Xenophobic or Xenophobia...
#FreeXenophobicSouthAfrica! By Tobenna Obiano.

Only decided to copy an oldd article and reshare here

For very personal reasons, I have refused to join in any discuss relating to the above. I have continued to wait, to clearly understand the people of South Africa who are amongst those causing this mayhem, yet days are running into weeks and I am yet to understand anything, aside silly and crazy behaviour of some careless and useless set of nonentities, nincompoops and never-do-wells.

As much as I can say and from events that had followed, the sad act taking place in South Africa stands for amongst other many ranges of negativities, wrongness, roughness and dastard or inhumane act.

Until now, just like I learnt from history books about Apartheid, it is not until the crazy loothing, arson attacks and brazen murder carried out by some shallow-minded and mostly foolish South Africans that I came to know about the word, Xenophobic.

Now, these two words became new to me. The first, Apartheid was associated with South Africa. Back then, I was a young lad or perhaps still in my plutonic world of ideas and making during those dark ages. I only read about those sad days in history books and the rest through my years of learning in different institutions. I also have watched movie-documentries about the Apartheid regime in South Africa; I have watched 'Serafina' and another on Mandela. I have also grown to update myself about the events leading to and those that followed after that murderous regime.

The second which is now a trending word and one of the mostly used worldover in recent times is Xenophobic/Xenophobia. It is reigning but not in good light, just as the word itself stands for rough style and wrongdoing.

And again, like Apartheid South Africa, we are again confronted with Xenophobic South Africa.

It is rather unfortunate and as well disheartening that this could be happening in South Africa. If any act of discrimination leading to attacks or any of such acts that follow should take place, it could be in any other clime but certainly not South Africa of all places please.

Define South Africa in the easiest term? Simply put; a nation that had seen discrimination, witnessed arson attacks, lost her people to war, cried out to her neighbors for help and her brother-nations offered all logistics needed during the war and even after for peaceful resolution. This same nation has since grown to be bettered by her brother nations, waxing stronger, growing and getting better to becoming outstanding and a home or choice destination of many other Africans. And all of a sudden, by share Providence, outstanding inputs by her immigrants and many more like that from mainly her visitors, it grows to become one of Africa's superpower, they suddenly turn to bite the finger that once fed her. They stand to challenge those who came to their rescue, stood by them and saved them. This is the South Africa of today.

Many may not know that South Africa boosts of only but a meagre population of 50million people in all with her visitors and immigrants constituting a very chunk sum in her population. The economy of South Africa is where it is today because of the large presence of many foreign nationals and immigrants plus the inputs they make in the once war-torn nation.

Ofcourse, the most known, decorated, loved and respected African, an international figure and a global legend of all times, Nelson Madiba Mandela who died only but a few years ago would be rolling in his grave in anger and disgust for the sad turn of events in a nation where he sacrificed his one and all for the betterment of the society than he met it. This was never the dream of the founding fathers of South Africa. Like myself, they would be greatly angered by the misdoings of this mischief makers.

Like the most sold and renowed black author that has ever lived, Prof. Chinua Achebe, the events taking place in South Africa reinvigorates our subconcious and reminds us all about what he had written about in his most sold novel, the turn of events in South Africa roundly signifies that, 'they have cut loose the thread that held us together and things have fallen apart'. This is rather sad!

What is the anger of these individuals? Some of them maintain that foreigners especially Nigerians who live in their country do all the jobs, while their own people live without any job. Some others also insist that those foreign nationals do illegal jobs especially drug trafficking.

It is a two way thing, in as much as I condemn in totality if it did be so, any dealing in illegalites, especially drugs and others that go with it. As for Nigerians and mainly fellow Igbos, let me speak for my Igbo tribe, we are one of the most peripatetic set of people in the world. We manage to live and survive under varying circumstances and places where we do businesses, flourish and develop.

South Africa has a constitition of the land. The nation has it's rules, regulations and generally, a guiding principle. It should be obeyed to finish. We do not necessarily need to take the law into our hands. Killing fellow humans cannever be a way out. Peaceful negotiations and diplomatic ways of solving problems and issues should be adhered to finish at times like this.

Now tell me, how do you manage this sad situation. A roadside thout or 'agbero' or a nonentity who has not gotten even the basic primary of a First School Leaving Certificate or it's equivalent wishes to do the work of a trained Medical Doctor or that of an astute Engineer or perharps become a jury doing the job of a lettered, learned and sound lawyer. And funny enough, when they fail to get it, they shout foul and proclaim that their people are denied opportunities to work in their own land by the presence of foreign nationals. What a dream? Huge one truly.

My anger and rage grows beyond bounds for some of the sort of leaders we parade and in some sad cases, we are proud of. The Royal Father of the Kingdom in xenophobic South Africa who it was alleged, that it was he that first made a divisible remark that brought about these looting, maiming and killings ought to by now forced to resign or forcefully derobed and as well be made to face justice and the full weight and wrath of the law.

As leaders, we all ought to be cautious of pronouncements that we make and be ready to face the consequence or consequences that follow our every act or take.

We also in recent times had such quite apologetic, disheartening and ungentlemanly experience here in Nigeria just a week before Governorship elections. It was Oba Akiolu, the Oba of Lagos who was out to near-forcefully insist and as well persist that people of other tribe even against their own will and wish, to vote his own choice of candidate as Governor of Lagos State even against their own choice of candidate. He threatened as it was alleged, to drown them all at the lagoon should they go against his choice.

Imagine a world, this sort of world. South African's are thesame people who would shout to heavens in rage, promising to let loose thunder and fire on any white man or woman that stands on their way to success, achievements or self-actualization. They manage to abuse, curse and at most hit down the statue of a white fellow, yet they become completely helpless, hapless and totalling incapacitated when confronted one-on-one with a real white dude. These fools return back to second class citizens in their own land. They lack their former push, zeal and force, yet they loot from the outlets of their fellow Africans, they go ahead beating them, while some crazy others go as far as maiming and killing fellow Africans or dark-skinned fellows at the slightest provocative instance. What a world?

I have some friends who live and do very clean and sane jobs in South Africa. I have called them on severally occassions and they continue to share the sad experience with me, while pleading that I and many others keep remembering them in our prayers and as well, that I should make inputs especially through writing. Ofcourse, I have continued to pray for them and for peace in the rest of our world. And so today, I haken to their call. I write for them. I share in this moment of great complexity, harshness and unfortunate turn of events in the very negative. Just like it is to them, I too feel terribly hurt by the happenings in South Africa, the looting, torture, maiming and killing. Those are totally uncalled for.

I read yesternight that the Nigerian Ambassador to South Africa had been recalled back to Nigeria. I had met with this light complexioned lady once at one of Anambra State Governement owned office with another Ambassador. From our discuss at that short unplanned meeting, she is a strongwilled lady who also is full of energy. I know she had played a leading integral role to the management of the events that follow for a peaceful and violence free resolution for the betterment of Nigerians and other foreign Nationals in that nation.

At this juncture, it is pertinent to quickly appreciate somany other sane, sound and very smart South African's who like us all are saddened by the events taking place in their nation. These amongst others are mainly many people who have spoken out for restoration of sanity and peace to the nation. Some of them have lined the streets with placards and banners pleading for an immediate end to Xenophobia, insisting that South Africans are not xenophobic in nature.

These great ladies and gentlemen are those who really understand the take of peace in our society and our world generally. They are real patriots. They are those who clearly understand that we are all brothers, we are blacks and we can prosper collectively as a united front than individually or divisibly fail. I thank these class of persons for their persistence, their insistence, their courage, their faith, their strongwill, their unparalled commitment, their outstanding inputs and for giving in their voices, energy and time for peace and perfect peace to return to South Africa and in all the world over.

I pay tribute to those who have been murdered because of this. I commiserate directly with their families, friends and loved ones. They died that we might live and an end of xenophobia would be in their memory and last with us all for the rest of our lifetimes. I share in the pains of those who have been beaten, tortured, injured, molested, looted-from and abused by these crazy persons. It is sad, but these wounds of yours, especially souls lost would go a long way, just like in the choice of a hit track of South African/American star and King of Pop Music Late. Micheal Jackson to 'Heal our world and make it a better place'.

I join my voice to that of many others, mainly those of men and women of goodwill who had stood their grounds insisting, pleading and praying for a free-xenophobic South Africa. This dastard act is criminal, it is evil and it is murderous. It should be totally condemned by one and all.

Let us all join our voices to pray for South Africa to be freed. Unfortunately, criminals have taken this unfortunate turn of events as an avenue to perfect their ground plans and exhibit their criminal-minded tendencies: looting, arson attacks, rape, abuse and murder their preys.

Let's Join In This One.
#FreeXenophobicSouthAfrica!
Let us sow Peace.

Happy Sunday world...

Tobenna Obiano