35. The War Against Intellectuals
Nguema was shrewd, but he had never been what you would call smart – especially not book smart. That left him with an inferiority complex when it came to those better educated than himself. So he declared war on them. Formal education was abolished, all libraries were closed, and the word “intellectual” was banned. All teachers he could get his hands on, and every current and former education minister were killed.
All forms of media, from newspapers to radio to TV, were banned. Western medicine was prohibited as being anti-African, and witch doctors were used instead to treat the sick. Nguema’s anti-intellectual pursuits extended to murdering people who wore eyeglasses, because wearing eyeglasses was associated with intellectuals. Even shoes were eventually associated with intellectuals, and banned. At the end of Nguema’s rule, only 6 intellectuals were still alive in Equatorial Guinea: 2 doctors, and 4 technical school graduates.
