Until we put an end to our indifference to the world around us, we will not be able to address falsehoods that fuel xenophobia, writes Azad Essa.
The trouble has started once more. For many, of course, the trouble never really went away. The rise in xenophobic sentiment that has seen foreign nationals attacked, their properties looted and, last weekend, an actual “anti-immigrant” march, has once more showcased the extent to which we are in the midst of social and economic crisis.
There will be many theories, some useful, others rudimentary. You would be familiar with some. For example: in a slowing, useless economy, South Africans struggling with this reality have found a ready scapegoat. Or another: the Department of Home Affairs has remained a poor handler of those who escape poverty, war or persecution and this has brewed a toxic cycle of low-cost wages, criminality and accountability.
These might explain one part of the story.
But there is another. South Africans are fundamentally illiterate about the rest of the world, particularly the African continent.
We have little empathy or understanding about who these “foreigners” are, about what brought them here and how they are merely human beings searching for a better life. As a result, discussions almost always revolve around how to “deal” with the “influx”.
This is neither helpful nor useful.
Our misunderstanding and ignorance serve only to dehumanise them, facilitating our indifference. So much so that there is little interest in affairs north of the Limpopo, unless it relates to making money. Here, think of MTN’s statement last week, calling for an end to xenophobia in a bid to protect its business across the continent. Of course, if MTN cared about people, it would drop data prices instead.
We are insular, self-obsessed and arrogant about our place on the continent. Most South Africans are not aware of the hi-tech developments in Rwanda, or that Mauritius is the easiest country in which to conduct a business on the continent, or that Kenya and Ethiopia and not South Africa are host to the most refugees on the continent.
In this way, many South Africans are no better than the Americans who voted for Donald Trump knowing full well he advocated for a border wall with Mexico, tighter measures on refugees and a ban on Muslims. With our economy faltering and growth deep in the doldrums, it is only a matter of time before a populist comes along and suggests building a wall with Zimbabwe.
Today, we are quick to point out the immorality of apartheid but find ourselves unable to identify other regimes or policies which often replicate a similar type of brutality.
We are willing to describe people as “illegal” even if we know borders are in no way real and that people should never be described as illegitimate.
Borders were built primarily to safeguard the rich and privileged. One does not have to call for the end of borders to know that when man-made borders become a means to prejudice human beings, they become instruments of oppression.
Again, we are in no way better than those upholding fortress Europe, turning away boats from the Middle East and Africa by the thousands.
We are also only willing to take the state’s perspective when it comes to state terror - be it related to the Marikana massacre or elsewhere.
So here, think of Kashmir in 2016: protesters were demanding freedom from India and almost 100 young people were shot down, hundreds more blinded by bird shot pellets. Or think of the accusations of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The South African government would not dare release a statement on the matter.
But if Paris gets bombed or attacked by an agreed-upon terror outfit, we are only too willing to join a chorus of condemnation.
Our Eurocentric approach to the world is evidenced by what we decide to condemn.
And when the South African government does get involved, it is with economic or political interests in mind.
Sure, it is a realist world, but we certainly cannot suggest we are
involved in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Central African Republic for anything other than personal interests.
In the DRC for instance, South Africa is invested in upholding the status quo. According to the Panama papers, President Jacob Zuma’s nephew, Khulubuse Zuma, has a stake in two oil fields in eastern Congo.
But it is not just the government. The myopia is all around. The media would rather chase Trump’s buffoonery than cover developments on the continent that often impact us directly. In so doing, the misunderstandings are rarely challenged and the manner in which our foreign policy may contribute to conflict elsewhere is left undebated. It is even among our activists.
In 2016, students in Malawi launched their own version of #FeesMustFall to tackle proposed fee hikes. The movement in South Africa is known for purported intersectionality between movements and has drawn inspiration from #BlackLivesMatter campaign in the US.
But when The Daily Vox asked activists in South Africa of the connections between the movements, they hadn’t heard of the Malawi chapter.
Until we put an end to our indifference to the world around us, we will not be able to address the litany of falsehoods that fuel xenophobia.
* Essa is a journalist at Al Jazeera. He is also co-founder of The Daily Vox.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.