Could James Watson be right?
I think Watson has every right to be “gloomy” about prospects for Africa but for many more significant reasons than a perceived lack of intelligence. Most of Africa’s current problems stem from having a completely alien social and political order imposed by the various imperial powers with no regard for existing culture, social structure or tribal boundaries. It is barely half a century since most of the imperial powers hastily departed and the new African leaders had to, to use an old metaphor, “put on the white man’s shoes and keep walking”. We (the west, Europeans, call us what you will) have the luxury of being able to judge intelligence and achievement on our own terms and by our own standards. Our brand of social and political order has become the only game in town and you’re either good at it or you’re not. We are good at it because we’ve had several centuries of unhindered practice while Africans are still reading the rules. An analogy might be to imagine the glorious Welsh rug
