WITCHCRAFT, NOT AN INVENTION
by Paul Chika Emekwulu
When Isaac Newton discovered the force of gravity, it was a scientific discovery.
When Michael Faraday discovered electricity, it was also a scientific discovery.
When James Watt, the English engineer invented the steam engine that was an invention.
When two American brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright invented the airplane, it was an invention.
When Archimedes ran out of the bathtub shouting, “Eureka, Eureka”, a principle so important in Physics was bequeathed to mankind. That was also a breakthrough as well as a scientific discovery.
When the Russian chemist and inventor, Dmitri Mendeleev through an intuitive dream experience perfected the periodic table of chemical elements, of course that was an invention as well.
When the Canadian doctor, Dr. James Watson discovered the DNA that too, was an invention.
The list goes on.
When I was using a plane mirror to rehearse an experiment on reflection of light (on a very sunny day) following a high school physics lesson on the subject, a classmate said it wasn’t age appropriate. To him what was age appropriate then was getting the theory right and passing all the related exams in flying colours.
Now, this one too, among others
When I invented a mathematical formula for converting numbers of the Fibonacci sequence (1,1,2,3,5,8,13…) to single, unique triangular numbers (1,3, 6, 10, 15, 21, 28…), a principal of a secondary school in Nigeria calls that witchcraft.
To me I think we need more witches not only in Nigeria but in the African continent.
One of the ample ways this can be achieved is by teaching young people at all levels of our educational system how to become witches.
