FOR AFRICANS, THE EXCEPTION IS THE RULE!

Tell an African that smoking is bad for you, the African responds: “My uncle died at 100 despite smoking one pack a day. God’s time is the best.”
A Caucasian responds, “Thank you, I’ll think about it.”

Advise an African to cut down on alcohol because it damages the liver, the African responds: “My grandma lived to 90 years despite drinking a bottle of gin daily. God will take me when He wants.”
A Caucasian says, “Thank you, I’ll definitely cut down on drinking.”

Inform an African to boil unclean water before drinking, the African retorts: “We have been drinking this water for centuries and nobody has died.”
The Caucasian thanks you for the health advice.

Why is the African unwilling and unable to heed to lifesaving advice? The answer lies in deep-seated and probably genetic predisposition to superstition. An African dies after a ten-year struggle with cancer. His obituary reads: “With gratitude to the Almighty, we regret to announce the death of Alhaji Chief Dr. Okokona Otagbude after a brief illness.” Whilst the announcement is being aired or published, there are attempts to find out the perpetrators of the heinous death of the centenarian. In a continent where the average life expectancy is less than 60 years, a centenarian death is still considered a murder.

The next step in some jurisdictions is to bath the dead body and have the suspect drink the bath water. This practice still exists in 2017 amongst the so-called Religionists. It even extends to Africans in the diaspora who still believe that no death is natural but is the result of spells cast by relatives and detractors, thousands of miles away in Africa. The greatest impediment to African development is superstition!