Give Dr. James Watson a fair hearing! James, a 79 year old geneticist, a Nobel Prize Winner and pre-eminent scientist has come to a conclusion that African Blacks are stupid. Assertions by supporters of this argument have pointed out that blacks under-perform as employees (again as judged by whites), blacks score lower on IQ tests (designed by?), armed gangs in Nigeria, Darfur, Congo kill and rape etc (armed by?), black part of any city is always the crappiest (what about in an all black country?) blacks were liberated by colonization from hell-holes (what is the history of whites?), blacks suffer a biblical generational curse (uuhm? Who wrote it?), blacks have corrupt leaders (in countries that live on less than a dollar?), are poor BUT perform better in sports (the only arena that offers blacks fair competition in an open market as compared to class network in other sectors!).

As a scientist, James Watson escapes the possible benefit of doubt that he was simply sharing an opinion with a friend over a cup of tea in London. In Kenya, we too have stereotypes, such as a certain community is good in business, the uncircumcised are “children,” others are said to be intellectually superior. Some communities would generalise that women who cannot carry firewood on their heads and engage in no-till agriculture are lazy; standards as we know today keep shifting. The Kenyan middle class has been instrumental in dismantling all this stereotypes whenever people from different communities get a fair chance and opportunity to showcase their talents. I have argued time and again that Africans ought to be wary of the “free goodies” that drop from Western capitals, they come at a cost and James is simply pointing at the tip of an iceberg!

James has his reasons but Africans and blacks in general have no reason to panic. Study history and seek to build momentum for the future. If a people’s culture, history, resources are raped; families raped and made to rape each other, by marauding civilisation crusaders does James expect them to automatically and whole heartedly imbibe “…all our social policies…” as advanced by his ilk?  The best gift James’ assertion gives to blacks is the sense of oneness, he is inadvertently pointing out that there is a clear onslaught on blacks covert and overt. Without investing to prove him wrong, blacks should simply develop an independent bench mark for judging intelligence and seek ways to get out of the trap that has for the last 400 years made it difficult for our talent to serve us for the better.  

James Watson is right; the black man judged from a white man’s lenses that seem keen to perpetuate mental slavery, exploitation in the guise of international welfare is indeed stupid and falls short of a human person.