution of the world, and Uganda being at the centre of the African story.
In my keynote address as the Initiative’s Chairman and Co-Founder, I stressed the fact that our core problem as Africans are the Six Killer mindsets of Victimhood, Inferiority Complex, Self-hate, Copycatism, Herd mentality and the Elite Dilemma, and in order for us to start on the long and hard journey of solving our mindset problem, we each must first internalise the Fourth Heritage idea.
The 4 hour event was ably coordinated under the theme “Africa Awake” by the MC’s, Mr. Andrew Ssebaggala – the UNCC Production Manager and Mrs Yvonne Mpanga – CEO Business TrendSetters
The Launch banner: The founding members of the Organisation together with the Chief Guest and UNCC Executive Director signed their names on the Launch banner.
Hon. Mutuuzo speaking at the event.
In my presentation, I laid out the case for why our ancestral error of “not inheriting a writing culture” is the core issue that complicates our attempt to solve the six killer mindsets. We have used other people’s ancestors to try to solve our ancestral error. It has not worked. The full analysis of my reasoning is found in the books ‘The Fourth Heritage’ and ‘Beyond the Fourth Heritage’.
Another speaker, Mr. Abby Mukiibi –Ugandan Artist & entrepreneur of Delta TV impressed on the audience that the demise of theatre and dramatics is largely due to the people in the industry not being adaptive enough to the changing times brought about by modern technologies which offer the modern audience many other avenues for entertainment.
We also heard from Dr. Grace Baguma – ED National Curriculum Development Centre, who elucidated us on the tremendous impact that the new lower secondary curriculum is doing for S1 & S2 students. They are more confident than their upper class schoolmates in that they actively ask questions of their teachers, largely because they are being fed a more practical education than the previous theory-driven curriculum.
In both narrative form and diagrammatical illustration, I argue that just as the legs are what we stand on, our tribes are our roots; just as the chest has the heart – the organ that stores our deepest emotions, similarly our religions store our deep passions; just as the hands are what we use to function, similarly the colonial languages are what we use to function in the modern world; HOWEVER since the brain is the most important organ in the body, the Fourth Heritage should be the most important heritage that dominates and guides the triple heritages.
I predicate that with the Fourth Heritage, people will be able to transcend the limiting tribal/closed mindsets to have open successful mindsets.
Another speaker, Mr. Abby Mukiibi –Ugandan Artist & entrepreneur of Delta TV impressed on the audience that the demise of theatre and dramatics is largely due to the people in the industry not being adaptive enough to the changing times brought about by modern technologies which offer the modern audience many other avenues for entertainment.
We also heard from Dr. Grace Baguma – ED National Curriculum Development Centre, who elucidated us on the tremendous impact that the new lower secondary curriculum is doing for S1 & S2 students. They are more confident than their upper class schoolmates in that they actively ask questions of their teachers, largely because they are being fed a more practical education than the previous theory-driven curriculum.
In his presentation, Mr. Fagil Mandy – Educationist & Board Director, effectively showed how mindsets can change in an everyday setting. Using the example of a small boy he has been looking after for about 3 months, he vividly illustrated by way of the kid explaining how in such a short time he has changed to be more confident of how he walks and talks, how he is able to wash himself, wake up himself in the early hours of the morning, and able to find his way home from school. All this was an illustration of how, if we are intentional, we can change our young people to structure their minds beyond the limiting six killer mindsets.
In my closing remarks, I outlined the Program and Vision of the Organisation, and invited the general public to join our movement of changing African mindsets. A good start is to read the Fourth Heritage books or join the organisation.
Article By Emmanuel Kirunda
