For someone who rarely dwells in the past, I am a frequent visitor. Not because “it’s better there”, but for the love of knowledge. History is unchangeable; frozen in time momentum that we can investigate and learn from, it is fascinating to trace human evolutionary progress with their highs and lows. As Marcus Garvey said -”A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” Since I was a child I’ve always preferred company of older people, they are the messengers of the past with unique stories and mannerisms. Older generations are like “live museums” , not that they are always accurate or objective (humans are not really good at it due emotional attachments, biases and that our memory is moldable). So whenever granny gives me glimpses of the past through remarks or stories I travel back in time and bombard her with questions as I walk through the corridors of history. ONLY by knowing where we come from and having understanding of our blood, we can become better at who we are. * “We are a continuum. Just as we reach back to our ancestors for our fundamental values, so we, as guardians of that legacy, must reach ahead to our children and their children. And we do so with a sense of sacredness in that reaching.”- Paul Tsongas * “Crafts make us feel rooted, give us a sense of belonging and connect us with our history. Our ancestors used to create these crafts out of necessity, and now we do them for fun, to make money and to express ourselves.”- Phyllis George #selfiewithgrandma