I have always found people saying things are changing, but interestingly not much has been changed as yet. This has given me reasons to believe that it is not in the purview of the architect of nature and creation that the world comes to an end. Believing in the fate of my origin (indigenous culture), I can safely say that this privileged generation of human beings is the darkest generation surrounded by light. Inspite of the new technologies, innovations, and creativity, the wisdom of the elders is gradually fading away because most leaders (political actors) around the world are not willing to become lovers of wisdom. Many leaders of today are so desperate that they tend to neglect what is beneficial and compromise the interest of the people who put them in power. And this act of neglect is characterized by the lack of integrity, consciousness, commitment, and discipline on the part of our leaders, especially in the Mano-River Basin. 

In yesteryears, indigenous peoples around the world survived without modern technology, access to formal education, access to quality health systems, etc. but their system of knowledge and way of life which is termed to be practical common sense based on teachings and experience passed on from generation to generation was pivotal to the preservation of the natural environment that we enjoy today. I would think that the principle of indigenous living is ?continuity? and this is lacking in our various regions today, most especially in leadership. Before industrialization, indigenous peoples used their skills and knowledge of the earth to enhance the productive capabilities of natural resources. Green living has always been the torch of the wisdom of the elders. 

It is evident that the wisdom of the elders (indigenous knowledge) is the basic component of any country?s knowledge system because it encompasses the skills, experiences, and insights of people, applied to maintain or improve their livelihood. At the heart of this deep bond (culture) is a perception, awareness, that all of life i.e. mountains, rivers, skies, animals, plants, insects, rocks, people, etc are inseparably interconnected. For instance, a grandmother would request her sick grandchild to take a walk along the path for few minutes and get healing from the touch of special trees, leaves, or breeze blowing at a particular point in time. Meaning they were deeply related to mother earth and could understand how nature works through knowledge left behind by their ancestors. Today, this bond is shattered by the so-called modernization. 

The understanding that we as young leaders and stewards of the earth must establish is the fact that sustainable way of life existed before Industrialization and we all have just one common denominator which is nature (Mother Earth-our indigenous knowledge which we are bonded to strongly). Our existence will be eternal only if we nurture, protect, & preserve the beauty of creation. 

And to you my dear reader, how long shall we continue to vote people of indiscipline and insincerity to leadership positions? Some people from Africa will agree with me that almost always, our leaders attend global summits and consultative meetings having little or nothing to contribute to discussions that concern us. Many of them do not honor the invitation to represent their nation?s interest. For instance, in May 2014, the Government of Liberia was invited to send a representation to the World Conference on Youth to participate in plenary discussions that led to the formulation of the Colombo Declaration on Youth and they deliberately put in under the carpet. It leads me to conclude that our leaders, especially African leaders are always too concerned about their selfish gains and do not express interest in the well-being of the states they govern. 

Often times, we make strides as young leaders to attend conferences, forums, etc but I have realized that in my home country (Liberia), most of the international declarations are not taken into consideration and of priority to the functions of government leaving me to ask why do we formed part of these meetings. In the matter of days, the UNESCO Youth Forum will be staged in Paris and the UNESCO Commission to Liberia has not selected a potential delegate to represent the young people of Liberia. This shows a lack of commitment and no interest from relevant bodies toward the young people of Liberia. Let us put an end to this problem. #Step Up and Out