I wonder how long Africa will be plagued by inferiority complex, and fixated to the begging bowl, with all her rich cultural and spiritual heritage? Like the renaissance era of the developed countries, it is high time Africans built Africa.
Although, one cannot draw objective conclusions about Africa using a small sample size – Nigeria. However, for the purpose of this article, the writer has decided to focus on Nigeria.
So much for colour!
The colour black, regardless of how deep and beautiful it can be have been unjustly associated with everything evil.
In fact, the melanin of the African people is sometimes seen by racists as a weapon of destruction; for as long as you are black, you are automatically consider and adjudged guilty.
Also, children are still being taught today that almost anything “black” is inherently evil, in fact, to our educators, it is perfectly okay to use the word “black” to describe evil. In accordance with this teaching, “a black person is considered the black sheep of the family, and should be black listed”, in accordance with this teaching, “illegal market is black market (as if only black people do such business).
Sometimes the environment conditions the African child (in this case, Nigeria) to develop a low self-esteem relative to children in developed countries.
The minds of the African child have been grossly polluted and destroyed by a powerful force, that powerful force is inferiority complex.
Let us present a Nigerian medical doctor and an American medical doctor to a sick Nigerian, and ask him to choose the doctor to treat him, most likely he will choose the American doctor. Why? Because he has been educated to believe that white men are superior.
Even by comparing the leadership style of African and American, one also observes another aspect of lack of self-confidence. Specifically, one notices that while American leaders wisely prioritise their investment options; considering local investments first before foreign investments. On the flip side, African leader squander their countries funds on “corrupt investments” in foreign lands.
Why? This is because of the miseducation of the Africans minds; African soil is considered an “Unsafe haven” while America is “A safe haven”…what a lack of confidence!
Bottom line: Polluted African minds accept that by nature, Africans are normal human beings while Americans are extra ordinary.
No wonder a part of the letter by Lord Macaulay to the British Parliament in 1835 read “…if the Indians think that all that is English and foreign is good and greater than theirs, they will lose their self-esteem, and become what we want them to be – A truly dominated nation.
Coming down to Nigerian leaders, who rob their own people only to deposit the loot in America and as a result of this, money that could be have been used to make “safe heavens” are being taken out of the county.
What Nigerians do not know is that the “safe heaven” in America did not come as a result of wishful thinking, but is the direct result of tireless research engineered by true patriotism of its leaders and elites.
Why can’t Nigerian universities make numerous discoveries? It is a shame that Nigerian universities can’t make razor blades, even water pumps, and yet we have PhD’s above the ground, let’s dream big.
However, safe heavens will not emerge by miracle when teachers are being starved, library empty, research thoughtlessly abandoned, and universities senselessly shut down for several months each year due to strikes.
Furthermore, Nigerian leaders and educators must stop using black as a symbol for evil, rather they should start teaching their children that black is beautiful just as any colour.
