Could Black Africa’s Underdevelopment Be Tied to Genetics or Culture?
Open-ended question:
Did the Transatlantic Slave Trade and colonisation hinder Africa’s development, civilisation, and identity? Well, identity, maybe! But development and civilisation? I don’t think so.
Individually, there have been notable black people who did some one-off stuff here and there. However, most of them were trained in the West. But collectively, black-dominated countries in Africa are the poorest, least developed and least industrialised.
In this video, I want to use data, draw inferences from black countries, and compare them with non-black countries. At BCD, no topic is off-limits, and we have no space for wokism and political correctness.
Main Story:
Every country in Black Africa is underdeveloped and poor, whilst every country in White Europe is not. The average GDP per capita in Africa is $2,000. The whole of West Africa, comprising almost 500 million people, has a GDP of just over $550 billion, which is less than that of a single American, Elon Musk (though GDP is not a measure of a country’s wealth, it’s still worth mentioning). In fact, the country Elon Musk left as a teenager for Canada is now poorer than he is. Africa’s largest economy, South Africa, Musk’s birth country, has a GDP of $426 billion, against Musk’s $680 billion.
Combined West Africa produces or innovates less than Sweden, Norway, or Denmark. Central Africa’s case is almost identical. It makes even less. Imagine a country the size of the DR Congo, which is bigger than Western Europe, and every inch of its land is in the rainforest, with some of the most endowed land known to man. Yet most people live on less than $2 a day. Mark Zuckerberg is almost four times richer than the DR Congo.
The nightmare continues in East Africa. It is just as poor as its cousins in the west and the central part of the doomed continent. It makes nothing, it innovates nothing, and it is full of poor people, multiplying like ants. East Africa makes the data even more shocking. It has two islands off the African mainland that are not poor. Guess what? The two islands are predominantly Asian: Seychelles and Mauritius. So, the blacker the place, the poorer the place. If you are Black and are reading this, are you triggered? Upset? What are you upset about? Tell me in the comments, and I will engage. At BCD, we don’t sell ice creams or project Africa like Wakanda.
Southern Africa is where the myth comes to bear. Before I continue on the region of southern Africa, let’s talk about South Africa. My Black brothers in South Africa are quick to throw insults and attack me and anyone who dares to say that South Africa was built by the White. I mean, really? Did Black South Africans build South Africa? Go on Google and start typing all your cities, streets, and motorways, and tell me which amongst them was designed, planned, and built by the Blacks.
South Africa was so developed and maintained under the White leadership, despite its racial dynamics. Black people have been in charge of the country for three decades; instead of continuing on the already-established foundation, the country has regressed. It is starting to resemble the rest of sub-Saharan Africa. Conversely, European-controlled cities and towns look stable, organised, and safe—why is this the case? The KwaZulu-Natal police chief said that 97% of all crimes were committed by Black South Africans.
Southern Africa is the least populated region in Africa. The myth that Botswana and Namibia are African beacons is so misleading. I think those who have not been to either country would say that. I have been to both countries, and they are just as shitty as the rest of Black Africa. The poverty and slums I saw just 5 kilometres from both central Windhoek and Gaborone were worse than those in West Africa. Namibia is actually more developed than Botswana. Gaborone is terribly underdeveloped, and poverty is wreaking havoc. Elon Musk is now wealthier than the entire region of southern Africa, not just his country of birth.
When Zimbabwe’s white population controlled the economy and country, Zimbabwe was the cleanest and most organised country in Africa. It had a stable economy with prosperous people. Zimbabwe plunged into chaos as soon as the whites lost their grip on the economy. The top five wealthiest ethnic groups in Africa are non-blacks. The European South Africans, European-Namibians, Seychellois, Mauritians, and North African Arabs are, on average, the most affluent ethnic groups on the continent. Do you still think this is an accident? White Africans make up 0.03% of Africa, yet are the richest by far. You can take a guess why; go on! This is BCD; we don’t care about political correctness. You can say it freely here. If YouTube blocks your comment, I will unblock it. I have zero tolerance for wokism and political correctness.
From Nigeria to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania, Kenya, Cameroon, Ghana, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, or Mozambique, there are virtually no inventions, research in STEM fields, industrialisation, production, or governments that are dedicated to educating the next generation of experts. Instead, black African leadership behaves in an almost identically corrupt manner: despotic and authoritarian. I refuse to accept that this is an accident.
There are no poor white countries, and every black country is poor—do you think this is an accident? The poorest white countries in Eastern Europe—Moldova, Albania, and Georgia—are richer and ten times more developed than the richest black countries. The poorest country in the Americas is a black one, Haiti. Haiti has had independence for over 200 years. In fact, independent Singapore didn’t exist for over 100 years before independent Haiti. Can you compare them today?
The two poorest counties in the US are Issaquena County, Mississippi, and Randolph County, Georgia. You can guess their common denominator: they both have a Black majority. This cannot be a coincidence. You hear all the time that Africa has natural resources. Can you guess who discovered them? You guessed right. White people discovered them. White people are the ones mining them. White people are the ones generating the funds and remitting whatever they can to Black Africans. Of course, if you don’t want it, go mine it yourself. Let’s see how well you do, like how well you’ve managed your economies.
By the way, North Africa is the wealthiest region in Africa. I guess you already know why North Africa is more prosperous and more developed than sub-Saharan Africa, except South Africa, which was built by Whites. Schools and universities in Black Africa look worse than animal farms in the West. How do you expect them to produce top engineers, scientists, or technologists? There is almost no research and development in Black Africa. South Korea produces more top-notch engineers, doctors, scientists, and IT professionals than the entire Black African continent. Less than 5% of West and Central Africans are employable to the standards of STEM fields in the West or East Asia.
You reading, black African; yes, you! Take a look around your household and point to anything that was researched, developed, and manufactured in a black country. Do you see any? So what if you were colonised? So what! China was ravaged for centuries. South Korea was invaded and subjected to brutal Japanese rule. Throughout history, stronger powers have subjected weaker ones to brutal domination; this will never stop. Does that mean we should not structure our countries so we can start researching, producing, and regulating our governmental apparatuses to function like those of other races? The transatlantic slave trade and colonisation are no longer excuses; they no longer qualify. Our collective failures are ours to deal with.
We suffer from all types of diseases, yet none of the medications needed to save our dying children was researched, developed, or produced in Africa. For centuries, Black Africans died of malaria. They didn’t even know what was killing them until the European colonisers discovered it. All the medication and treatment that Africans need to stay alive are made outside Africa by non-Africans. No one who lives like this can command respect.
Until the world begins to display products made in Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Tanzania, Angola, and other African nations on their shelves, megastores, high streets, and homes, the Black African will not be respected, and the data will continue to point to a potential intellectual deficiency. Until our institutions are rock solid and transparent and our educational systems are producing space scientists, medical doctors, and other skills based on Black Africa’s research and curriculum without regurgitating already established Western standards, Black Africans will continue to face disrespect, and the data will continue to point to an intellectual deficiency.
Watch the video version on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/2RQgpgHVPOM
By Ikechukwu ORJI
