"Educated"
to Feel Inferior: Will Africa ever Catch Up?
Prof. Bedford Nwabueze Umez, Ph.D.*
"Will African ever catch up?" Yes, if and only if the African mind is
liberated.
In this paper, I will briefly explain the relationship between development and
liberated mind. Specifically, I will explain (a) how most of us, the Africans,
were "educated" to feel inferior, (b) the terrible consequences of inferiority
complex, i.e., low self-esteem, in Africa, especially in Nigeria, and (c) then
present the ONLY powerful solution to revert this inferiority complex so that
Africa can meaningfully grow and develop.
Although a perfect representation of African countries cannot be made using
one country, I decided to focus on Nigeria to make my point. Nigeria is, in
many aspects, a typical African country. It suffered slavery; it was subjected
to colonial rule; it achieved political independence (1960) around the time so
many African countries did; it is faced with the task of welding into a nation
a variety of differing people. Besides, Nigeria is, by population, the largest
African country.
"Educated" to Feel Inferior: How?
It was never easy for me learning in Nigeria. My parents, who never attended
any school due to poverty, could neither read nor write. I lost my father at
the age of three. To make the matters worse, those I looked up to, namely, my
mentors, educators, and leaders were busy teaching me and other youths,
probably inadvertently, to feel inferior and remain inferior. Essentially, I
was taught, just as many youths in Nigeria are being taught today, to feel
inferior and develop low self-esteem. Here are few examples.
I was thoughtlessly taught (and children are still being thoughtlessly taught
today), that "oyibo bu ndi muo," (white men are naturally spirits)," "oyibo bu
agbara," (white men are wizards by nature), "mbakara edi ekpo" (white men are
ghosts), and "America ilu oba" (which suggests that white man's country is
naturally the land of kings). Similar phrases such as "dan bature," (which
implies that white men are by nature civilized), and "or buter" (which
symbolizes the natural lead of white men) are very common all over Nigeria.
I was thoughtlessly taught (as children are still being thoughtlessly taught
today) that almost anything "black" is inherently evil. In fact, to our
"educators," it is perfectly okay to use the word, "black" (the ascribed name
to people with African decent), to describe evil. In accordance with this
teaching, a bad person is 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 business in such market). In according
with this teaching, Satan (no one has ever seen) is "black" in color. In fact,
to our "educated" teachers, frequent use of "black" to describe evil
demonstrates a mastery of the "Queen's English," deserving an "A" in English
essay composition. What an education! It is a pity!
Indeed, Nigerian African children and the general public are being thought,
directly or indirectly, self-hatred and how to develop a sense of low
self-esteem. Without question, there are deadly consequences resulting from
this kind of miseducation, and to them, I now turn.
"Educated" to Feel Inferior: The Grave Consequences
We often hear that "the mind is a terrible thing to waste." I must add that
the mind is a terrible thing to pollute. The minds of so many African children
and that of the general public have been grossly polluted and destroyed by a
powerful force largely unseen by naked eyes. That powerful force is
inferiority complex (also called "mental slavery"). Here is a brief
illustration of the destruction caused by inferiority complex/lack of
self-confidence in Africa and among Africans:
Let us present an African medical doctor and a nonAfrican medical doctor to a
sick African and ask him to choose the doctor to treat him. You are right,
most likely he will choose the nonAfrican doctor. Why? Because he has been
miseducated to believe that by nature white men are "ndi muo," "dan bature,"
and "agbara."
Invite an African to two meetings - one called by Africans and the other
summoned by nonAfricans. You are right again, that African, all things being
equal, will attend the meeting called by nonAfricans on time and attend the
one summoned by his fellow Africans anytime he wants. Why? He dare not offend
"ndi muo" by attending his meeting late. Notice that this "selective
punctuality" on the part of so many Africans, particularly Nigerians, is what
passive thinkers call "African time" (or "colored people time," in American
context). To us at LAM, Liberating African Mind [www.LiberateAfrica.org],
there is nothing like "African time." "African time is nothing other than
"selective punctuality" ROOTED in inferiority complex.
By comparing the leadership styles of African leaders and nonAfrican leaders,
one also observes another handiwork of inferiority complex/lack of
self-confidence. Specifically, one notices that while nonAfrican leaders
wisely refuse to invest their countries' money and resources in Africa, by
practicing "charity begins at home," most African leaders are very proud to
invest African money and resources in nonAfrican countries. Why? In their
miseducated minds, Africa is "unsafe heaven," while "America ilu oba" - the
safe heaven. What a lack of self-confidence! What a leadership! It is a pity!
The bottom line is that a polluted African mind accepts that Africans are, by
nature, normal human beings, while nonAfricans are "ndi muo." A polluted
African mind believes that nonAfricans are "divinely" chosen to live in "ilu
oba," the "safe heavens," while Africans are "divinely" relegated to "unsafe
heavens." A polluted African mind does not know that "ndi muo," "ekpo," "agbara,"
"dan bature," and "ilu oba" are products of tireless research engineered by
true compatriot leaders and elite. In fact, a polluted African mind does not
know that George Washington, the first President of the US, did not have, for
instance, Space Exploration Program. Nigerians, for instance, must know that
the reason for lack of so many "ndi muo," "agbara", "ekpo" and "ilu oba," in
Nigeria is that so many Nigerian leaders rob their own people only to deposit
the loot in "ilu oba." As such, the money that could have been used to produce
"ndi muo," "ekpo" "dan bature," "or buter," "agbara" and "ilu oba" in Nigeria
is senselessly siphoned out of Nigeria.
African children have been repeatedly told lies, and the liars never, for one
day, reflected upon the horrible consequences of their lies. They never
realize that if a lie were told repeatedly, sooner or later some people would
start believing it to be true. Just as a determined and concerted effort to
tell a child that he is stupid is likely to get that child thinking and acting
stupid, "educating" African children to develop low self-esteem and feel
inferior has produced so many Africans who have, consciously or unconsciously,
accepted that they are ordinary humans while nonAfricans are "ndi muo," "agbara,"
and "dan bature," divinely planted in "ilu oba."
The Solution: The Right Education
Active thinkers know that pollution of African mind, i.e., miseducating
Africans to develop a sense of low self-esteem, has produced and continues to
produce terrible consequences in Africa and among Africans. It is not normal
for people to turn against themselves; it is not normal for leaders and elite
to turn against their own people. Now is the time for African leaders and
elite to start asking WHY things are the way they are in Africa instead of
telling everyone HOW terrible things are. By asking WHY, solutions will
naturally emerge. For instance, questions similar to those below will help
move Nigeria forward:
Is there a relationship between research and "ndi muo?" Is there a
relationship between research and "agbara?" Is there a relationship between
research and "dan bature?" Is there a relationship between research and "ilu
oba?" Is there a relationship between the legacies of slave trade and
colonialism (i.e., slave and colonial mentalities) and the robbery of Nigeria
by a substantial number of its leaders only to deposit the loot abroad? Is
there a relationship between the robbery of Nigeria by most of its leaders
only to invest the loot abroad and high unemployment rate in Nigeria? Is there
a relationship between high unemployment rate in Nigeria and mass exodus of
Nigerians to foreign countries? Is there a relationship between investing
Nigerian money abroad and growth in negative developments in Nigeria, e.g.,
corruption, mortality rate, "419," armed robbery?
My fellow Africans, PRACTICAL answers to serious questions like those above
will definitely produce "ndi muo," "dan bature," and "ekpo" "agbara" in
Africa; in fact, they will produce AGAIN the class of African "ndi muo," "dan
bature," and "agbara" who built the first known skyscrapers - the pyramids,
and developed the first means of written communications, the hieroglyphic
writings, long before the slave trade and colonialism. Nigerian children, for
instance, cannot become "ndi muo" and "agbara" by miracle if their leaders
continue to neglect education. In fact, "agbara," "ndi muo" and "ilu oba,"
will not emerge in Nigeria by miracle when teachers are being starved,
libraries empty, research thoughtlessly abandoned, and universities
senselessly shutdown for several months each year due to strikes. [Note: I
have appealed, and will continue to appeal, to Nigerian government to summon,
without further delay, series of National Economic Summits to discuss the
terrible consequences of looting Nigerian treasury and investing the loot
abroad, and start, on a collective level, to invest Nigerian money in Nigeria
as "ndi muo" leaders and elite are doing in their own countries.]
Conclusion
African youths must be told the truth, and that truth is that what makes white
men "ndi muo," "agbara," and "dan bature," is nothing other than tireless
research, and with massive investment of African money in Africa by African
leaders and elite, Africa will definitely produce "ndi muo", "ekpo" and "agbara"
in large quantity as it once produced long before slavery and colonialism.
Furthermore, African leaders and educators must stop using "black" as a symbol
for evil and start teaching their children that black is beautiful just as any
color.
All told, "Africa will can catch up" if and when African mind is liberated,
for a liberated mind is a thinking mind that has the foresight to produce "ndi
muo," "dan bature," "or buter," "ekpo" and "agbara," and make his country "ilu
oba."
*Note: Dr. Umez is a Professor of Government, Lee College, Baytown,
Texas, and University of Phoenix, Houston Campus. He is the founder of
Liberating the African mind, LAM, and Nigerian Leadership Council, NLC. His
latest books include, Nigeria: Real Problems, Real Solutions, "Educated" to
Feel Inferior, The Tragedy of a Value System in Nigeria: Theories and
Solutions, and Your Excellency. These books can be assessed from his web site,
www.umez.com or
www.lee.edu/~bumez. His contacts are
listed below:
