By Agyei Tyehimba©2012

Black Youth & The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Problems Confronting our Youth

• Teenage Pregnancy and Promiscuity• Violence/Gangs• Incarceration• Lack of motivation/respect• Using/Selling Drugs• Poor School Performance/Dropping Out• Little connection to history and culture

The Wizard of Oz?

• Not just another children’s movie• Provides symbols, actions, and

truths we can use to understand the problems our youth face in society

• Let’s summarize the characters and plot to see how they relate to our youth

SUMMARY

• Dorothy finds herself in a new and strange place far away from her home

• She meets up with three main characters who like her, have a problem

• They are told to follow the yellow-brick road to “Oz” where they will find the all-powerful and wise “Wonderful Wizard” who will solve their problems

• The “Wicked Witch of the West”, threatened by their unity and quest for empowerment, sends several traps/obstacles their way to sabotage their progress

• They eventually meet the Wizard and the story concludes

Character Problem What problem Represents

Dorothy Away from home and can’t get back

Being lost, confused, and disconnected from

God and culture

The Scarecrow Has no brain Lack of intelligence and capability

The Lion Has no courage Low self-esteem, lack of confidence, failure to

claim authority

The Tin Man Has no heart Being insensitive, lacking compassion and

humanity

Understanding the Characters

In the clip you’re about to see, notice how the “Wicked Witch of the West”, (get it, the WEST?) observes the actions of our characters from a great distance. How can she do this? She uses a crystal ball, today’s wicked witches use cameras, satellites, and surveillance devices.

Poppy Fields?

That’s right, the Wicked Witch of the West, looking to sabotage the empowerment of these characters, sends them through Poppy fields, causing most of them to fall asleep. And guess what is produced from Poppie plants? Opium and Heroin! So she introduces them to narcotic drugs in an effort to derail their forward progress, sound familiar?

The Wizard is a Fake!

Our misinformed and misled characters have discovered that the “wizard” is nothing but an ordinary man. He has no special powers at all; he has deceived people into obeying and fearing him through the skillful use of gadgets and propaganda. Sound familiar? In the next clip, notice how he gives them symbols of the things they seek, and admits that he has no power to give them what they already had the whole time!

Confronting the “Wizard”

Bringing it Together

• This society and its institutions work to turn our youth into The Lion (no courage or self-esteem), The Scarecrow (no intelligence or capability), and The Tin Man (Insensitive, impolite, dangerous). When you add all of these qualities together you have Dorothy (someone who is lost, confused, and disconnected from God and culture)

• Our youth are often steered into “poppy fields” to sabotage their progress (drugs, incarceration, gangs, dropping out of school, etc.)

• Our youth are taught to believe not in the authority of God, or themselves,but of men and women who set themselves up as gods

What We Must Do

• Provide our children with a strong spiritual foundation so they don’t bow to false gods, or become afraid of wicked witches!

• Create opportunities for our children to develop a sense of achievement and accomplishment

• Imbue our children with knowledge of their ancestors, culture, and history (“There’s no place like home”)

• Teach our children to be leaders and problem-solvers; create opportunities for them to develop and utilize these skills

• Teach that education and self-improvement are non-negotiable and mandatory in your household

• Connect them to good “witches,” or mentors

If you’d like to contact me with questions or comments, feel free to email me at truself143@gmail.com

I also encourage you to visit my website:www.freewebs.com/agyei143