Xenophobia & Racism in the month of love

By: Naa Adzoa Adzeley Boi-Dsane


February is often thought to be the month of love but is it not ironic that it was within this same month that Xenophobic attacks resurfaced in South Africa?

Is the love the world seems to portray only a mirage/facade?

Any person who decides to hate another individual to the extent of wanting to kill him or her either because of skin colour or the fact that he or she is a foreigner has a big problem. As a matter of fact, anyone who would want to kill someone for any reason must be checked. So it surprises me how a person can look into the eyes of another human being and stab him or her with a knife. Sadly, this is not a joke. That was the story of Emmanuel Sithole and many others (in 2015) who were either stabbed or burned to death simply because another person felt threatened by their presence with the flimsy excuse of foreigners taking over their jobs and economy. On the other hand, a 2015 study conducted by the University of Cape Town revealed that foreigners rather make major contributions to the South African economy by paying rent and providing jobs.

So tell me, is it okay to have a day/month set aside for love yet the world is still full of hate, racism and xenophobia? Do we but kid ourselves when we decide to turn a blind eye to such issues as the world continues to move on as though the black race or the rights of foreigners are irrelevant? Are we comfortable going to church (or our various places of worship) in one moment and then turn to literally stab our neighbor in the back while walking across the street?

It is often said that the first solution to a problem is understanding the root of the problem. I have tried so hard to see through these racist and xenophobic attacks but no matter how I look at it, it just does not make any sense.

In as much as it is so hard to solve a deeply rooted problem such as this, I think it is very necessary to speak, do whatever we can to stop it and not just fold our arms because the situation may seem hopeless.

When I read about the abolishment of slavery, I thanked my stars that such a barbaric act was put to an end. Just when I thought it was all over, equally terrible crimes against humanity came along - racism and xenophobia.


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