Sit Back and Learn From an Intelligent Black Man

As a born and breed African kid, many people are surprised when they meet me. They are surprised by my articulation, and my command of the English language ,bewildered that i know more than the words “give us free” and that i don’t talk like the characters from “The God’s must be crazy”. They are marveled at my exposure ,knowledge of their history and understanding of culture, when they don’t have an inkling on mine. Luckily for me, i have not had the experience that many of my friends have had.When some ignoramuses come up to them and ask if they had pet lions, or lived in trees and wore clothes when they were in Africa, and how they able to learn English.

Africans perhaps more than any other race have suffered stereotypes from Hollywood. For many years movies about Africa have been one dimensional, and portray Africans as limited thinking, quarter illiterate “yes masstah” characters. Heavy caricature ,often imbeciles with no thoughts of their own. When that is not the case they are swinging from trees, or running around half naked in loin cloth, movie like “King Solomon’s Mines” Stereotypes and profiling is one of the reasons that society is still where it is today. The blanketing and general statement in a recent article, that black people do not read is one from which i beg to differ.

There was a recent article on how black people don’t read, now that is as crazy a statement as all Chinese men know Kung Fu. It’s an ignorant , unfounded and unfair generalization . I am in my twenties and for as long as i can remember ,books have been a huge part of my life. I would have to plea guilty as charged if accused of being a book worm. As a child i read book by Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl,Judy Blume and Alan Ahlberg,in my teenage years i moved on to Jeffery Archer and John Grisham as an adult i read both fiction and non fiction ranging from David Balddachi , to Dr Myles Munroe ,Jack Canfield and currently , The Road Less traveled by M Scott Peck.

I am more than just literate, i can intelligently hold my own in virtually any conversation , i may not be an expert , or be broad on the topic , but at least i can make some form of contribution, and i have many friends with that same capability.