Musings On Current Events In Africa: Xenophobia, Tribalism...
I remember the day i watched Sarafina. A week earlier, I had watched a documentary about the Rwanda genocide and last month, i read the ‘Ghost of Leopold’ about the Congo. I am African, Nigerian to be specific. I was born and raised in Lagos state before moving to the US at 17. That afternoon in the summer, i watched Sarafina in my apartment with four friends. Three of them are Nigerians and one is Ghanaian. We all stared at the screen, chest tight and tears hiding in the inner corners of our eyes preparing to drop. One friend grounded her teeth, one paced the living room restlessly, the other one sat silently like a ticking bomb about to explode with rage and the last one clenched her fist to imitate the black power symbol and sang “freedom is coming’ as if it was her country’s national anthem. We knew about European colonization of Africa and the fight for independence in the 50s and 60s; but we just couldn’t wrap our heads around the realization that apartheid did not end until 1994. 1994? I was born in 1992. Recently, the Oba (King) of Lagos state was recorded threatening the security of Igbos (a major ethnic group in Nigeria) that reside in Lagos state, ordering them to vote for his preferred Lagos state governorship candidate or face terrible consequences. About two weeks after that, the King of the Zulu nation in South Africa accused foreigners of looking down on locals and ordered them to go back to their countries. The killing of five foreigners and attack on the shops of African and Asian migrants ensued. These two incidents occurred in the same month of the Garissa University massacre in Kenya leaving 147 students dead and the one year remembrance of over 200 school girls abducted by Boko haram in Nigeria and yet to be found. I followed the responses carefully and i was intrigued by the different reactions by Africans on Twitter. #IamNigerian #147notjustanumber #saynotoxenophobia #bringbackourgirls -these hashtags were the popular responses to each incident. #iamnigeria was the hashtag Nigerians of different ethnic backgrounds used to denounce the bigoted statement made by the Oba of Lagos. They rejected tribalism and affirmed their national pride. #147notjustanumber was used by concerned people all over the world especially Kenyans to humanize the victims of the Garrisa University massacre by sharing pictures and information about their lives and ambitions. #SaynotoXenophobia was used by Africans to express their disappointment in black South Africa and to rebuke the actions by those who have internalized hatred and intolerance toward their fellow Africans and other foreigners. #bringbackourgirls was used to remember the school girls abducted in Chibok. People expressed their disappointment in the Nigerian government for its failure to provide security for its most vulnerable citizens. They also ignited hope that the girls will be found safely and reunited with their families. Social media has changed the way we react to everyday events and news. Africans have been using Twitter as a platform to demystify the perception of us as voiceless and helpless people waiting to be saved by Western saviors. It is heartbreaking to watch this generation of post-apartheid South Africa struggle with high rate of unemployment, extreme poverty, income inequality, poor education and more. In creating a rainbow nation, did black South Africa get left out of the arc? The children of Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and Steve Biko. This is the country where the African Union was launched. What happened to the spirit of unity and solidarity between all Africans? I am horrified at the graphic pictures of the victims of this attack. It will be a lazy attempt to blame the King of the Zulu nation for inciting such horror without looking into the historical relationship between black South Africans and other Africans. It is important to note that other Africans have complained about experiencing micro-aggressions from South Africans. You often hear 'Black SA's hate Nigerians 'Black SA's hate Somalis'. We disregard this as benign and fail to address prejudice and intolerance posing threat to humanity. During the apartheid era, Nigeria and other African countries were influential in the liberation of black South Africans against white-rule and in the economic development of South Africans post-apartheid. Somewhere, somehow in the years that followed, South Africa became alienated from the rest of Africa and did not see itself as part of the continent. The relationship between South Africans and 'foreigners' deteriorated as well. Distrust & Intolerance brewed. These foreigners became the scapegoat. This situation is still ongoing and it is hard to watch. The movies, books and documentaries recording our history as Africans are like mirrors reflecting ourselves just as we are. I hope we can watch Sarafina or read the ghost of Leopold and understand that we have a responsibility to unite, tolerate, heal, learn about each other and make our continent hospitable for the next generations and us.
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