My great grandfather had no clock but he was always on time. Why? Because, he could tell the time just by looking at the position of the sun. My great grandfather could tell the time just by listening to the sounds of birds and even the croaking voices of frogs. My great grandfather could see even with his eyes closed.
The western world would probably label my great grandfather an "illiterate" just because he did not read and write in English, French, or some other modern language. However, my great grandfather could read and write in a language you and I could only dream of. It is a huge mistake to refer to such a man as an "illiterate".
Most of us the so-called educated men and women of the world today, have clocks in our homes. Some of us even carry wristwatches and cell phones with us yet we are almost always late.
A stupid man is far more dangerous than an atomic bomb. A wise man fears not the weapons of mass destruction but the stupid men operating those weapons.
Stupidity is worse than a nuclear weapon. Stupidity is worse than all the weapons on earth put together. Stupidity is the main reason why some of us lock our doors, and sometimes place short guns beside our beds. Stupidity is the main reason why some of us live in fear. My grandfather once said, "what an elder (a wise man) sees while sitting, a child (or a foolish man) can never see even if he (the child or the foolish man) climbs the tallest mountain in the universe".
Some of us the so-called educated people of the world think we know almost everything, and we try to prove ourselves almost all the time. The sad truth however is that, we know nothing at all. Some of us think we have sharp eyes yet we light candles and switch on light-bulbs anytime the sun goes down.
Education is the key to success and Africa needs quality education if we are to prosper. People need to learn to read and write if they are to survive in today's world. However, we must also know that the world today is full of "educated fools", and those ones are much worse than even the "uneducated". Illiteracy is not just a disease but also a predator that preys mostly on the weak minds of fools. The point I am trying to make here is that, it is great to read and write because that can broaden one's horizons. However, you do not need to read and write in order to know what is right.
Someone made it very clear online a few days ago that religion is the cause of all the problems we face today in the world and he was absolutely right. Why? Because religion today is full of nothing but ignorance, power, money, fame and stupidity. The so-called leaders of the world use religion as a tool to control the masses and the sad thing is that, we the "stupid" men and women of today continue to follow them like "Mary's little lambs".
Right now, innocent women and children are dying like flies in Northern Nigeria. Right now, innocent babies are crying out for help. Right now innocent but weak grandmothers and fathers are crying out to death to come take them for they are sick and tired of running away from stupid and evil men all the days of their lives.
The terrorist group by name Boko Haram, which means "western education is evil", is happy and ready to kill more innocent people for a peace-loving God called Allah. As their name implies, quality education, including peace and tolerance, is a sin in this group, and they believe they are killing for Allah and his holy prophet. This is just an example of how illiteracy destroys our beloved continent Africa.
Boko Haram is an Islamic extremist group and their mission is to destroy every formally educated man. Why? Because, western education, according to what the holy prophet of Allah taught them, is evil and must be destroyed. They celebrate anytime an innocent falls and they believe they are eliminating all the "infidels" ,especially Christians and Jews, for Allah and his holy prophet. The same can be said about other terrorist groups like the Al Shabaab, the ISIS, Al Qaeda, etc. Just take a look at what Al Shabaab has done to Somalia and other East African countries and take a look at what ISIS is doing today in North Africa in countries like Libya and Tunisia. It all comes down to religion, money, lliteracy and ignorance.
Northern Nigeria, the Islam-dominant region of Nigeria, is the poorest part of Nigeria with just few schools and hospitals. Illiteracy is very high in this part of Nigeria yet this group, Boko Haram, is busy destroying the remaining few schools and hospitals and they believe they are doing it for Allah. This is how stupidity destroys Africa. Religion is just a tool these terrorist groups use to operate. However, illiteracy is the root cause and ignorance is what drives several new people to join these terrorist groups every single day.
Many Africans are beginning to see the light. Some parts of Africa are doing great. Some parts have already seen the light and some are seeing the light (take a country like Ghana for example), and we pray many more continue to see the light.
Boko Haram is not fighting for Islam they are fighting for their own interests. Do not insult Islam because of some few groups or individuals. Islam never spread evil but only peace.