August 9, 2025
(1) A SEQUEL INSPIRED BY A CONSTRUCTIVE ARGUMENT BY A FACEBOOK FRIEND WHO WATCHED MY “PART 1” VLOG ON THE ABOVE TOPIC
(2) COMPARING SOME DIFFERENCES BETWEEN AFRICAN CULTURAL MENTALITY AND WESTERN CULTURAL MENTALITY IN BUILDING A PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY, BY SOMEONE WHO HAS LONG EXPERIENCES IN BOTH WORLDS
Greetings!
I am Harry Agina with another edition of Afro-Scope commentaries on some of the factors that work against the progress of the African continent. This is a sequel to my vlog of August 7, 2025, on this subject. This sequel was inspired by a Facebook friend, Cletus George, who started a good constructive debate following my August 7 commentary.
If I said it once, I said it a gazillion times that I love friendly constructive debates on topical issues in society. Cletus George commented on my past vlog in disagreement with my view that some GENERAL ATTITUDES, some CULTURAL TRADITIONS, some ACTS THAT ARE PECULIAR TO AFRICANS, and the aberration or MIS-DEFINITION and WRONG APPLICATION of some SOCIAL TERMS are inimical to the progress of Africa. Such aberration include “RESPECT” for UNDESERVING ELDERS in society in Africa. Cletus specifically has a problem with my position that such African characteristics contribute negatively to economic and social progress in Africa, compared to the better progress in the western world.
Now, I want to respond to the argument by Cletus George. My commentary to which he commented is a vlog (video), but this is a blog (a written narrative). I have already said that I love that he was constructive and ready for a friendly debate where we may both learn a thing or two from each other, bearing in mind that no human knows everything. I want to support my own argument to counter his argument with facts and illustrations!
Holistically, it is a FACT that the MENTALITY or MINDSET, the BELIEFS, the CUSTOMS and TRADITIONS, the CHARACTERISTICS, and the GENERAL ATTITUDE of a people determine everything in the society of the people. You can not, REPEAT, CAN NOT separate the above FACTORS from the WELFARE of the people and the PROGRESS of the society in general. NO, SIR, NO MA’AM!!! Now, I’ll cite just a few examples and illustrations.
I will start with a basic rhetorical question: WHY IS AMERICA MORE ADVANCED AND MORE PROGRESSIVE THAN AFRICA TODAY, IF NOT THE DIFFERENCE IN GENERAL MINDSET AND ATTITUDE TO LIFE? Does a contemporary American have two heads or two brains? Nope, he/she doesn’t! The difference is that he or she has grown up in a society where the earlier Americans had set up a society with well organized NORMS and DISCIPLINE that are progressive. FoIlowing those PROGRESSIVE norms and discipline is what differentiates America today from Africa where different and LESS PROGRESSIVE set of norms prevail.
ILLUSTRATION: Like most Nigerians or most Africans who migrate to America, when I got to America as a student after my Nigerian secondary School education (otherwise called High School education), I performed in my university education one thousand times better than MOST of the Americans in my classes, as soon as I got the benefits of their well organized systems. I was not as good when I was in the less organized Nigerian secondary school education system. My point is that the success of Americans is not about their brains being better than African brains, no sir, no ma’am!!! It’s about their well organized DISCIPLIENED systems. So, when I got the opportunity to be in that well organized and disciplined system, I even outperformed them. This is true about MOST Africans who are in the more disciplined western world. I can tell you for a fact that the corrupt environment of my home country Nigeria has destroyed too many bright minds and their great ideas. In other words, there are probably greater minds in Africa today than there are in America, but very few evil and corrupt rulers of Africa pull the great minds down, meeeeeeeen!!!
Let’s refer to my vlog that started this debate, where I talked about ABERRATION of the term RESPECT by OPPRESSIVE Africans in positions of power. They include PENTECOSTAL PASTORS who some Africans are overly respecting. Indeed, they are worshipping the pastors, and the crooks among the pastors take advantage of the ignorance of their followers to BRAINWASH, MISLEAD, and EXTORT the fools among such followers. Let’s also talk about ELDERS in society who see disagreement with their WRONG VIEWS as DISRESPECT. Rather than pay attention to the younger generations with great ideas and take corrections for the progress of the society, some elders choose to suppress the bright minds. The youngsters who speak out against the suppression are accused of disrespecting their elders.
Most progressive people know that even a ten-year-old child can say something that, if you listen properly, you can use to a great advantage. If you shout the child down and shut him or her up because of age, you will never benefit from that idea. I will illustrate again to say that my child childishly said something years ago at the age of only four years, and bam, it instantly woke up a great benefitial idea in my mind!!! That happened because my child and I were/are in America where parents pay attentiona and listen to what their children have to say. The American society inculcates that in you through public Enlightenment programs and commentaries. In Africa, some so-called elders with their ancient RETROGRESSIVE idelologies won’t even listen to the grown up youngsters of today who have fresh PROGRESSIVE modern ideas of the CONTEMPORARY TECHNOLOGIES that can change the society for the better. Listening to 4-year-olds is completely out of the question! The so-called elders will simply shut down the progressive youngsters. The ones who resist the oppression are accused of being DISRESPECTFUL. Remember that my argument about MIS-DEFINITION of RESPECT for so-called elders and people in authority in Africa is the reason for this commentary.
I repeat, I was able to benefit from a comment from my 4-year-old child because WE WERE/ARE IN THE AMERICAN SOCIETY WHERE PARENTS PAY ATTENTION AND LISTEN TO WHAT THEIR CHILDREN OR THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS HAVE TO SAY. Remember also that there are 4-year old GENIUSES out there in Nigeria. But the so-called elders who are only old in age and not in ideology won’t even let them showcase the genius in them. Recently, the retrogressive Nigerian education system has made a rule that NOBODY CAN APPLY FOR UNIVERSITY EDUCATION UNTIL AFTER THE AGE OF 16 YEARS. In the western world, a genius can be discovered at the age of 4 or less, and the genius in him or her is explored and exploited immediately. A child can be allowed to enter the university before the age of ten if he or she shows exceptional capacity. No law prohibits that, meeeeeeeen!!!
So, of course, attitudes, traditions, characteristics, principles, and policies DO make a difference between the African society and the American or European society. Did the ignorant Nigerians who came up with the recent university policy in Nigeria ever think about the existence of geniuses in Nigeria? Of coirse not! If they did, shouldn’t they have at least made their ignorant policy conditional enough to EXEMPT EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS? Of course, this is an example of some of our retrogressive ways of life in Africa that drag us backward and downward in comparison with the western world?
Let’s go a different dimention now, starting with another round of rhetorical questions? Is Africa not more endowed with mineral resources and other resources than most regions of the western world? How do we manage those resources? Rather than manage them progressively, do we not stupidly and CORRUPTIVELY export our raw resources at CHEAP PRICES, and then stupidly import their byproducts AT MUCH HIGHER COSTS from the same westerners to whom we stupidly sell the raw materials? How long have Nigerian criminal rulers been exporting crude oil and then importing fuel and other byproducts at much higher costs, instead of refining our crude oil? There are a gazillion more examples of backward and corrupt attitudes and acts of Africans, which, in comparison to the West, drag us backwards.
Furthermore, is Africa not blessed with better climatic conditions, compared to America where earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters are constant? Why is it that ORDINARY floods are a major problem every doggone year in Nigeria, if not the terrible corrupt and nonchalant attitudes of our rulers, as well as foolish attitudes of some people themselves who suffer the disasters? Does this not amount to what I say that our ways often keep us backwards or retrogressive? Every year, hundreds or thousands of lives and billions of naira are lost to floods, yet, there are SIMPLE proactive moves to avoid the disasters, meeeeeeeen!!! Nigeria can not manage ordinary CONTROLABLE floods, which we know that they MUST come every rainy season; what would happen if we had hurricanes to deal with, which are majorly UNCONTROLABLE?
Now, let’s get back to my primary subject of too much UNDESERVING RESPECT to certain individuals in society by people who are OVERLY SUBSERVIENT. For instance, can we say that we do not see the corelation between the attitudes of some Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria who worship their pastors, and their poverty? Rather than work hard to make a living, they prefer to give away the little money that they don’t even have to the crooks who they call pastors, in the stupid name of “SOWING SEED.” They enrich their evil, criminal so-called pastors to buy private jets. And then, they lazily hope in vain for MIRACLES from haeven, rather than go out and work hard for a living with prayers to God to bless their handiwork!!!
In contrsdt, the “white man” who took Christianity to Africa knows the difference between worshipping God and worshipping criminal pastors! A Pentecostal Christian in America or Europe works hard for his or her money, and then prays to God to bless his or her handiwork. He/she does not lazily waste all his time in a church in the stupid hope of a miracle that will never happen. Also, the American Pentecostal Christian does not foolishly give away his/her money to a crook called pastor in an effort to PURCHASE miracles. So, who doesn’t see that such differsnce in mentality drags some Africans backward, in comparison to westerners? Who doesn’t see that a typical American Pentecostal Christian is more progressive than his typical foolish Nigerian counterpart who I condemn? Who doesn’t see it that the Nigerian is being dragged backward by his/her foolish mentality of worshipping crooks that he/she foolishly calls pastors???
As I rest my case, I pray that whoever disagrees with my position at first sight does a rethink to see reason in my argument that some African beliefs and general attitudes to life do make a lot of difference in development between Africa and the western world.
Finally, mind you, I am not speaking catehorically when I make these comparisons between my Africa and the West. Of course, Africa is full of great progressive people. And, the West is full of foolish and idiotic people, too. The difference is that TOO MANY people in Africa are on THE WRONG SIDE of the divide. As a media professional and Public Enlightenment specialist, I tell you authoritatively that the difference between Africa and the West is mostly in the lack of PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT in Africa to get more members of society out of the darkness of ignorance. The WEST IS BETTER BECAUSE THE WESTERNERS HAVE DONE MUCH MORE TO ENLIGHTEN THE MASSES OUT OF THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE IN VARIOUS ASPECTS OF LIFE.
Furthermore, and unfortunately, some Africans tend to resist public Enlightenment campaigns with negative responses that tend to discourage those who are making the efforts. Sadly, the negative responses to Public Enlightenment campaigns is more prevalent when issues of tribal or ethnic and religious differences are involved, meeeeeeeen!!!
