Xenophobia or Afrophobia in South Africa: It is just convenient amnesia

Growing up in Zimbabwe, I vividly remember listening to the soulful music of various South Africans on my grandmother's supersonic gramophone stereo. Yvonne Chaka Chaka's “Umqombothi”, Brenda Fassie's “Weekend Special”, Miriam Makeba's famous “Pata Pata” which was penned by Zimbabwean-born Dorothy Masuku, and so on. I remember Lucky Dube's “Remember Me” being played at my aunt's engagement party in 1990. I also remember Paul Simon's Graceland tour in Zimbabwe in 1987 which featured Hugh Masekela’s hit single “Bring Him Back Home", the song that was to become the anthem for the free Nelson Mandela movement/campaign.

Hugh also became famous for his collaborations with African musicians like Manu Dibango and Fela Kuti and other African crooners from his base in Botswana where he had set up a mobile studio in the early 1980s. Who can forget the sounds of Ray Phiri and Stimela, Jabu Khanyile and his Bayethe and Southern freeway and of course the rich and culturally resonant Zulu lyrics of Ladysmith Black Mambazo?

To be honest, it was only when I was in my early teens that I truly figured that Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Brenda Fassie, Chico, Patricia Majalisa, Lucky Dube or Hugh Masekela were South Africans and not my fellow Zimbabweans. That was the extent of the African brotherhood and awareness that I grew up with.

When Hugh Masekela penned 'Bring Him Home' after being inspired by a letter from Nelson Mandela, he was in Botswana as a guest of the government; so were a lot of other South African exiles scattered all over the world, Africa in particular, like Tsietsi Mashinini who died in 1990 in Guinea, where he and other young South Africans were the guests of the government there. Tsietsi was forced into exile from his native South Africa and left the country for Botswana in 1976, where he lived for few months before he proceeded to West Africa. He enjoyed the hospitality of President Sekou Toure and his people of Guinea, and lived in Nigeria where he was briefly hosted in the presidential guest house in Lagos.

All those years when young Thabo Mbeki was the protégé of the late great OR Tambo and they were criss-crossing the African continent canvassing for support against apartheid, they knew only generosity and kindness from fellow Africans whether they were in Angola, Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Ghana, Ethiopia, Libya etc. The same applied to other ordinary cadres of both the ANC or PAC.

They did not even have South African passports as the apartheid regime had either banned them or declared them prohibited. They were effectively stateless, but thankfully they from time to time would be granted honorary citizenship by their fellow African brothers, and could freely move across the continent and yonder without documentation. They knew infinite generosity and hospitality. Their hosts were not necessarily in great splendour yet they shared the little they had all in the spirit of Ubuntu.

When former president Mbeki embarked on his African Renaissance project, I presumed it was because of his superior insight into the importance of brotherhood, neighbourliness and internationalism that was beyond our understanding as less travelled and less sophisticated beings.

Having spoken about all this, it baffles my mind, how South Africans, or some elements in South Africa, could exhibit such reckless tendencies, harbour such murderous intentions and inflict such horrendous suffering on fellow Africans who are in their midst as either guests or naturalised citizens.

Could it be that our brothers have developed a dangerous case of historical amnesia? Have they forgotten about good old African Ubuntu? Have they forgotten about the legacy of their great leaders like Chief Luthuli, Mandela, OR Tambo, Robert Sobukwe, Desmond Tutu and the others? Men of great virtue and courage who united their people, rallied and marshalled their people through harsh times? Visionaries whose wisdom was beyond their years?

Have South Africans forgotten that an economy as gigantic, diversified, complex and sophisticated as theirs has massive pull effects on both international migration and investment capital? Its history and track record in upholding various tenets of good governance, rule of law, tolerance, etc has become the hallmark and an excellent example of tolerance and forgiveness worldwide.

My question would then be: What has gone wrong? Are our leaders teaching the wrong history to the youth? Is the leadership just reckless? What kind of books are on the school curriculum? Xenophobia or Afrophobia in South Africa, I say, is just convenient amnesia.

I have no doubt in my mind that South African people are great and fantastic hosts.

Let us join hands in fighting xenophobia in South Africa; after all we are all brothers and sisters.

All in the fight for social justice, all for God, Country and the Continent

* Wellington Muzengeza is a researcher, urban and regional planner and social justice activist. He blogs at http://socialjusticeimmigrant.blogspot.com/

* THE VIEWS OF THE ABOVE ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR/S AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDITORIAL TEAM

* BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Please do not take Pambazuka for granted! Become a Friend of Pambazuka and make a donation NOW to help keep Pambazuka FREE and INDEPENDENT!

* Please send comments to editor[at]pambazuka[dot]org or comment online at Pambazuka News.