XENOPHOBIA: WHO IS TO BE BLAMED?



The past couple of weeks have been heart breaking and jaw dropping all around the world as the news of xenophobic attacks in South Africa proved that black history is dying and the struggles of all African heroes who fought for the liberation and unity of Africa is going down the drain. Xenophobia, which I consider a cousin to racism, is the dislike of citizens from another country or region. However, a lot of people around are looking at this from the point of a physical struggle but which is not the case. Xenophobia is an ideological struggle, which dates back years if not centuries. 

Dating back to the apartheid, South Africans have always lived with the ideology of, "they are not Africans" and that, "being a part of the Great African Continent is just a geographical miss happening". Reading Conversation With
Myself (Pg80) by Nelson Mandela , I stumbled on this very interesting conversation between Mandela and Richard Stengel. During which, Stengel asked a question. It didn't make much sense at first sight, but if the dots were to be connected backwards, they would connect perfectly with the xenophobia attacks. The question went thus and I quote 

"STENGEL: But the story where the chief [Albert Luthuli] asked you why you hadn't consulted him about, about the formation of MK, was that on this trip or was that when you returned from Africa?"

Looking at it from this perspective, I wouldn’t blame the South Africans for their reactions. An ideology is never changed over night. I would blame their leadership system for ignoring to revert this ideology in their nation. 

Notwithstanding, there is a second twist to this story. It is the part where the South Africans carrying out these attacks have proven their low knowledge of African History. If and only if they could take a minute to sit down and look back in time, they wouldn't undermine the heroic role many African leaders and states played towards the liberation of African. We though vary in degree are by no means exclusive. South Africans were accommodated in different nations for safety and given jobs to fend for their families. For many who strike today against their fellow brothers are alive because of those they kill. 

Ideological battles are the biggest plaguing the African continent right now. The only difference is, that in South Africa was given a name. From immigrants being tortured in North Africa to the future leaders of our great continent being killed in attacks in the East, to religious battles in Central Africa to the loss of lives and separation of families in the South, Africa is at war with itself. I weep, not for the present generation but the heroes who sacrificed a lot for the present generation. Again and again I weep, not for the present generation but because the only history we will ever write for ourselves, is the history where we turned our backs against ourselves to shake hands with those who put us in this very situation.

If I were a South African, I would live up to the tittle of "A Rainbow Nation" and be a symbol of peace. If I were a South African, I would never honor all the fallen heroes from Muammar Gaddafi to Robert Mugabe who made a decision to tilt destiny in our favor. But since I am only an African, I continue to weep and wait for the day the Rainbow Nation will truly become the rainbow amidst Africa's rain. Everyone is to be blamed. The system is to be blame for not killing this ideology of segregation, the attackers are to be blamed for ignoring our History and the African media must be blamed for little sensitization.

Next PostNewer Post Previous PostOlder Post Home

1 comment:

  1. What is the AU for, Africa as a nation isn't united, Africa as a nation has showed again that she cant fend for herself.This is not the first time something like this is happening, in 2008 not less than 60 foreigners were killed and now the same thing is happening all over again in South Africa.Why aren't African leaders really trying to do something about it, they are quietly seating waiting for the West to once again intervene or come up with some plan or sanction.Half a dozen of them could match to France but yet, something happening in their own nation, we cant see them.This only goes to show how disunited we all are.The point is, we have a council which we don't see, leaders who are like scare crows put there to frighten their own citizens but in reality they cant even move on their own.We all say Africa has to Unite, the same song we have been singing for 'God knows how long' yet when it comes to parasitic ideologies and practices like this, the so called leaders and Unions which we expect to take a stand cant even be seen or heard.What Africa needs is a strong council, leaders who are willing to stand against the tides and do what has to be done, it may seem like just an ideology but it is one which is possible and achievable and till we achieve that, I think our leaders and AU has to be blamed, because if South Africa was sanctioned in 2008 then their government would have done a better work to guarantee the safety of immigrants and that could have acted like a warning to other African countries and prevent a similar incidence from happening in future.

    ReplyDelete