Saturday, April 18, 2015

Of xenophobia, our ignorance and the United States of Africa pipe-dream

Time Magazine from 1985 talks about Black Rage in the context of Apartheid South Africa
Source: Time Magazine
Recent reports of xenophobic attacks in South Africa have left me with a heavy heart. These are not new. After all, violent xenophobic attacks happened back in 2008. The South African government comes across as largely mute except to assure the world that these are not xenophobic attacks but afrophobic in nature. What a relief. In fact, this is the first time I have heard the term 'afrophobic'. Is that actually a thing? 

In the greater scheme of things, xenophobia in South Africa, as it is in other parts of the world and history, is a reflection of harsh economic times, unemployment and growing feelings of marginalization of a given populace. With such resentment comes anger directed against vulnerable groups.

It is curious though that the xenophobic attacks are afro-centered in nature. Where does this deep-seated hatred for fellow Africans stem from? 

I find myself thinking that had I not made the decision to leave the University of Cape Town decades ago for the US, would I still be living in South Africa? Would my "West African" sepia make me vulnerable to these attacks? 

There are abundant comments on Twitter from other Africans outraged that black South Africans have forgotten the sacrifices that other African countries made for their freedom. Such sacrifices seem to have gone sadly undocumented but then a tricky question can be asked; do these past sacrifices warrant an unchecked influx of African immigrants into South Africa? Regardless, the violence and murder are unwarranted.

Despite the accounts of civil servants across Africa having their pay cut for contributions to a South Africa liberation fund (though it is hard to say where exactly this money went), no countries 
suffered more during apartheid than those living in the shadow of apartheid South Africa. These [so-called] Frontline states were Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and also from 1980, Zimbabwe. Many are too young to remember the cross-border raids from South Africa into these countries or the bombs that rocked places like Lusaka. There was also the nefarious involvement of the South African Defense Force in the Mozambican and Angolan civil wars. Let us not get started on the countless South African refugees in Swaziland and other countries. Is such recent history being forgotten or not imparted to new generations?

South African Defense Force of the 1980s on border patrol

In the dying days of apartheid, one thing I (oddly) remember are the reader comments sent to the popular South African magazine You magazine. At the time, there was real panic among some White South Africans that if apartheid ended, they would be forced out of South Africa. For some reason, a lot of readers sent letters saying things like "you (the Blacks of South Africa) are better off than other Africans. At least you have shoes to wear". Although largely inaccurate, these sentiments underlie, perhaps, the great divide that existed between South Africa and the rest of Africa. The apartheid system had ensured minimal education and that Black South Africans knew as little as possible about the rest of Africa. The system perpetuated a myth that the rest of Africa was an utter shambolic, chaotic wasteland and that somehow black South Africans were much better off as second class citizens in their own country. Did this myth perhaps also ingrain feelings of superiority?

Apartheid may have planted the seeds of afrophobia but 20 years have passed since the system collapsed so there must be other factors driving this deep-seated hatred. Does ignorance play a role?
Hang on, as other Africans like myself are perched up on our high horses, how much do we know about other parts of Africa ourselves? For example, how much do West  Africans know about East Africans beyond stereotypes and vice-versa? 

I often tell the story about living between Ghana and Southern African in the 90s: 

People in Ghana would say : "In Southern Africa, do they speak Swahili?"
I would say: "No..."
People in Southern Africa would say: "In Ghana, do they speak Swahili?"
I would say: "No..."

We chide others about being ignorant about the African continent but how knowledgeable are we about it anyway? These thoughts plus the xenophobic attacks and lack of appreciation for history have led me to a larger more troubling question: is the United Africa goal of pan-Africanism no more than a pipe-dream?


Ekow said...

Two decades after the end of apartheid in South Africa, the country may well be harvesting the unholy fruits of that notorious political system and South Africa’s poor present leadership has only augmented this unfortunate aftermath. Minimal education and a combination of poverty and high unemployment can only precursor to high crime rate and 'afrophobic' attacks of the past few years.

This is not a uniquely South African problem. The last recession in the United States saw States like Arizona have pass laws that seek to curb what is perceived as the impact foreigner (mostly Latinos) on their job market.

The irony of the ‘afrophobic’ is certainly not lost on anybody. South Africa was a galvanized rallying cry against White injustice and the beacon of hope for us all. If there is a lesson in the present day predicaments of South Africa it is this; beacons are not keep alight on the mere hopes of men and their dreams. They need to be tended and refueled from time to time and in this regard the government has failed the blacks of South Africa. The hope, effort and optimism we all poured into the dream that was a post apartheid South Africa has slowly ebbed away. It’s sad but never too late to correct course, this will take strong and competent leadership that I sadly don’t think the present leadership can provide. As sad as the present day 'afrophobic' attacks are, should we really be surprised? It’s a perfect storm of neglect and frustration that will play out in the same way almost anywhere else in the world.

Abena Serwaa said...

Thanks for stopping by Ekow. Your sentiments are indeed on point.