Turkey have never been colonised but still...

I had some very interesting experiences at Akhawayn today. The following conversations and discussions took place during the orientation programme organised for new faculty members.

After the introduction of Akhawayn University's organisational chart, which was presented by a fluent English speaker Moroccan lady(the tallest Moroccon lady I have met so far but don't worry shorter than me or my sister Bilge), the geography and history of Morocco was explained by an American. I would certainly prefer to hear Moroccon history from a local professor and the AUI organisation from an American.

Anyways, the most striking of all was a Moroccan professor who said he was teaching his students to think like an American because "like it or not", he said, "USA is currently the most powerful nation in the world". I should perhaps, explain what this Moroccan professor meant by saying "American way of thinking" a bit more. According to this professor, this, so-called "American-way-of-thinking" includes students expressing themselves explicitly and clearly. He said the students can not express themselves clearly because of the verbal cultural tradition of Morocco and should be tolerated by the new faculty until they get used to American way of thinking.

I beg your pardon?! I was taught all educated people should express themselves clearly, in writing or in spoken language! If moroccon youth can't, that is not a cultural characteristic of your nation but simply shows that you have uneducated youth. And educated people on this planet are not all from North America, if you don't know it. Rumi said it 1000 years ago, "how much you say is how much your listeners understand. ".

I am really sick of this kind of attitude of intellectual people in developing countries (fewer than past but still there are Turkish who fit into this category), that the only way of salvation of their nation is through adapting the values of the technologically developed culture thus emposing their communities that this culture is the sole creator of civilisation.

Come on man, do it for the sake of your country, do it because your people and youth deserve a better education. You have the greatest country with a rich history, and cultural tradition and heritage that US don't have. Do it in your own way, just do not lose your identity by giving false credits to another culture as if they have invented everything.

Lack of education can not be explained as a cultural difference, this is simply finding an excuse for your incompetencies. An inferior person finds excuses, not an equal partner.