Knowledge is power!

Think about this: what makes you hold a piece of plastic or metal (called a mobile phone) in a house in Ibadan and speak into it for someone thousands of kilometers away in Europe to hear? Technology? This is a product of research.

 

Yet, in a city in Nigeria, a human being finds a way to make people to be shot with bullets and not get hurt. But we don’t think of how to advance research in that area, develop the technology he has discovered well and commercialize it for military institutions across the world. We call it ayeta and say it is fettish. THIS IS A COMMERCIAL GOLDMINE! Our soldiers can go for wars and shoot without fear of being shot and killed!

What about the ability to disappear and reappear somewhere else? We call it egbe and say it is fettish! Can’t we advance research in that area as well, commercialize it and be the pioneers of the fastest means of transportation across the world? ANOTHER COMMERCIAL GOLDMINE!

 

Good old Sango, a man like you and I found a way to generate electrical power! Potentially the biggest source of electricity out of Africa. Instead of researching into his methods sufficiently, we bow before Sango and assume that what he learnt or discovered is only for him. We lose on the chance to generate electricity to power the country!

 

AFRICA! We celebrate the intelligence of the West and either demonize, criminalize or worship intelligence of our own people.

How on earth do you explain an aeroplane flying? Or an email being sent from here and received miles away? Or a button pressed on a remote control and a device responds? TECHNOLOGY! AND WE HAD IT FIRST!!! But sadly…we have been robbed.

 

If you take away a man’s identity, you have taken away the man!

 

The colonialists robbed us of our wealth (actual and potential), our culture, our heritage, our identity, our resources… everything!

They made us hate our ancestors and all their hardwork and intelligence

They demonized our successes so that we could celebrate what they had to offer.

 

We are Africa!

We are more!

We have always been more!

 

#selah #thinkdifferently #thinkAfricaTechnology #africatechnology #thesanmiabiodun

The Sanmi Abiodun (2020)