As always, many readers had plenty of thoughtful insights to share with me in response to last week’s column . I am taking the liberty, as...
As always, many readers had plenty of
thoughtful insights to share with me in response to last week’s column. I am
taking the liberty, as is my wont, to share these with other readers. Enjoy:
Your
write-up on the above subject matter is quite revealing about the disconnect
between formal education and knowledge. It is quite ironic that African
Americans, most of whose not-so-distant ancestors were victims of the largest
forced migration in human history, would care to know so little about their
roots. I had a very similar experience in 2000/2001 when I was a Fulbright
Graduate Visiting Researcher at NC State University, Raleigh. In an article
about Africa in an edition of "The Technician", a daily campus newspaper
published by the Students Union of that university, the author made several
references to 'the country of Africa'. I thought it was an error when I read
the first sentence describing Africa as a country but, reading through it, I
saw several other references and painfully concluded that it was indeed based
on crass ignorance. To say the least, I was intellectually shocked.
"Culture Shock" can indeed manifest in a multiplicity of ways! Immediately, I sent an elaborate email to the
editor, educating the readers that 'Africa is not a country'.
As soon as it was
published, a female Professor of Anthropology whose office was very close to
mine in the 1911 Faculty Building explained apologetically to me, exhibiting visible
signs of embarrassment, that the students just won't heed to her counsel to
strive to expand their horizon of knowledge. But as your recent encounter
shows, it is not just the problem of some academically lazy students. America
is the home of books, the home of universities and indeed the cradle of the Internet.
Yet, unfortunately, it is evident that an information-dominated society doesn't
necessarily lead to an informed citizenry. It is an enduring lesson for all
those who are truly committed caravans in quest of knowledge.
Dr. Abba Gana Shettima, Department of
Sociology, University of Maiduguri
Let
me strongly corroborate your experience, for I know it might sound far-fetched
to some Nigerian readers who have never had such mystifying encounters. Where I
live, Jalandhar, though a remotely urban area in the state of Punjab (India),
meeting people who do not have an inkling of a country called Nigeria is the
order of the day. Not only that, many more do not know of a continent named
Africa. However, some others know, or rather take, every Black person to have
originated from South Africa, a country which Mahatma Gandhi, the foremost
Indian nationalist, lived at, and, again, the country which their most
favourite national cricket team has had matches with. Only a pocket of them
know other black countries—maybe in Africa—like Kenya, Zimbabwe and probably a
few others due to, still, the same game (cricket) alone. The percentage of
those who know Nigeria as a country is extremely minimal, I tell you. Thus, I
can’t agree more with this week’s column.
Muhsin Ibrahim, Jalandhar, India
Let
me tell you a similar story I heard in the early 1990s. My colleague was in the
US and, in the course of a discussion with some Americans, one of them asked
him if Nigeria was an area in Nairobi! For months on end we cracked jokes over
this. I did not bother to ask if the person was white or African-American,
because both are basically Americans, born and bred in a closed society where,
I heard, no radio with a short wave band is ever found, let alone be used by
anyone. The Western propaganda of yore spread all over the world was that the people
of Communist countries like China and Russia were ignorant of other parts of
the world because they were closed societies. Now we know better.
This
reminds me of Mark Twain's famous quote: "Don't Let Your Schooling Get In
the Way of Your Education." I am shaking my damned head at the shocking
bathos of an obviously very learned woman. After reading your forensic piece of
exposition, I am ready to forgive rapper Ross; he is not in the business of
instructing the world, like the woman journalism professor. I wonder what sort
of knowledge she imparts in her students.
How did she obtain her degrees?
I hope you were kind enough to send her a link
or a copy of your article. It is an unforgivable faux pas for a professional in
her position to expose such a shocking dearth of knowledge, especially in a
circuit of highly learned colleagues in academia.
I
know you're being kind, but that woman should not remain nameless. She is
spreading her brand of naiveté amongst the unfortunate students who're drinking
from her "font of knowledge" - which in light of the current
revelations seems like a blight of ignorance, for she's clearly out of her
depth in academia. She may be literate, but she is clearly half-baked. What a
pity. I hope her university is aware they have an impostor professor in their
midst.
Duchess Samira Edi, London
That is how it
is here in America. It happened to me, too. In 2006, at the height of the Niger
Delta criminality, a professor of International Business asked me: "Does Nigeria share a border with
Bangladesh?" I just shook my head and answered him in the affirmative.
Why? Because I know that every professor in Nigeria knows that Chicago, Miami,
Houston, etc. are cities in America.
Why, for God’s sake, can’t an American professor of International
Business know where Nigeria is located? At that time Nigeria was the 6th
largest supplier of crude oil to the US).
I
feel relieved that my "…depth of incuriousness…,” which has continued to
infuriate me, is completely dwarfed by this incredible event! While most of us
are guilty, at various levels, I salute her courage for asking. Most of us
might not at such fora, thereby continuing with the ignorant facade of being
educated. Better late than never, right?
Abdullahi Bello Umar (MD/CEO, Kaduna
Industrial and Finance Company Ltd.)
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