Everyone is a foreigner somewhere
Namibia has not experienced extraordinary levels of xenophobic sentiment over the years in comparison to what has been witnessed in South Africa and other parts of the continent.
In South Africa alone, thousands of people have been harassed and even killed, because of their foreign status. The natives have continuously claimed that foreigners were taking their jobs and this has led to a series of attacks, including looting shops owned by their African brothers. The ghastly images of the xenophobic violence that rocked South Africa in 2008 leading to over 50 000 fleeing for safety is still fresh in our minds and we doubt any peace-loving person would condone such barbaric conduct. To put it frankly, xenophobia is indeed a crime against humanity, which society can ill afford. It is disturbing to note that some Namibians are now portraying hostile attitudes towards foreigners in our country. From the Chinese accused of wildlife crimes to the highly-publicised SME Bank saga, there is enough reason to believe that some of our countrymen and women are harbouring xenophobic sentiments. The SME Bank saga, which has seen many economic refugees considered for high-paying jobs at the expense of locals, is saddening to say the least. It is true that not all foreigners coming to Namibia are here to steal jobs from locals or poach our precious wildlife. However, government must equally share the blame here for doing little in protecting the interests of Namibians who are now frustrated, because of a lack of employment opportunities. Thus they will vent and may even speak ill of foreigners whom they are accusing of getting preferential treatment at their expense. We would, however, like to caution our fellow countrymen and women that the debate around the SME Bank debacle should not be allowed to degenerate into unwarranted attacks on foreigners.
As Namibians we are not inherently xenophobic and we cannot afford to entertain such madness. There should be better ways to address our grievances through constructive dialogue.
And as the saying goes – we should remember everyone is a foreigner somewhere.
In South Africa alone, thousands of people have been harassed and even killed, because of their foreign status. The natives have continuously claimed that foreigners were taking their jobs and this has led to a series of attacks, including looting shops owned by their African brothers. The ghastly images of the xenophobic violence that rocked South Africa in 2008 leading to over 50 000 fleeing for safety is still fresh in our minds and we doubt any peace-loving person would condone such barbaric conduct. To put it frankly, xenophobia is indeed a crime against humanity, which society can ill afford. It is disturbing to note that some Namibians are now portraying hostile attitudes towards foreigners in our country. From the Chinese accused of wildlife crimes to the highly-publicised SME Bank saga, there is enough reason to believe that some of our countrymen and women are harbouring xenophobic sentiments. The SME Bank saga, which has seen many economic refugees considered for high-paying jobs at the expense of locals, is saddening to say the least. It is true that not all foreigners coming to Namibia are here to steal jobs from locals or poach our precious wildlife. However, government must equally share the blame here for doing little in protecting the interests of Namibians who are now frustrated, because of a lack of employment opportunities. Thus they will vent and may even speak ill of foreigners whom they are accusing of getting preferential treatment at their expense. We would, however, like to caution our fellow countrymen and women that the debate around the SME Bank debacle should not be allowed to degenerate into unwarranted attacks on foreigners.
As Namibians we are not inherently xenophobic and we cannot afford to entertain such madness. There should be better ways to address our grievances through constructive dialogue.
And as the saying goes – we should remember everyone is a foreigner somewhere.
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Namibian Sun
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