The absence of media messages in South Africa taking down the story of struggle against Apartheid by Nigeria and other African countries has been linked as part of reasons for the racial intolerance by South Africans against their fellow Africans.
The existence of xenophobia in the former Apartheid enclave suggests that some South Africans are yet to appreciate the roles played by other countries and their nationals in seeing to the end of about 50 years of discrimination against the black South African.
Analysts believe that if there were such media messages and literature on the involvement of African countries on the struggle against Apartheid, the South Africans would have had emotional attachement to their fellow Africans.
During the incaceration of Nelson Mandela between 1964 and 1990, Nigeria joined other willing countries to vigorously fight against Apartheid that ended in 1994. But recently, Nigerian and some other countries’ nationals have been targets of xenophobic attacks by South Africans because, according to some analysts, those attackers don’t have emotional sense of history of how Apartheid was brought to an end.
The recent upsurge in racism hostility in South Africa that started in Durban a few weeks ago targeted citizens of other African countries including foreign owned shops. Nigerian citizens had in the past sustained huge losses under these attacks.
Reacting to the recent attacks, Dayo Elegbe, a communication expert who feels ashamed by this racial intolerance of some South Africans, regrets that xenophobia is worst than Apartheid that ended about 20 years ago.
Elegbe says in addition to education on racial tolerance in South Africa, the people need strong leadership. Their leadership has to come out strong against xenophobia and make it very clear, not only to the people but to the whole world, that it will not tolerate such bad and negative acts any more.
He challenges Nigeria’s leadership to put pressure on the leadership of South Africa to come out strongly on xenophobia, saying “the same thing we accused President Goodluck Jonathan of not being sensitive enough about Chibok girls, Boko Haram and so on that made him lose election in Nigeria is the same thing happening in South African leadership.”
In his reaction, Adedayo Ojo, CEO of Caritas Communication, who demanded for South African stern position on the discrimination, links the situation to the absence of adequate education and socio-cultural awareness among South Africans.
Looking at the age of the attackers, which he says ranges from 18 to 45, Adedayo says if they had adequate education, they would emotionally be connected to their African brothers. However, he says there is also the challenge of economic issue all over the world which is contributing to debasing the humanity and respect people have for humanity.
On consequences of reprisal, the media analyst says it is best imagined and hoped it does not happen, saying “we need jut to work together as Africans to support our African brothers and let them know that this is not right.”
The upsurge in xenophobic violence started in the port city of Durban a few weeks ago, and has angered African countries, many of whose citizens have been targeted.
In its reaction, Zambia’s biggest private radio station Q FM wrote on its Facebook page “it has indefinitely blacked out the playing of South Africa music in protest against xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals taking place in the country.”
In Mozambique, mine and gas workers have been evacuated and a road block has also been reportedly set up near the Ressano Garcia border post with South Africa by a group of people stopping vehicles with South African number plates from entering the country.
Daniel Obi
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