| Author | Subject: Re: African-American's eager to Return and technology transfer |
| Lee O. Kareem | Posted At 15:10:28 03/24/2002
Carol: The hostility as demonstrated to you by some Nigerians in Nigeria was very unfortunate, but not unique. I experienced worse at the hands of Black Americans when I came to the US in the late '70's as a student, after 2 years in Brussels, Belgium. As a Nigerian, I regret the behavior of a few Nigerians towards you, but I am very proud of your contribution to the Nation during your stay. I would hope that you consider the positive effects of your work at the Colleges, your newspaper articles and your work that formed the basis of 'War Against Indiscipline'. The influence of your work in Nigeria may be more significant to the Nigerian polity than you could now imagine. Many Nigerians live their entire lives without contributing anything close to what you accomplished during your stay in Nigeria. The influence of these pieces of work far exceed any insensitive remarks expressed by a few ignorant Nigerians. What is so encourgaging about your comment is that inspite of your unpleasant experience in Nigeria, you are still determined to give back to Africa in terms of technology transfer. Technology Transfer is one avenue that I believe that Africa can minimize the technology gap between the western world and the so called developing countries. Now that Nigeria has returned to democracy albeit a shaky one, the climate as I experienced it during a 1999 visit to Nigeria after the Presidential election and just before the democratic take-over, was very promising, and based on current observations, very encouraging to technology transfer. I hope you would reconsider and encourage your husband in his textile initiative for Africa, and I am hoping that he would pick Nigeria. I would be honored to work with you to make your collective dream a reality in Nigeria. I would therefore suggest that you give Nigeria a second look. From my own experience growing up in the Southwestern Nigeria, we felt a certain kind of kinship with Black Americans visitng Nigeria. We saw them as descendants of our 'stolen cousins' returning home. Anyone in doubt ought to visit Badagry (about 45 miles west of Lagos) and relics of the slave trade. In the South, people would still fight and argue with you, but as a family member, not as a 'second class citizen'. So please come back home; we will welcome your entire family to Southern Nigeria with open arms. Who knows? We may even be distant relatives! Won't that be nice? Best wishes, Lee |