Xenodochial of xenophobia

The horrific disturbing tales of discrimination and violence in South Africa in the last few days has been shocking and alarming for many. It would seem that the scars of apartheid are evidently obvious in these attacks of hatred and cowardice. In 1994 when South Africa was democratized; rather than decreasing the incidence of crime and xenophobia went on the rise. From the period of 2000 to March 2008 there have been at least 67 people that have been killed due to xenophobic attacks.

Following that, in riots at least 62 people were reported dead. The situation that spiraled out of control forced many foreign embassies to repatriate their citizens out of harm’s way. In 2004 a study was published by the Southern African Migration Project (SAMP) in which it stated, “The ANC government- in its attempts to overcome the divides of the past and build new forms of social cohesion….embarked on an aggressive and inclusive nation- building project. One unanticipated by-product of this project has been a growth in intolerance towards outsiders….Violence against foreign citizens and foreign refugees has become increasingly common and communities are divided by hostility and suspicion.”

This statement was loaded with meaning and was an indicator that xenophobia would darken the future of the country in years to come. From the study, 21% of South Africans favored that there should be a complete ban on foreign entry into the country and 64% favored strict laws and regulations towards foreigners in the country. A good majority of South Africans believed that foreigners are involved in criminal activity; even though there was never evidence of any sort to corroborate this belief. And it follows that because illegal aliens had no legal backing; many were subsequently taken advantage of in terrible ways. Foreigners consistently complained to their embassies about being maltreated especially by the South African police force who were ironically supposed to protect them. In 2013, after three Somali shopkeepers had been stoned to death, the Somali government asked the South African government to put more intensive efforts towards combatting xenophobic attacks. Out of those murdered, two brothers were hacked to death and there was worldwide condemnation of the attacks with demonstrations even in diaspora. Attacks on foreigners in South Africa has apparently been on the rise for so many years. The recent attacks though have culminated to a desperate show of disregard for human life and property.

In the past, attacks had been largely in the suburbs but in April 2015 they spread to Johannesburg. South African locals started attacking foreigner’s properties and businesses while boldly stating that they had more rights because it was their country. Many foreigners fled to police stations fearful for their lives; such was the aggression and venom of the attacks. The government of Malawi began to repatriate their citizens and so did other governments. Close to ten people have been killed and more than 100 people have been arrested in respect to the recent attacks. The cold hearted systematic and brutal way that these attacks have been carried out leaves one to ponder on the fact that while black South Africans are free from the era of apartheid; many are still imprisoned and tormented within their minds and this time it is not the white man that is their captor but the unforgiving state of their economic situation.

The present attacks were said to have been spurred on by a mining company’s decision in the KwaZulu Natal Province in Durban to employ only foreign nationals in its mining site. The Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini was not happy with this since many locals are unemployed. He allegedly told his people that all non- South Africans should “go back to their countries”. This caused many youths to take up arms against black foreigners who they saw as taking their rightful jobs. The shops of foreign nationals were looted including Nigeria, Ghana, Congo, Zimbabwe, Malawi and many others. Rather unfortunately, the President’s son himself is said to have allegedly claimed that the government should desist from accommodating foreign nationals. President Jacob Zuma has publicly condemned the attacks, stating that they go against everything South Africa stands for.

Xenodochial is a word that derives its origins from the Ancient Greek language. It is a highly intellectual definition for being friendly to strangers. The paradox of xenodochial and xenophobia are not lost in this piece. Poor black South Africans should learn lessons from these senseless and meaningless attacks by benefitting intellectually and economically and learning to be xenodochial towards foreign nationals. Though it has been twenty years since the apartheid era ended, the scars of the atrocities committed still remain with its victims. This dark portion of the country’s history remains indelibly etched in many minds. Man’s inhumanity to man has left a legacy of insecurity and violence as seen in the wake of these attacks.

The psychological profile of those responsible for the murders must be in a state of desperation of battling untold demons. Many of the people that attack are poor and unemployed; they must resent the presence of seemingly successful foreign traders with thriving businesses under their very noses on their home soil. Some have witnessed or been told of unimaginable crimes against them or their loved ones. The fact that many youths have grown up with parents afflicted by poverty and mental distress and anxiety must have had quite a negative impact on a generation of South Africans. Though one has to be careful not to generalize the subject of xenophobia in South Africa because for every xenophobic attack, there have been dozens of accounts by foreigners of nationals that have come to the aid of many by shielding them and protecting them and their properties against being attacked. The trauma of apartheid it seems still has its claws around the necks of many which is regrettable for one of the greatest advocates of human rights and oppression is Mahatma Ghandi who though an Indian by blood was raised as a South African. The memory of such great men as Nelson Mandela should not be forgotten and their fight for freedom not tainted by these recent crimes.

A valuable lesson should be learnt from everyone in these recent attacks. The honor of rising above one’s personal torment and poverty to improve, enlighten and counsel oneself about the dangers of harming others and the disturbingly ripple effect it can have on generations to come should be a priority. While it is next to impossible to be happy amidst utmost poverty and unemployment, destroying other lives can cause the certain destruction of oneself like a cancer eating away at the conscience mind. As humans we can strive for perfection that isn’t there but a mere phantom of our imagination. The less privileged in South Africa that took part in the xenophobic attacks and killings should be justly punished by law but at the same time the rest of us should ponder and reflect upon the fact that the problem lies so much deeper than what we see on the surface. Criminals are often the by- products of their environment and circumstances. As a Nigerian I was angered too by attacks on my people who I commend and admire for earning a living and surviving in a foreign land that may not always be welcoming of a different culture or tradition; but my focus had to broadly examine why such horrific acts should have even taken place in modern South Africa, where the euphoria of a promise of a brighter post- Apartheid era has all but disappeared to the reality of decades of a struggling, suffering people. The deaths and attacks of the innocent should not be in vain, rather the xenodochial characteristics that illuminate the goodness in each human being should rise to greater heights deafening the ugly screams of xenophobia.

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