S. Etuk, Ph.D., Award-winning Author of 8 Books and  President,

Emida International Publishers, is angry that people are attacking Ayittey for no reason:
 I have just returned from a trip to Atlanta to find my internet space filled with the materials about Dr. Ayittey.  First, I tried to ignore the pieces, but could not.  Then, I wondered what was your motivation in producing these materials for our consumption.  When I began to read each piece, I discovered that these writeups were partly diatribes against Professor Ayittey which has been going on for sometime.  The whole exercise, to me, is simply disgusting and shameful.  As a wise woman once said: if you have nothing decent to say about someone, learn to keep your mouth shut."  The same should be said of some of our writers.  What baffles me is that there are so many of us attacking one single brother who is striving to make his views public.  The best we can do is to write and publish greater and better rejoinders to his works and views.  But each time I visit a major bookstore and get to the section of books by and for Africans, I become really very sad.  We African intellectuals seem to be great at yabbing at one of us but how many great books and ideas by Africans are competing effectively in the world market?  How many bestsellers each month have we produced?  How many of our ideas and books are competing effectively even in Africa where there is a terrible lack of up-to-date reading materials?  How many Africans can boast of having published not less than twenty books during their professional careers?  It takes a lot of work to achieve that!  And those who are crying for Ayittey's head, why don't you pack your things and go to the wonderful Eldorados in Africa, where your political godfathers are performing wonderfully?  I am sick of this in-fighting when we all should be striving to do our best to lift Africa up?  Not long ago, Ayittey's office was bombed, perhaps, by those who were tired of him.  But is that what we want of this singular man who, at least, is making his views heard in a world of anti-blackness?  Ladies and gentlemen, let us leave Ayittey alone.  The energy and strength spent already onattacking Ayittey could have been better spent in producing a new manuscript. For how long will these diatribes go on?  UNTIL WE GATHER TO BURY AYITTEY? I believe that we intellectuals have other better things to do than what I am seeing.  Leave Ayittey alone, NOW!   Those are actively engaged in the betterment and progress of Africa have no time to engage in useless and profitless blabbering.  There are so many talkers.  Where are the doers?  

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