By Takura Zhangazha*
So in the American (USA) presidential campaign that is underway in
2024, there have been multiple racist overtones from the Republican candidate,
Donald Trump and his vice president nominee, JD Vance. They have both ridiculously argued that
Haitian immigrants are stealing cats and dogs to eat in a town called
Springfield, Ohio.
The local mayor has dismissed these claims as unfounded and
therefore false. But the Republican campaign
team has continued with the narrative as the USA presidential campaign has
continued.
In the United Kingdom, even after the Labour party’s recent electoral victory there were also anti-immigrant
riots in Rotherham which peaked with an attempt to ransack an asylum seekers
hotel in the same city.
In other European countries elections and other political processes have seen the rise of immigration and of course race as big electoral issues. Not necessarily
against Ukrainians but with implied and alleged bias against immigrants of
colour. Especially where it concerns the
illegal immigration across the English/French channel and also the awkward
Rwanda repatriation plan for asylum seekers.
What is however apparent as a result of this is that a lot
of Western European and North American societies are fixated on immigration,
race and racist narratives of where their societies are at.
Even as they seek to recruit people from Africa, Asia and South America to come and undertake social care and health work in their
societies.
In this, the striking irony is the politicized nature of
these global north societies and their perceptions of immigrants, voting and prioritization of
the protection of Israel in the ongoing genocide in Palestine.
And also newfound censorships of social media accounts that
are deemed to be not in line with their various governments key foreign and domestic
policy positions. (A very popular platform AfricanStream has been banned from Youtube, Facebook and Instagram)
As an African living in Africa, these issues should be relatively
distant from my own consciousness. But
because we are all invariably connected to the great African Diaspora in the
global north, we still have to debate these developments as objectively as we
possibly can.
And a key starting point is to acknowledge that the Global
North countries or the Western world as it has been historically referred to by
mainstream media is in what I would consider a societal populist crisis about race relations and racism in its
presentations of its democratic and social set up. The colonial style cultural othering of black
and brown faces is back in full political and electoral vogue in Western,
Eastern Europe and also in North America.
And as Africans we need to contend with this reality whether
we are living there or not. Or at least
advise those that are close to us and sending their remittances back home that
we are aware of their increasingly difficult positioning in societies that have
prominent politicians either accusing them of eating cats and dogs. Or deliberately taking jobs that their own
ordinary people will not do or are under qualified for.
This goes beyond popular movements such as the Black
Lives Matter. This is quite literally
a cultural and historical phenomenon of identity
based nationalism that has multiple conspiracy theories. From arguing that mass migration leads to
changes in which race(s) take control of their societies via electoral numbers crunch
games through to questioning the authenticity of black or brown peoples’ birth
places and right to pursue political leadership.
What is more insidious is the evident subtlety of the racism
as presented by mainstream and social media platforms. Almost as though this were completely
acceptable public interest language and debates.
But hegemony is what it chooses itself to be in its historicity. Yes, racial discrimination was long ended by
the United Nations and concerted struggles of humanity across colour lines but
it now has new populist versions that are sanitized by a gullible mainstream media,
social media corporations, billionaires and exceedingly self-absorbed,
narcissistic political leaders. With the
latter pandering to the reflectively worst forms of xenophobia, racism, gatekeeping and ahistorical assumptions
of radical nationalism.
The point however as an African is not to get angry at these
new but relatively old historical developments. Instead it is better to seek to understand
and debate them in not only their racial but also economic and mimicry
terms.
With the full knowledge that because of ‘mimicry’ and
material desire, a lot of our young African comrades will still continue taking
both legal but often times illegal perilous journeys to the global north.
Now there are many progressive comrades in the global north
who are aware of these developments. And
they are trying their best to mitigate the racism and fighting the corner for
racial equality and justice. Some of
them are even policy makers. But recent
electoral results show their influence to be waning and they with almost
apologetic regret acknowledge this.
Then there are also the African brothers and sisters who tragically
are also part of the racist narrative either telling their black or brown colleagues
to sort their papers and go home. Or how newer immigrants do not deserve to be in the global north unlike them who have
already started families or have been there long duree and acquired either
green-cards or citizenship. All of which
does not change the fact of racism and its multiple end effects where they
are living.
But as a final point, it is evident that the Global North,
while being arguably democratic, has re-emergent serious issues with race, immigration
and racism. At a populist and electoral level that should make every black or brown
person pause and reflect on what is going on there. Or ask questions about how this is increasingly
affecting global politics and international relations.
And for sure, just like they comment on our democratic
credentials in the Global South, we can most certainly comment on their
flailing ones in the Global North.
*Takura Zhangazha writes here in his personal capacity
(takura-zhangazha.blogspot.com)
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