An extended and seemingly disputatious comment by a discussant on my equally controversial periodical, (captioned: ‘Are Africans really lousy and unintelligent? -See: modernghana.com- 22/06/2016) has necessitated this write-up.

The aforementioned periodical sought to recount how an impolitic Turkish taxi driver impertinently and boldly asserted that “Africans are not intelligent”.

The loudmouthed Turkish driver somehow tried to substantiate his claim by suggesting that Africans have not contributed meaningfully to humanity.

He asseverated further that Europeans however have researched and invented a lot for humanity; North Americans have done their bit and Asians are currently catching up with the Europeans and the North Americans.

The driver nonetheless continued by saying that the South Americans and the Australians are also doing their utmost best to advance humanity. He, However, insisted that he was not familiar with the Africans inventions, but rather cognisant of the incompetence, corruption, nepotism, cronyism, tribal conflicts, poverty, squalor, etc., in Africa.

However numb I felt on the Turkish taxi driver’s painful truth, I engaged in a carefully considered deliberation and came to a realisation that Africans really need a serious introspection, especially our leaders.

Mr Agbodo, a discussant, however, has a divergent view on the ever so contentious subject-‘black Africans are lousy and unintelligent’.

Mr Agbodo writes: “Kwaku Badu, you must thank the Turkish London-taxi-driver for having given you the best education money can buy for you! He was perfectly HONEST with you, and for that you must be forever grateful to him. That level of honesty is what ALL black Africans need right now to jolt us out of our complacency!”

“The fact of the matter is that black Africans are UNINTELLIGENT human beings! Let me leave the definition of "intelligence" out of this piece for now. However, the definition of intelligence I am using here is the SAME definition the Turkish taxi used and which you INSTINCTIVELY understood.”

“Nevertheless, I want to say here that intelligence does not mean the ability to solve a quadratic equation or to acquire a university degree (something black Africans think they can do and as such consider themselves intelligent). The intelligence or "high intelligence" some human societies possess and which enables them to achieve great feats is MORE than just the ability to acquire a university degree.”

“Black Africans do NOT possess the high intelligence of the societies the Turkish taxi driver was referring to. Black Africans confuse "bookishness" with intelligence or intellect. You must be a young person not to know that it is NOT only the Turkish taxi driver who harbours these views about black Africans but ALL white people do. White people have for centuries considered black Africans as unintelligent human beings. Why do you think white people treat black Africans (and their descendants) so BADLY?”

“In fact, it is not only white people who CONSIDER black Africans unintelligent human beings. Almost all human beings on this planet consider black Africans unintelligent human beings. The Chinese, the Japanese, the Koreans (North & South), the Indians, the Arabs - include the Turks (and, of course, your Turkish taxi driver) in this group - all consider black Africans as unintelligent human beings.”

“Perhaps it is only black Africans who do not know they are unintelligent and are considered by the rest of humanity as such! What a pity! How can a people be so OBLIVIOUS to what is going on around them?” “The evidence to support the assertion that black Africans are unintelligent human beings is OVERWHELMING, and it is all around us, especially in black Africa.”

“It is the reason we cannot govern ourselves. It is the reason we keep our environment DIRTY. It is the reason white people USED our forebears as slaves for hundreds of years. It is the reason white people held a conference in Germany in 1884 and "carved up" Africa geometrically into 54 plus nation-states- the so-called "Scramble for Africa" - WITHOUT a single African present! It is the reason white people colonised black Africa for hundreds of years.”

“I can continue but I must end. However, let me end by saying that a very serious and existential problem of black Africa today is the problem of the "emperor's new clothes". Another way of saying this is that there is "an elephant in the room". “Black Africans refuse to FACE facts and continue to live in cloud-cuckoo-land.”

“How many black Africans are willing to write or say what I have said here or what the Turkish taxi driver has said? Yet, the lack of intelligence of black Africans is a COMMON point of DISCUSSION in white and many other societies!”

“Unless black Africans face facts, we have not even begun to dig ourselves out of the hole we are in. There is a reason why white people, the Japanese, the Chinese, the South Koreans, the Singaporeans, the Malaysians and, lately, even the Indians have industrialised their countries to varying degrees but black Africans CANNOT.”

“The reason is LACK OF INTELLIGENCE. They say the truth hurts, but black Africans must begin to face the truth. It is about time we black Africans started saying that the emperor has NO clothes on or started talking about the hideous elephant in the room. Otherwise we will forever remain in our cesspit. And what a horrible cesspit that is!”

Concluding remarks:

As a matter of fact, Mr Agbodo has raised some pertinent points in his riposte that need to be interrogated by all well-meaning Africans. Of course, I agreed with him on the fact that we (Africans) aren’t prepared to utilise our God given brains to the fullest.

Our point of departure, though is, not all Africans are unintelligent, for a sizeable number of black Africans have put their perceptual powers of the mind into a good use.

Just look at what our own Apostle Kojo Sarfo is trying to leave to humanity with his God given brains.

I, however, couldn’t agree more with Mr Agbodo’s assertion on black Africans ‘bookish’ mentality. For knowledge and qualifications will be meaningless in the absence of the motivation to transfer.

My question to Mr Agbodo though is: ‘Aren’t black Africans selfish, lousy, and unpatriotic as opposed to unintelligence on their part?

K. Badu, UK.