Tanzania is a model of ethnic tolerance and stability with a GDP per capita of US$1 400, it is less than that of Ivory Coast, a country clearly that has no ethnic tolerance. All these thoughts would be disheartening, why the mess?

It is time to be honest with ourselves and accept a thing is a thing, A is A, an orange is just that, an orange and nothing more. Most excuses in Africa are usually the same, I found it like this, they are doing it why can’t I? What are you going to do? Firstly if you find dirt in your home, do you not usually try and clean it, one does not say I found it like this and goes to bed in dirt. They are doing it, why can’t I, well then everybody will aspire to be a thief, everybody joins a political party in order to steal, if they do not get the chance they blame the corruption on the ruling elite only because they did not get the chance to steal. We must question ourselves, then we can question the world.

A society willing to question itself and look for solutions is a society beginning to respect the mind, it is moving away from mysticism, it is hoping in the faculties of the human, not hoping in the unknown of the esoteric, calling it African science like Nigerians, making up excuses for failing in real science, being known only for fraud around the world, fraud implying lies and deceit. Science is not a lie, a thing is, you cannot claim something is without proving it is, real science knows and improves on the tangible knowledge base, fraud is just that hot air, learnt from leaders who themselves are fraudsters.

All humans who do not accept mysticism want to build societies that respect the citizenry. You cannot expect Mugabe who believes that refined diesel can come from a rock, you cannot expect him to build a society that respects human beings, because to respect human beings is to respect their minds, not understanding that diesel must be refined, a technique discovered by a human mind, but believing it can be wished is to hate the human being, because one cannot appreciate that things are created. The pirate not understanding that goods are created goes and robs ships of the coast of Africa, not believing that they are capable of making those very goods, and those ships will carry the products of their mind across the world.

Africans must not fear what makes the grass green, it takes disciplined mind to answer the question what makes the grass green. It takes a progressive society to appreciate people who want to answer the question what makes the grass green. A progressive society questions things, from politics, to constitutions, to science, and to the arts.

Mystic

If one answers the question that the grass is green because, God, nature, the spirit made it so and it can not be known, that one is a mystic and a dangerous person if ever they are put in charge of anything, such people can justify genocide, can justify racism, justify looting, God made it so it is the way of the world. To answer the question why the grass is green, and one says the grass is green because of special cells that plants use to create organic compounds from water and carbon dioxide, then that person believes in a better future for all mankind, that man believes in the progression of society.

Is there a point to this, half of Africa cannot feed itself, yet the science for improving food is taking place far away from Africa, Aids ravages Africa, yet the research takes place half a world away, Africans even protest that the medicine is too expensive, well have proper societies that want to progress and the medicine will be created in Africa, a mind is just a mind, no matter what whites tell you, all societies that respect the mind can find solutions to the crises that they face. A society must let a man discover the truth, otherwise that society is built on mysticism.

Societies that seek the truth are enduring, for they do not exist for today, but for tomorrow. Mubarak, Mobuto, these are people who lived for the moment, that is why they robbed their people, that is why the West liked them, a society that respects knowledge thinks about its future, that society is not a fraud, that society will not be run by fraudsters.

Let us not fear knowledge, any knowledge, let us not fear to ask the question why is the grass green and really dig into it. Is it important? Yes one day with enough discipline and patience we will know the workings of plants, we will not have to genetically interfere with plants to increase food sources, we will find a way to mimic plants and mix carbon dioxide and water in factories and have artificial photosynthesis, and there the world is fed and environmental degradation stops. Knowledge is built upon knowledge.

Respecting knowledge is about not doing things our forefathers did it, or even our fathers if there is a better way, but if our forefathers can not be improved upon, do not change something for the sake of it. Hiding behind that is the way I found it just will not cut it anymore, we need to ask why is the grass green, we need to ask what society best allows people to investigate the reasons for the grass being green.

*A knowledge economist residing in Canada and author of book “Fundamental Theory of Knowledge” that can be found at www.lulu.com He can be contacted at bhekukhumalo@gmail.com