Academic Debate - Ghana Style
Reminiscences
The admonition of my first Professor is one that I will carry to my grave: Femi, a university is where you come to unlearn everything that you have learned. Forget all you have seen, been taught, told, or read. You must develop an open and inquisitive mind. You must learn to critically appraise any information you receive, solely on its merits. Most importantly, for you to succeed in life as a student or as a professional, you must learn how to develop the necessary psychological distance whenever you engage in arguments or counter-arguments. Always keep your emotions in check whenever you are engaged in a debate. Integrity is everything. “I don’t know” is a valid answer.
It was later on that l came to read the statement that is generally credited to Buddha about not believing anything unless it accords with your own reasoning. I left the university before I read Fitzgerald’s dictum: The ability to hold and defend two contrary opinions is the hallmark of a genius. I believe it was Aristotle who said that an educated mind should be able to entertain conflicting ideas without accepting them.
Among the reasons I enjoyed listening to the BBC of old (before the insane Woke genitalia-worshipping ideologues destroyed that great institution) is the quality of the debates in their discussion programmes.
Example: A few months ago, a former Chairman of the Conservative Party in the UK was the Guest on HardTalk.
The discussion was on Brexit.
Although the man’s position was diametrically opposed to my own view, his delivery was smooth, and his logic so robust that I found myself rooting for him.
He made eminent sense, even though I totally disagreed with his ideological standpoint.
That, I believe, is the way it should be.
We can contrast this with what goes for “discussions” on our local airwaves, where, it appears, people are not out to engage us with their command of the relevant points but to entertain us with their ability to outdo each other in guttersnipish mud- slinging.
It is quite weird how we conduct debates/discussions in our part of the world!
You raised an issue, and instead of people to critically analyze it and robustly dismiss it with serious counterarguments, they rather will embark on raising totally irrelevant points that are not germane to the issue that is under discussion.
Lacking well-honed debating abilities to engage you in logical gymnastics, they will reach for their rich repertoire of insults, abuses, innuendos, insinuations, and whatnots. They will question not only your sanity (even though they do not have any education in either psychology or psychiatry), but they will raise issues with your parentage and even your nationality.
They will use their considerable experience in mud-slinging and drag you through the gutter leaving you breathless, dazed, confused, and totally disoriented.
Recently a Scholar opined that the quality of the products of Ghanaian Universities is not up to par!
Rather than address this very valid proposition squarely by providing concrete factual evidence that clearly debunks the writer’s assertion, people (including Professors) went to town to denounce the writer’s lack of moderation in language, absence of respect for elders, and lack of cultural etiquette.
Lost in the cacophony of denunciation is the central issue the scholar raised: Ghanaian tertiary institutions do not produce students with the necessary critical thinking abilities and other prerequisites that will allow them to successfully compete in the global marketplace.
How can society expect to make progress when individuals are discouraged from raising critical questions? How can Ghana make progress when scholars cannot discuss issues dispassionately?
How do we expect to lift ourselves when those in charge of affairs are thin-skinned egocentric gerontocratic megalomaniacs, hellbent on maintaining the rotten status quo?
Why should Scholars place their rather fragile egos far above critical analysis of contemporary and very urgent national issues?
Should professors not have, or seek, better employment for their time than to engage in insult fests???
Let Mark Twain help to raise the curtain: “Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
The very fact that some of our university graduates find it necessary to form an Association of Unemployed Graduates demonstrates, very clearly, that our educational system is producing people who are not fit for purpose!
But, can we blame students for lacking the ability to think critically when we have professors who refuse to think outside the box?
What exactly gave our professors authority to huff and puff with ancient pride when we look at the abysmal conditions in our land?
What is there for them to feel proud of when they are producing graduates who cannot solve the basic problems of society?
The fact that after over sixty years of ostensible independence, we still lack the intelligence to feed, clothe and house ourselves decently, shows that we have very badly miseducated ourselves!
Instead of wasting time in massaging bruised fragile egos, our professors should come up with the correct method of imparting the type of knowledge that is necessary to lift us up from our political, social, and economic doldrums!!
©️ Fẹ́mi Akọ́mọláfẹ́
Farmer, Writer, Published Author, and Social Commentator
His latest book, “Africa: a Continent on Bended Knees” is available on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Africa-Continent-Bended-Femi-Akomolafe-ebook/dp/B08FGZNJ5T
On Booknook.store: https://booknook.store/product/africa-a-continent-on-bended-knees/
On Ghana Association of Writers Website: https://www.gaw.org.gh/product/africa-a-continent-on-bended-knees/