Gye-Nyame Journey Media

Economic Determination: The Key to Empowering Our Tribe and Nurturing the Next Generation Hello, esteemed tribe members and extended family! As we embrace and celebrate the potent principles of Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics) and Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), we find ourselves at a significant juncture, a moment where we can influence not just our own economic trajectory but also that of our tribe and broader community. Today, we'll delve into the profound intersection of economic determination and youth development, guided by the age-old wisdom, "If the young are not initiated into the village, they will burn it down just to feel its warmth." Inculcating Economic Determination: A Collective Responsibility A thriving economy isn't created in isolation. It's a communal endeavor that demands the active participation of all, particularly our young ones. By immersing our youth in the dynamics of economics, we're empowering them to become catalysts for economic

  Stand Up, But Be ready to Fight Seeking what is yours in the court of an oppressor never works out well. This story reminds us of this. I think that it was stories like this that really made me fall in love with Aesop. He showed that if you really want something that requires you getting permission from others you have to be willing to fight. Freedom can never be given it has to be snatched out of the hands of oppressors. This story does a much better job of demonstrating this because in this story the lions make a reply to the poor hares.  I can see the hares going to lion universities integrating into their system, and still be hunted as prey. Learning the ways and laws of lions, but after all that they end up being shut down by the simple  fact.  What is crazy to me is the rabbits were not seeking separation, they simply were asking to be treated equally, by the lions and other animals. But this request was out the question because the one thing that rabbits needed they did not ha

  Creative Economics Great Nia: Let's start this conversation by using some of our crystalized wisdom that has made it to us from our Ancestors, we will be using the idea of Sankofa. Sankofa for those who are new to this journey is the Akan symbol with a long necked bird stretching its head back to grab an egg off of its back. This is defined as going back and fetching it. It for us is cultural wisdom, and I want to reach back and remind you that wealth for us traditionally was in the people, and believe it or not it still is! Nothing of value is found, created, shaped, molded or whatever can be done to it without the touch of a human being, or groups of human beings.   “Wealth exists in the people and we need to reclaim that value,  to help us build pathways for real wealth.” The smart phone you are reading this article was made and created through a process hundreds of individuals through their combined effort was able to put together. The components that were put together for th

  The Family Pyramid Great Ujamaa: Continuing in the line of the discussion that we have had all week, I want to remind those that have been reading up to this point about the “The Family Pyramid”. You are sitting at the pinnacle or sat at the top of this pyramid at least until you had your own children. Now I want to explore what makes up this pyramid. This pyramid is made up of your living family, and your Ancestors. Your whole life is built upon those who came before you. Now I want to ask a simple question, what does that mean? Don’t just move by this question! I want you to really break down what this means for you, that the building blocks for all parts of your being are built upon those who came before you. In a sense others have sacrificed so that you can be on top, and you are now (metaphorically) standing upon them. Do you have a responsibility toward them? Is your life adequately reflecting the fact of your position on the pyramid, or are you just breathing air and hoping fo

  The MisUsed Resource Great Imani: We have hit the final day of Ujamaa and it has been an exciting and trying week, but we have made it and we will continue building in the weeks to come. I once again want to stress my Gratitude ( the M-7 principle for the principle of Ujamaa) for those that take the time out of their busy schedule to read these blogs. I know that time is precious so I will continue to bring content that you can use as well as think about. I have to always remember as well as you do,  that the goal should be to always bring as much value as possible. Since we are striving to free ourselves first internally then manifest that in the world, I want to look at the misused power of Imani. Imani is the principle that talks about  Faith , Belief, and Trust. These are principles that have rode with our people and boosted us up when we needed it. Now is the time for us to talk about this resource and how it is being misused and possibly how we can direct it toward helping us

  How to use Self Determination Kujichagulia is my favorite principle, because it exposes us to the power of defining. As you know I am a kuji baby, but even with that, I have to pay homage to the principle of the week (Ujamaa). This is the principle that deals with cooperation and resources, but Kujichagulia helps us identify what our resources are, how they can be used, and how they can and should be protected. Self Determination helps us decide as a group what borders we need to create on the community and tribal level. The same applies to our personal boundaries. These are important because it allows us to form unique identities that allow for separation. This separation allows us to distinguish between things. When we can distinguish we can take ownership. Now, many people are against this idea, but it is essential for us to understand this in the modern world. This is the foundation of Nation building. Once again the source is in Kujichagulia. Once we are able to identify the dif

  Unifying Your Resources Great week of Ujamaa on this great day of Umoja: Man I am excited to jump into this week but I have a challenge that I personally have to overcome. For those that know me personally I have been struggling with a tobacco habit for years. Last week I fell off the wagon, and have been puffing like a dragon. Now I will have to reconquer this issue again. I will use the next 7 day cycle to begin the process of eliminating this habit. This is what the #NguzoSabaChallenge is for, it gives us a process that we can continuously work on ourselves and our goals. So I have a challenge in front of me, especially since my 21 day personal #NguzoSabaChallenge fast will begin on May 23, 2021. Now that is enough about me now let's get to today's rant. Well, we are in the week of Ujamaa, and now is the time where we get to where the rubber hits the road. For those that are not familiar with Gye-Nyame's system we work with the Nguzo Saba to change our lives, from what

  Great Ujamaa in this week of Ujima: These are two beautiful principles especially when they come together like today. we are forced to look at them and then take a hard look at ourselves, and think about whether we are exercising them. Ujima (which is the week that we are in) speaks to us about collective work and responsibility, but also in our system it represents the powerful and necessary principle of respect. Without respect nothing moves. Respect is like oil; it allows different parts to run smoothly together, and it reduces friction. Today's Principle is Ujamaa which talks to us about cooperation and resources, but it also represents the principle of gratitude, and reciprocity in our tribe. When we take the time and put these two principles together we get an unbeatable combination. A combination sorely needed in our communities. "Ujima reminds us of collective work and responsibility; but also respect, without it nothing moves." Today, I want to take a look at t

Before I go down the road of the title I want to reflect on what we discussed yesterday and bring it in line with today's idea. We focused on defining responsibilty. We stated that "taking responsibilty gives you power", but now brother ha2tim wants to to take it one step farther. When we take responsibility it puts us in the seat toward ownership, or it should. Ownership of a thing gives you control. There are many things in life that we cannot control; but, there is something that all men have some level of control over, and that is their own physical body - your mind and spirit too. See, I can't make the sun shine, but I can put on my shades. I can't make it rain, but I can get an umbrella or simply stay indoors. "Taking responsibility gives you power" When you think about your life, your career and all the things that are apart of your world, who owns them? Who do you give ownership to? If you think about your job, who owns it? Is it your company, o

Revolutions are not simply about tearing down the old and building up a new. They are about creating an environment to sustain change in a manner that has never been done before. In order for us to do that we must have an understanding of our resources and how to invest them into the things that will make change possible. In order for us to be successful in our revolution, we have to understand how we can create communities that support the development of future leaders. I know it sounds like a stretch but as you continue to read you will begin to see that it is necessary if we want change. The reason why this is so important is because our children are our future and if we do not teach them properly then we will get the same results over and over again. This is why Umoja & Ujamaa have been connected from the beginning of time - they are symbiotic with each other. If you want the freedom of Umoja then you have to have Ujamaa or else it will wither away like a flower without water.