Black Man's Intelligence

An interesting reflection on, and a wake-up call for, social andpolitical organization in the cultures of Africa, published in theNigerian Daily Trust newspaper..Posted to the web 25 October 2007 I Agree with Dr Watson - by Idang AlibiA few days ago, the Nobel Laureate, Dr James Watson, made a remark thatis now generating worldwide uproar, especially among the blacks.He said what to me looks like a self-evident truth. He told The SundayTimes of London in an interview that in his humble opinion, black peopleare less intelligent than the White people. Since then, some of us cannot hear anything else but the outrage ofblack people who feel demeaned by what Watson has said. So many peoplehave called the man names. To be expected, some have said he is aracist. Some even wonder how a "foolish" man like Watson could have wonthe Nobel Prize. Even white people who, deep in their heart, agree withWatson want to be politically, correct so they condemn the man. Why are we blacks becoming so reactive, so sensitive to any remarks, nomatter how well-meaning, about our failure as a race? I do not know what constitutes intelligence. I leave thatto our so-called scholars. But I do know that in terms of organisingsociety for the benefit of the people living in it, we blacks have notshown any intelligence in that direction at all. I am so ashamed of thisand sometimes feel that I ought to have belonged to another race. Nigeria my dear country is a prime example of the inferiority of theblack race when compared to other races. Let somebody please tell mewhether it is a manifestation of intelligence if a people cannotorganise a free, fair and credible election to choose who will leadthem. Is it intelligence that we cannot provide simple pipe-borne waterfor the people? Our public school system has virtually collapsed. Isthat a sign of intelligence? Our roads are impassable. In spite of thenumerous sources that nature has made available to us to tap for energyto run our industries and homes, we have no steady supply ofelectricity. Yet electricity is the bedrock of industrialisation. Whenyou agree with the school of Watson, some say you are incorrect becauseall these failures are a result of poor leadership. Why must it be usblacks who must always suffer poor leadership? Is that not amanifestation of unintelligence? In the name of international trade, bilateral co-operation,globalisation and other subterfuges, the norm in the world today is forsmart people to appropriate the wealth of other people for themselvesand their countries. But more among the blacks than any other race, thepractice is to steal from their own country and salt away to otherpeople's country. Is it intelligence that our leaders steal billions ofnaira and hide in other people's country? Anywhere in the world today where you have a concentration of blackpeople among other races, the poorest, the least educated, the leastachieving, and the most violent group among those races will be theblacks. When indices of underdevelopment are given, black people andcountries are sure to occupy the bottom of the ladder. If we areintelligent, why do we not carry first when statistics of developmentare given? Look at the African continent. South Africa is the most developedcountry because of the presence of whites there. This may be anuncomfortable truth for many of us but it exists nevertheless. If thewhites had been driven away after independence, we would have seen asteady decline of that country. In terms of natural endowment, Africa ought to be the richest of thecontinents but see the mess we have made of the potential for greatnesswhich God in his infinite wisdom has bestowed upon us. We have provedtotally incapable of harnessing the abundant natural resources to becomegreat. Today, there is a renewed scramble for the wealth of Africa.China, our new "friend", does not bother about the genocide againstfellow blacks in the Sudan by the Arabs who control the affairs of thatcountry. They say they do not want to interfere in the internal affairsof any country. All they want is the oil in Sudan to run theirindustries. Yet, we blacks have not seen the Chinese action as anaffront to our sensitivities. Every race takes us for granted because weare so weak and so foolish, if you permit me to say it. I am really pained by our gross underachievement as a race. Instead ofregarding bitter truths expressed by the likes of Watson as a wake-upcall for us to engage in sober reflection, we take to the expression ofwoolly sentiment. For me, this type of reaction is a further evidence ofour unintelligence. A man of intelligence recognises genuine criticismagainst him and takes steps to improve himself in order to prove hiscritics wrong. But for us blacks, our reaction is to abuse the man whoexpresses worries about our backwardness. Other races are deeply worried about us because we are a problem to theworld. We suffer from the five Ds: disorderliness, debts, diseases,deaths and disasters. Our disorderliness affects others or else theywon't be too bothered about us. Many are afraid because our diseasescould infect them. Polio has been eradicated all over the world yet itis still found in Nigeria here. When they give us money to help useradicate it, our thieving officials will embezzle the money; the viruswill spread and endanger the health of not only our people but otherpeople as well. Out of a shared sense of humanity, some cannot bear to see how we die inthousands almost every day from clearly preventable diseases and causes.For years now, our people die extremely painful but perfectlypreventable deaths from buildings which collapse because they werepoorly constructed. How can you tell me we are as intelligent as otherswhen we set traps for ourselves in the name of houses and others do notdo so? Some people are extremely frustrated about us. If they have a wayof avoiding us, they will be too glad to do so because we are a problem.As I write this, I do so with great pains in my heart because I knowthat God has given intelligence in equal measure to all his childrenirrespective of the colour of their skin. The problem with us blackpeople is that we have refused to use our intelligence to organiseourselves socially and politically. It should worry us that we do not invent things. We do not go to themoon. Our societies are not well-organised. We have the shortestlifespan of all the races. Something must be wrong with us. Why are wenot like others? Our scholars will be quick to say that these are notthe only ways of measuring intelligence. They will quote other scholarsto adumbrate their point, but the fact remains that we are not showingintelligence. Others are showing it more than we're doing. If they arenot more intelligent than we are, let someone tell me how to put it. Godhimself must be frustrated with his black children. They must be anembarrassment to him. He has given us everything he has given to otherof his children; why are his black children not manifesting their owngift? A few years ago, the whites used to contemptuously call the Japanese"little Japs". Today, the Japanese and other Asians have pulledthemselves up by the bootstrap and have arrived. No one speaks of theJapanese or Asians with contempt anymore. When people like Watson speakabout us in unedifying terms, we should take it as a challenge to provethem wrong by sitting down to plan how we can become world-beaters. If our political leaders are the reason for our backwardness, we shouldresolve to get the kind of leaders who will be instrument for our rapidprogress. I may not know how intelligence is measured but my limitedknowledge of intelligence is that it can also be measured by the kind ofleaders a people decide to have. If, for instance, our professorspreside over the massive rigging of elections, it means that we do nothave very intelligent professors. Such rigged elections will no doubtproduce unintelligent leaders. Such unintelligent leaders will do stupidthings which will prove that we are not as intelligent as other races.Do I sound confusing or intelligent? I am ready for some of our 'patriotic' intellectuals who will write andabuse me for the 'outrage' I have expressed here but I stick to my guns:we lack intelligence and as stated in the Bible, anyone who lacksintelligence should cry unto God who is the custodian of wisdom tobestow some upon him. We should go on our knees today and ask God why wedo not appear as intelligent as our other brothers. I am confident Godwill reveal to us what we must do, and urgently too, to change ourterribly unflattering circumstances.