The front page of the Independent last week
The comment by James Watson boldly displayed on the front page of the Independent newspaper last week that: Africans Are Less Intelligent Than Westerners should serve as a reminder that we need to challenge the legacies of the past.

It seems that nearly everyone - including people of African descent, are only too happy to bury their heads in the sand, to dismiss the notion that we are still affected by the legacies of chattel enslavement and colonization and to buy into the false notion that we live in an equitable world that is mostly free of racism and inequality, yet are the first to become outraged when views like the one expressed by James Watson make it into the public domain.

They jump up and down and complain that no other race would ever be subjected to such insult and ridicule and circulate stories and emails to friends and associates on the internet telling them to write a letter of complaint, sign a petition or something, demanding that the offending person, in this case, James Watson, be fired, ostracised, denounced, etc. But while these passionate protests are being directed at one individual, the systematic process that produced racist theories in the first place goes unchallenged and remains intact until the next time someone else decides to make a similar claim.

In other words, by failing to challenge and hold to account the historical processes that produced these theories, these protestors are complicit in the perpetuation of these theories and it is time that people recognised this. I am by no means suggesting that James Watson should not be challenged as an individual and held to account for his offensive and inaccurate statement - but take down the man and another will follow - we need to take down the system.

It is ironic that whilst the newspapers were busy preparing the story to emblazon the front pages last week - I was busy playing host and facilitator at a debate at the same venue that Watson was due to speak at. The event, Scientific Racism: A History was intended as a wake-up call, that scientific racism sowed the seeds of global white supremacy by using science to divide the human family into separate and unequal races, to institutionalize the concept of white superiority and black inferiority on a biological and intellectual level.

2......The only crime Africans have is that we are too forgiving as a nation. This is why these idiots can have the nerve to say these things. i would like them to say a racist remark like this to jewish people or the Islam nation. There would be a price to pay. Western countries have the best african doctors, engineers who were educated in African countries. We as professionals are contributing greatly to their economy--------------that makes us less intelligent huh. Some times white people have a nerve.

One thing that annoys be is that people who talk like this are everywhere ( some of them are our friends and talk in this manner when their black friends are not around). just as we travel to the west to find jobs they too travel south to find jobs---to make a lot of money and screw the countries ---this side of things is not talked about.

3.....Nobel-winner Watson quits lab after controversial race remarks

NEW YORK - James Watson, famous for DNA research but widely condemned for recent comments about intelligence levels among blacks, retired Thursday from his post at a prestigious research institution.

Watson, 79, and the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York announced his departure a week after the lab suspended him. He was chancellor of the institution, and his retirement took effect immediately.

Watson shared a Nobel Prize with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins in 1962 for co-discovering the structure of the DNA molecule. He is one of America's most prominent scientists.

In his statement Thursday, Watson said that because of his age, his retirement was "more than overdue. The circumstances in which this transfer is occurring, however, are not those which I could ever have anticipated or desired."

Watson, who has a long history of making provocative statements, ran into trouble last week for remarks he made in the Sunday Times Magazine of London. A profile quoted him as saying that he's "inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa" because "all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours - whereas all the testing says not really."

He said that while he hopes everyone is equal, "people who have to deal with black employees find this is not true." He also said people should not be discriminated against because of their color, adding that "there are many people of color who are very talented."

Watson later apologized. But by then, London's Science Museum had canceled a sold-out lecture Watson was to give there, and London's mayor had branded the comments "racist propaganda."

In the United States, the Federation of American Scientists said Watson was promoting "personal prejudices that are racist, vicious and unsupported by science." And the Cold Spring Harbor lab said its board and administration "vehemently disagree with these statements and are bewildered and saddened if he indeed made such comments."

The lab suspended Watson's administrative duties last Thursday.

Watson had served at the lab for nearly 40 years, having been named director in 1968. He was its president from 1994 to 2003.

4.......Deborah Gabriel is my fav. I like what she says because I have identified bravery and resolve in this woman, more than in many people I know.

one thing I believe is she has become a believer. once upon a time I used to post bits and pieces to them. once, they published one of my articles and the next few days were dealing with hacking assaults on their website, and I think even attacks in their own personal lives.

this kind of thing has been happening in my life for a long time, with various websites, for example Africaonline.com, tbwt.org, allafrica.com, etc.

what these other websites did was to make distance with the one causing them to be attacked, to save their rear ends, whereas what blackbritain did was the exact opposite, which is what conscious people do because they realize taking the other option is not a mere cope out, it is supporting the very people whose agenda means your demise.

i'll take my hat off to her anytime, maybe even bow, depending on my mood. she, and the crew at blackbritain, are my heros.

sad thing about this is it takes actual evidence of something happening to someone for someone to become a believer. my question to all is: how in heaven's name to you discount as delusion a grown, coherent man's tale of what is happening to him? this is a grown person who is telling you these things are happening and you refuse to believe him? on account of what?

anyway... slowly, we will get there, and hopefully our children will not have to face the devil head on as I and so many other black people do. hopefully we will learn where we are being outwitted, where the game is being played out on us.

5......Lisa: I can see why Dr. Watson said what he said and I think you are to blame for why he stated it. He only referred to Africans so perhaps, he was only really talking about you and not black Americans, Carribbeans,e tc.


You Africans are so competitive and viscious and nasty - that you favor these sorts of stereotypes when they are seemingly are only directed at black Americans, Carribeans. i. e. Look at Mukolwe's use of the term "akata" or "wench" or Fitty Ngwee's use of the term "nappy headed ho" and his admiration for Imus.

You admire the white man even after HE has oppressed your continent with your own invitation and help. You denigrate black Americans and others simply because they were the victims of white and African racists. You come to America - not because are the best and the brightest as you state - with regard to your doctors and engineers - but because you admire the white man and to a certain extent - do want to be his puppet, his worker, and his "nappy headed Ho". When the White man gives you a job - you SWEAR that you are better than black Americans even though your Countries that you RULE are in a shambles. You swear that the white man wants the best and brightest - but he does not - he wants a worker - a Sambo - a willing slave
-a white man's bitch - and a nappy headed ho like Fitty Ngwee.

You Zambians will come to the US and the West because you are failures in your own land - do not know how to Rule yourselves and your country, do not produce anything or any knowledge - and you want the white man to give you a job.

You do and say anything and even support and do and say anything - even and especially if it is untruthful, dishonest, and racist - because you want to climb the white man's corporate ladder rather than own your own - and you want to feel superior.

You obviously are looking for the white man's approval - or else we would not have so many of your "doctors" and others coming here to the US looking for a job

So you see, Lisa - you are part of the problem. You see yourself in compettion with Black Americans and Carribeans - that you support these racist ideologies when you privelages you vis a vis black Americans and Carribeans.

Mr. Watson is simply uttering the propaganda that many of you like Mukolwe, Kolykolo and Fitty Ngwee spew.

I don't support Mr. Watson's idea that Africans are genetically inferior and dumb.

Hwoever, I do think that Mukolwe and Fitty Ngwee and many racist Zambians are dumb - because of what they've failed to produce and acheive and score.

You need to impress the world with actual knowledge production and actual acheivements and with what you've built - rather than with what you've tried to destroy.

Right now - we look at your countries and have seen how you have failed to build them and in fact destroyed them - and we see how many of you Africans like Mukolowe and Fitty Ngwee - have no productive capacity but are very negative and are destroyers rather than builders.

6.......I really do not want to turn this into another African american vs Africa debat!!! My defending Africans is one aspect. I have met many educated intelligent African Americans as well. An This man attacked every BLACK person and as one of the many black scientists who is pretty good in their fields, he is talking crap.. Its pure racism.

You know I have been coming on this web because its nice to hear other people's point of view. We have always had different opinions and it has been interesting, Do not take this the wrong way but you keep bringing up the African-black American issue. You are very angry!!!!You seem to have had a bad experience with Africans that have come your way. instead of being on the defensive all the time, maybe try to chat to us, get to know us. its a great website. I have lived in my country and all over the world and have met people from different backgrounds (including African Americans) and races. I can say am blessed to have the opportunity to learn so much from most people. I have deep respect for different cultures and way of living.

i seem to get the feeling you are on the site to tell us how low we are compared to you African-Americans just because you had a bad experience with a few Africans. If that is the case, please just sign out of the website and allow us to carry on with this site the way its been for years. I truelly wish you peace and may God bless you.