If you can write, write. Dear Vivid
,
I am writing this letter in response to your article in the previous edition on the connection between race and intelligence. This had of course been sparked by James Watson’s interview in the Sunday Times in which he admitted he ‘was inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa’ as ‘as all our policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours – whereas all our testing says not really’. The African on that day must have looked at his world in despair, felt all his horrors about his inferiority to the European confirmed, as his ‘secret’ came out in the open: They have found me out; I am more stupid than them! I wish to argue that in a system based on exploitation and oppression a reason must always be provided for exploitation, however illogical and unsound, and Watson’s remark is merely the latest in this chain of reasoning. In the 16th Century, it was believed that the African was a heathen, unknown to Almighty God, cursed by Noah and therefore deserving of slavery. Now, in the 21st century a new and better thought out reason has been propounded, one that is yet more sinister and provides another excuse for the continued exploitation and oppression of African peoples. However, I feel it is necessary
VIVID 2nd Edition March 2008
to defend the African. In his brilliant book, The African Genius, Basil Davidson, one of the few European scholars to undertake a serious study of African history, points out that the Africans had built kingdoms stretching from Great Zimbabwe to Egypt, and from Mali to Meroe. African man had discovered how to cast iron; he had tamed his environment deep in the forest; he had been trading with the Far East long before Europe even came onto the scene. So, the question must then be asked why it is that today we see no sign of this greatness which so many Africans boast about. Well go and dig in the less war torn areas of Africa, and I am sure you will find something to satisfy your curiosity. In today’s world, the African is still an object of deep ridicule. The decision making processes about Africa do not come from African leaders. It is what happens in Number 10 and the White House, and more recently in Beijing, that determines the everyday fate of African peoples. And what is the result? Displaced families, Tribal warfare, unstable economies, distrust amongst ourselves, corrupt leaders functioning as Judases since time immemorial, refugees, no proper schools, no libraries, no communities, poverty, starvation,
disease, and finally premature death. And where in this environment is there space for creativity, for the freeing of the mind, for intelligence to flourish and for ideas to develop? If a child, from the moment it leaves its mother’s womb starts fighting for survival, the luxuries of deep thinking are forced back, and the primal instincts are brought to the fore. Also, we must not confuse intelligence with education. There is a difference between ignorance and intelligence. Intelligence is potential, with which one can acquire and utilise knowledge. However, if this knowledge has never been taught, and one has never had time to contemplate it what intelligence can there be? Perhaps an impressive dexterity? An amazing strength and adaptability? Is this not what the white man found in Africa? Kind regards, Junior Juma-Penge
James Watson sparked controversy with his ideas concerning the link between race and intelligence.
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