By Nana:
It was my dream to visit India one day. This dream came true when I was offered a chance to stay in India for three years, which was more than I could have expected.
India was amazing. I was especially enamoured by the Taj Mahal and Bollywood movies. I felt it was worth the price to travel to and stay in this beautiful country. The fact that India had different cultures and traditions made me fall in love with this country even more, on my arrival.
Little did I know that a terror lurked underneath this facade. In fact, I now see a country where the educated will bond and hound the ‘non-educated’ us to know more about our ‘cannibalistic’ habits. Really, these people should know better! In this century, hardly anyone is a cannibal.
Little did I know that the country I so much fell in love with while living outside it would turn out to be a nightmare to live in. It’s now terrifying to think that the people around us in our daily lives can turn against us at the slightest hint of trouble.
The people here do not consider their attacks on dark-skinned people (like me) to be racial issues. However, they will attack any one of us and then group us all together, irrespective of the differences between the many countries in Africa. They also say that we are all the same. Really? Isn’t this racism? Sharing a common skin colour doesn’t make us all the same, because under our dark skins, we are all different. Yet, they attack all of us due to the wrongs of a single person, and then term it to be a ‘non-racial’ issue.
The government of India will only wait for matters to cool down. However, they will not pass laws to condemn racial abuse. This isn’t just limited to us. This attitude is also reflected in the way people from northeast India are treated across India. What else are you all looking for?
We were present when the news of an Indian being molested in Dubai got the whole nation talking. People talked about the cruelty of the act. However, they forget their own cruelty against African nationals who have only come here to educate themselves.
I’m saddened and frustrated. I can’t seem to understand why there is so much hatred in this country. I would be very glad if someone explained this to me.
Must we also start ganging up on your fellow citizens who have gone to stay in our countries? That’s the choice you are forcing us towards. However, we are too civilized to do unto you what you have done to us.
You should all realise that we too are investing in the Indian economy. How? We rent flats at high prices and also pay for other daily activities, such as transport and eating. Therefore, we too deserve respect.
The recent attack in Greater Noida baffles me. Why were some of us attacked when they weren’t even related to what had happened? Why would you make someone suffer for something one is not even aware of? Who will pay the amount needed to treat the wounded students?
Amidst all this, no one is willing to listen to our side of the story. In fact, when we tried to hold a conference, it was stopped by the police.
It’s only a fool who fears what he/she doesn’t know. Let our voices be heard. With barely any human rights lawyer stepping forward to help us, it’s probable that they don’t want the truth to be heard, since they fear it.
_