Xenophobia, ethnic cleansing, and
“who’s next?”(27 May 2008)
You will have followed the awful
events of the past few weeks. The word most used to describe the carnage that has left
over 50 people dead and displaced tens of thousands of black foreign nationals, is “xenophobia”.
This word does not properly define what is happening. Xenophobia is the fear and hatred of
foreign people. However, frenzied crowds have not only been burning, killing and robbing
those from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and other African countries, but have also turned their
hatred towards anyone who is not “one of them”. South African blacks who are
from other areas, who speak with a different accent, who may have been next-door
neighbours for 10 years but originate from another part of our country, are now being
given the same vicious and violent treatment. This is closer to “ethnic cleansing”.
One asks how is this possible? Where
does this come from and how should we respond?
Firstly, there is a history to
this type of behaviour. Our country’s past has been through many years of different
types of violence. Secret police “hit
squads” could kill “enemies of the state” and laugh around a braai a few
hours later. Township crowds were worked up into a frenzy to burn local people alive with
the “necklace” method because they were accused of being informers. In other
words, violence was an acceptable means of getting what you wanted.
Secondly,
there is a very real economic factor as there is about 40% unemployment. When 3 million
Zimbabweans come into our country (besides
the thousands of others from Mozambique and Francophone countries), poor people, who do
not have the love of Christ, feel threatened and the only method they know to deal with
problems is violence.
Thirdly, the Christian
response is very clear from the Bible. Leaving the politics aside with the questions of
proper immigration laws etc, the Word of God does address every aspect of life in every
generation. This we find in the Old and New Testaments. The people of Israel, for
instance, were told to treat the foreigner with kindness because they too “were once
foreigners” (Exodus 22:21 [New International Version]”Do not mistreat
an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt”). When Jesus was
challenged by a potentially xenophobic question “who is my neighbour”, our Lord
specifically chose a Samaritan because he was a foreigner, one of mixed race, despised by
the Jews of the day.
To “love thy neighbour”
must be our attitude as God’s people. Let us spread this message for it is central to
the Gospel. If the Gospel of Christ’s love does not strongly influence our culture
then the fearful question will be inflicted upon us – who’s next?
CFT’s president, Fano Sibisi
wrote so eloquently on this subject in his newsletter on 24 May 2008:
My dear friends
Unyawo alunampumulo
Citizens with some measure of
patriotism in them hate seeing their country grab the world headlines for all the
wrong reasons.
Many South Africans are shocked
and shamed by the current wave of Black-on-Black violence directed at foreigners from
other African countries.
Whatever the underlying
socio-economic factors are, there is just no justification for assaulting and killing
foreigners; burning them and looting their property. Such barbaric behaviour reminds us of
the ferocious 'animal' within man, which if let loose leaves a trail of havoc behind it.
There is general agreement in
the country that criminal elements are riding the wave (or did they create it?) of
xenophobia for their own ends.
One of my poems is
based on the very descriptive isiZulu word for criminals - izinswelaboya. The
meaning behind 'izinswelaboya' is that criminals are in fact wild animals; all they lack
are hairy skins.
Criminals might feel that being
likened to animals is below their dignity, but watching the current events I am afraid
that animals might feel that being likened to humans is below their dignity.
Amongst the many isiZulu
proverbs that encourage treating strangers well, the one that keeps coming back to me is
"Unyawo alunampumulo." Being told that the foot has no nose sounds somewhat
funny but the truth behind this proverb is a deep one.
Yes, one of the reasons we
should treat strangers well is because we do not know where our foot might take us one
day. Our foot has no nose, so it has no way of smelling out enemy territory. One day, our
foot may take us into the area of someone that we ill-treated before.
On Thursday South Africa's
Public Protector, Mr Lawrence Mushwana, reminded the citizens of this country that our
national soccer team is due to play in Nigeria in the coming weeks. He then asked us
that after the cruel treatment that some Nigerians were subjected to, what kind of
reception do South Africans expect in Nigeria.
As I pondered these things, it
occurred to me that our foot may not take us into the turf of someone we ill-treated
before during our lifetime, but the unavoidable truth is that one day it will land us
before the throne of the Creator of all creation, the Judge of judges and the King of
kings.
Our limited human mind cannot
begin to imagine what it will be like to hear the Lord thunder,
"Verily
I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40)
May God have mercy on South Africa.
May God have mercy on Africa.
Pressing on!
In His love
Fano Sibisi
Tel 032 4815512
Fax 032 481 5507
Cell 083 2650302
E-mail: fano@cft.org.za
Web : www.cft.org.za |
