Say No To Xenophobia!!!!!!!!

I am in Nigeria at present. People watching and reading the headlines in the global media asking questions...... “How is this possible? You, the political miracle of tolerance and reconciliation?”

It is not an accusation but it hurts deep inside my soul that this is happening in South Africa. So many questions has been asked in my environment; Are South Africans that racist that they turn on fellow Africans who in the past have faced tremendous hardships supporting our struggle against Apartheid? Didn’t many freedom fighters live in exile in countries that were bombed by the apartheid regime in retaliation? How can a country led by the African National Congress (ANC) of the revered icon here, Nelson Mandela, countenance the xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans? Why is it only targeting black fellow Africans?

This made me remember the saying of an icon, someone I call my mentor a well known Political activist "Fela Anikulapo-Kuti" (may his soul rest in peace). 

He said;

"This country is a Gestapo country. How can Nigeria be talking about South Africa. You see, South Africa is better than Nigeria. I know so my brother. We are saying that whites are mistreating blacks in South Africa. Okay, that's bad. That's racizm. They have a reason to do it. In South Africa when they do it, they face criticizm. So, they watch themselves before they do it. But blacks are mistreating blacks in Nigeria. What's the reason? That's worse. Police beat people on the streets like dogs. It is in Nigeria they come to do apartheid committees. Nigeria is   this. Nigeria is  that.  In America, they talk about Nigeria as if Nigeria is the greatest country in Africa. But, Nigeria is the worst country in Africa. The worst things happen in Nigeria. Worst than South Africa.

Am sure wherever he his now,he must be grateful his darling country Nigeria has adopted change ( A new Nigeria). 

I am at a loss. I have no words. Have we reached such a level of broken society that we turn on our own African brothers and sisters? Is our political leadership, and civil society, so dysfunctional that the signs of a failing state are obvious for all to see?

I look back on the last decade and see how the civil battles within political parties in South Africa, especially in the ANC and Cosatu and the broader mass democratic movement have fractured the social cohesion and social capital South Africa had built up in their fight against Apartheid.

No one in South Africa can deny today that there is no crisis. A political and leadership crisis I must say. What is needed now is a powerful political response from all sane South Africans. Every South Africans have to confront xenophobia squarely. But probably they lack the political will.

Leveticus 19:33-34 says;

33 “‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God.

We have to return to the basics. We have to rebuild the robust civil society village by village, township by township, factory by factory, church by church, university by university, and wherever we are living, working, playing. We have to rebuild tolerance and the importance of preserving our cultural, religious, language and gender diversity. We have to speak in one voice against the venom of hate and prejudice on all fronts. But crucially, we need to start a serious work on rebuilding our(Africa) own economy, our education, health and other fundamental services so that the millions of South Africans that are currently languishing in hopeless poverty are not such an easy prey for the prophets of xenophobic hate.

That road is hard. Burning, destroying, breaking down is always much easier than building. But if South Africa is to have a future, we(Africans) need to start re-building lives, relationships, opportunities; we need to rebuild our tattered reputations globally. As I said, that road is hard. But it is the ONLY road.

South Africa, become the pariah of the world again. It would be the biggest betrayal of our political miracle.

#GodBlessAfrica