Who is talking? But surely, Calestous Juma, what should we (Africans) do about African academics such as you and Florence Wambugu who do not only subscribe to James Watson’s genetic reductionism and determinism. Worse, you appropriate and reconstitute the rhetoric of your patrons (such as Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, multinational co-operations and their stakeholders, US farmers through USAID, etc) whose underlying cultural belief and vision is to exploit or “exterminate all the brutes”? History reminds us that slave trade was successful because some individual Africans collaborated with Western slave traders. The same is true for the success of colonization. If history is anything to go by, it may very well be that some African academics, well exemplified by you and Florence Wambugu, will go down the history book as Africans who collaborated with Western organizations or individuals; in destroying African environment, eco-system or “exterminating all the brutes” through the so-called bioscience. This of course, was executed through empty signifiers such as poverty alleviation and sustainable development, through bioscience. So many nights, I have lost my sleep because of people like you and Wambugu; and not the likes of James Watson. Watson is reciting and enacting deeply ingrained, pre-ceding and collectively agreed conventions in the Western society: about some primordial, pre-social substantive racial essence, which is crucial, if the Western society can continue justifying and legitimating Western abuse and exploitation of Africa. As much, it is critical for sustaining hegemonies of power. Africans who empower, nurture and facilitate this, by appropriating and reconstituting, for our purposes, genetic reductionism and determinism; and/or their patrons rhetoric (as a means for attracting, accessing and maintaining patronage) are, as far as am concerned, more dangerous for Africa, than the likes of James Watson. Just look at the HapMap project (http://www.nature.com/news/2007/071017/full/449762a.html) that is inherently driven by racist goals, couched as a scientific search for truth. And who are these Kenyan and Nigerian scientists participating in this research, as it were, in search for the so-called universal truth? Watson, Putin and Sarkozy's are reciting and enacting learned, instilled, and internalized preexisting conventions in the Western society. African academics subscribing to genetic determinism and reduction; and/or appropriating and reconstituting their patrons’ rhetoric, empower, nurture and facilitate their patrons’ visions. As far as am concerned, we (Africans) are our worst enemies. Africans should pursue science. As much, they should collaborate with Western organizations or individuals. However, science, in particular, scientific and other international collaborations must be informed and guided by wisdom, a sense of responsibility and self-sustenance. Lest we (Africans) forget history and how it shapes present and future beliefs, visions, expectations, and more importantly, hegemonies of power: thought provoking books by writers that includes J. D. Coetzee, Ngugi wa Thiongo and Sven Lindqvist’s should be made compulsory reads in all African High Schools. As a start and as a matter of urgency, we (Africans) should instil the belief, not in the Western God of the Bible or Islam. No, believe in our selves and our limitless abilities—if only we work and think harder. This can only be instilled at home, in schools and institutions of higher education. It is only then, and only then, Africans can confront Western racism, unfairness, exploitation and discrimination. After all, it is not so long ago that Whites were worse than where we are, and were killing each other like nonsense. It is during the last 50 years they have developed and become civilized, so we shouldn’t be so impressed. Sadly, I have met and seen so many African leaders, great scientists and intellectuals who suffer from serious, really, serious inferiority complex in their interactions with White Europeans. This inferiority complex is not natural as the West would want us to believe. It is an effect, a product of institutionalised structures of power arrangements and dynamics, through which Africans learn, internalise or worse, instil at home, school, work places, etc. As long as we fail to believe in ourselves, we will never subvert this power dynamic, let alone develop. Indeed, it is unreasonable to expect people who suffer from inferiority complex to confront the “All Mighty White Men”, of all White men, James Watson. All too often, my Danish fiancée reminds me of a Danish saying that goes; “there is nothing that is so bad that is not good for anything”. Indeed, I have learnt, after 1864 when Denmark lost a big part of its land to Germany and Sweden, Danish leaders, particularly, King Christian IX told the Danish people that, “what is lost outside is won inside”, “for every loss, its replacement is found, what is lost outside, should be won inside”. In King Christian IX spirit, Africans should take Watson, Putin and Sarkozy's insults as a challenge that should drive and fly Africans to greater heights.

Wambui