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The current train of hate against Somalis will come to pass, but it is a teachable moment.
Trump recently went on an expletive-filled, foul-mouthed rant about Somalians - and there hasn’t exactly been a lot of backing and solidarity from black/african people. This is worrying, but also presents a teachable moment that might help us deal with similar situations going forward.
I’m not one of those people that believe Africa should unite into one country or have one currency- I believe that there are clear differences between regions in terms of religion, culture and ethnicity and that regional blocks like ECOWAS, Arab League, SADC and EAC therefore make way more sense.
With that being said there is something many a person has realised upon arriving on foreign soil - if you look “black” you will be treated like a black person, with everything that the word means. And it will often be the first and most important category you are placed in, not your religion, level of education, or shade of black.
Meaning allyship and camaraderie with other Africans isn’t even a choice - It is something foisted on you. If you will be forced to take the discrimination and prejudice that comes with the label - It makes sense to partake in some of the few benefits, like having a sizeable bloc to stand behind you in challenging situations.
In my forays on the internet I have noticed that there are two groups whose slurs for “black African” I have come to involuntarily know about - South Africans and Somalians.
Indeed on Somali social media the topic of how somalis are not black/are superior to black people comes up so often that one might be forgiven for thinking it is the biggest issue the community has to grapple with.
It has resulted in the alienation of what should be good relationships in the African diaspora, and the overtures and consistent effort the Somali community has made towards Arab Muslim countries in distress - from Sudan, to Syria, to Palestine seemingly aren’t being reciprocated now that the man in the White House has Somalia on his radar.
When asked why they aren’t offering much support - many in the African diaspora point to outright racism from the Somalian community as being the reason.
While it is shortsighted to assume the actions of a loud minority reflect the opinions of the majority, there has never really been a major effort to condemn or silence the authors of some of these statements.
Trump is Trump, and where it was South Africa last month, Nigeria last week and Somalia yesterday, it will be another African community/ country next and it is only by making use of our power as a bloc and a community that we can ward off attempts to centre us as the targets of abuse and exploitation.
#local
source
Trump recently went on an expletive-filled, foul-mouthed rant about Somalians - and there hasn’t exactly been a lot of backing and solidarity from black/african people. This is worrying, but also presents a teachable moment that might help us deal with similar situations going forward.
I’m not one of those people that believe Africa should unite into one country or have one currency- I believe that there are clear differences between regions in terms of religion, culture and ethnicity and that regional blocks like ECOWAS, Arab League, SADC and EAC therefore make way more sense.
With that being said there is something many a person has realised upon arriving on foreign soil - if you look “black” you will be treated like a black person, with everything that the word means. And it will often be the first and most important category you are placed in, not your religion, level of education, or shade of black.
Meaning allyship and camaraderie with other Africans isn’t even a choice - It is something foisted on you. If you will be forced to take the discrimination and prejudice that comes with the label - It makes sense to partake in some of the few benefits, like having a sizeable bloc to stand behind you in challenging situations.
In my forays on the internet I have noticed that there are two groups whose slurs for “black African” I have come to involuntarily know about - South Africans and Somalians.
Indeed on Somali social media the topic of how somalis are not black/are superior to black people comes up so often that one might be forgiven for thinking it is the biggest issue the community has to grapple with.
It has resulted in the alienation of what should be good relationships in the African diaspora, and the overtures and consistent effort the Somali community has made towards Arab Muslim countries in distress - from Sudan, to Syria, to Palestine seemingly aren’t being reciprocated now that the man in the White House has Somalia on his radar.
When asked why they aren’t offering much support - many in the African diaspora point to outright racism from the Somalian community as being the reason.
While it is shortsighted to assume the actions of a loud minority reflect the opinions of the majority, there has never really been a major effort to condemn or silence the authors of some of these statements.
Trump is Trump, and where it was South Africa last month, Nigeria last week and Somalia yesterday, it will be another African community/ country next and it is only by making use of our power as a bloc and a community that we can ward off attempts to centre us as the targets of abuse and exploitation.
#local
source
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