Responding to racist bigotry
Niall Ferguson’s Racist commentary on Ghana Misses the point.
Has anyone ever in Ghana ever heard of someone called Niall Ferguson? No. According to the Daily Telegraph (London), he is a professor of history at Harvard University. That is not all. Recently, this so-called Professor wrote an article which questions his judgement as a professor of history. It is a shameful piece of academic chicanery, racism in its tone and conclusions, and not worthy of print. But it got printed in the racist Daily Telegraph of London.
Entitled “Wearing a red nose for Africa’s corrupt clowns is a bad joke”, Niall Ferguson attacks the whole concept of charity, pegging his piece on so called failures in Ghana. Does he know Ghana at all? The answer is no. Niall Ferguson was referring to Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day (RND). Red Nose Day is held bi-annually to raise founds for good causes in Africa. Through this, Comic Relief has become one the biggest funders of African charity projects. So what was this virtual unknown academic called Nial Feguson saying?
According to this professor of history, Ghana is so poor that it should not spend “$20 million dollars at a time when the average citizen has a daily income of around 67 pence ($1.33)”. He goes on, “You might also ask what exactly has Ghana got to celebrate after 50 years of ‘freedom’.” Professor, i can tell you 50 good reasons why Ghana must celebrate. Not that it will ever make sense to you and other racists elsewhere.
Niall Ferguson’s racist diatribe does not end there. He tries in a sort of very un-academic way, to analyse Ghana. His lack of knowledge about Ghana is so glaring that it is not worth analysing here. For example, he claims that “the National Democratic Congress continues to rule the country.” He also claims that “in virtually every case (Botswana the sole exception), former British colonies in sub-Saharan Africa have fared worse under independence than they did under British rule.” have fared worse. has he ever ventured into an Africa country? I doubt it. But people like do not need to. They feed the racist bigotry which continues to fester in western academic circles. Their thinking is like that of a clonial master, seemingly willing to help the colonised, while raping and mismanaging our resources for the good of the mother country.
The man’s understanding of Kwame Nkrumah is so poor that I wonder what his students can ever learn from someone with such a racist mentality. Students of this professor need liberating from his arrogant, ignorant and obscurantist nonsense. He calls our leaders “knaves” , claims that someone said in 1957 that “the government is in the hands of knaves … in the hands of dupes”. If this is not racist, then I do not know what it is.
The same professor also claims that Nkrumah has a “KGB trained national Security Service” with a huge network of paid informers.” He goes on with his nonsense, claiming that Ghana is suffering from the “trap of bad governance”. Ghana’s problem is “misgovernment”. With such bad professors, no wonder that some of his students will turn out to be CIA spies working to destroy countries like Ghana.
For him to write this at a time when the President of Ghana was visiting the UK, is to say the least an insult. The learned professor does not even bother to learn a little about Ghanaian history, so his piece is littered with historical inaccuracies. The learned professor hates Africa, he hates people and organisations trying to help Africa. He is a racist of the Hitler variety. For his racist and misguided crusade, he uses the Red Nose Day as his peg. For those who do not know, Red Nose day is a hugely popular and respected event organised by Comic Relief in the UK, to raise funds for projects in the UK and Africa. Not just Africa.
The professor even questions our right as a nation to celebrate the 50 years anniversary. Ghanaians do not owe the professor any excuse to celebrate our 50 years.
Whether we (Ghanaians) have achieved anything or not is our own business. As for Africa and its problems, people like Niall Ferguson whom we should be watching. In the payroll of the racist movement, and a wider imperialist conspiracy, they paint a picture of an Africa which no one who knows Africa can ever recognise.
Whatever the professor may think, there are many Africans and Ghanaians who will be grateful for what the people of the UK do through Comic Relief. I know one of the projects this professor dismissed – the African Women’s Support Group – is doing a wonderful job helping unskilled girls to gain skills. Is that so bad?
The professor’s posturing is not only annoying, but also dangerous. People like him make Africa look like a hopeless case. But Africans and friends of Africa know better.
It is important that we challenge this racist mind set being peddled about in the name of academia.
Zaya Yeebo
© May 2007
Note: Niall Fergusson’s article, “Wearing a red nose for Africa’s corrupt clowns is a bad joke” appeared in the Daily Telegraph, London
