Fighting racism and police brutalities, the fundamentals?

The global media over the past 2 weeks is inundated with the death of George Floyd. I have lived and continue to live in the West for a greater part of my active life. One may ask have I experience racism? And the answer is a resounding yes.

My first experience with the police dated back in 2004 when I was stopped and checked by police probably for having what I could guess at that time, double ‘identities’ That is being black and driving nice red golf in my local community which was and remained a predominantly white society. Systemic racism and prejudices are endemic in our societies no doubt about that and are difficult if not impossible to eradicate.

What is happening in the US and across the globe is not new but mimicking what some of us read about during the Civil Rights Movements in the mid-1950s. Nevertheless, I must accept that there has been significant growth, penetration, and tolerance of racial diversities in our societies but a lot remains to be done, we all need to rise up to the challenge.

The tenets of racism and prejudices are similar to tribalism which are pervasive in Africa and should be seen as preserves for bigots and the ‘uneducated’ in societies.

Why is it a difficult puzzle to solve? And can it be solved? Where do we start to tackle this problem?

Can legislation help? I do not think Africans and other minority groups in the diaspora are certainly not calling for new laws to govern us or completing new ways of policing us but are merely asking for a just society where we are all treated equally without any prejudices, a society that we can all coexists without having to think of our colour. There is also something fundamentally not right that creates the environment for racism to flourish.

Racism, tribalism, bigotry, etc are not innate but are nurtured. I do not think kids are borne racist but from societal upbringings. Babies are borne pure with love reflecting the image of God but society is the strongest agent for racism and prejudice.

Again I must admit that younger generations are less prejudiced more receptive to racially diversities. This suggests that a focus on the fundamentals such as curricula, education that celebrates racial and ethnic diversities can bring gains in the long term.

Secondly, I have said it many times, I don’t think racism is only about colour. I love my colour and will not trade in for anything. Of course, black is the most beautiful. However, racism to a greater extent is economic, poverty and fighting racism is linked to economic liberation. It is certainly not a fight only for those in the diaspora but in the entire African continent. We contribute significantly to the problem as agents and actors as manifested in the negative reportage in the media. The endemic corruption, political leadership and the economic enslavement of our own people have not and it is not helping to fight racist prejudices.

We need to rebrand ourselves to the world. It is possible that Africa is the richest continent in the world and we need to make that count based on sound economic policies. Yes the world is indeed a global village and we cannot stop migration but we need to create a ‘home’ of competitive choice where people can live happily and economically empowered. When Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana forwarded that the ‘Black man is capable of managing his own affairs’ is this truly the case based on some of the economic policies we make? Where we still see the west as next to heaven?

The Sub-Sahara African countries, in particular, are lagging behind the rest of the world of course partly because of slavery. Where the best brains and the strongest physically were often the targets. Has this phenomenon changed completely today? Not entirely but we cannot continue to blame our colonial past. Almost all our best brains are lost to the western world and even those with no higher education are seeking greener pastures which sometimes are no-existent. Being academically bright is a requirement to leave the continent. We brand it in the UK here as Skilled labour.

Only those with exceptional talents are welcome, not sure which category should stay home and develop the continent. From personal experience, there is no place like home and we are grateful for some of the opportunities that otherwise would have been absent or difficult to accomplish in Africa. However, there are people out there well accomplished who would love to return and help create this new ‘home’ but the obstacles, the entry barriers they face sometimes are insurmountable? Not all are as crazy and daring.

So, while we protest and ask for justice for George Floyd across the globe including African leaders we need to do some self-examination and reflect on our own setups and existence. Peaceful co-existence, respecting ourselves, fighting tribalism and bigotry, political tolerance, and building a sound economy for the masses are key to fighting global racism, prejudices, and discrimination.

University of Cape Coast