Am a pure black lady, born and bred in Africa. Am not even a "neggar", am 100% African with a really black skin. Am 23 years old, but have lived Africa until I was 19 years. Growing up in a remote area in a country in West Africa, I was taught to believe that whites didn't really blacks and regarded us as "second class" humans. An act they referred to as "racism".
But growing up into my middle teens, things began to change about the a was made to think about the "whites". How did my thinking change about them?, from the behavior of my own people.
I lived in the northern part of my country where everyone is considered poor, from those from the southern part of the same country. They do not only consider us to be poor but they also consider us to be inferior to all the southern tribes. They use a common abusive term "tani aboa", which means " northern animal" to refer to anyone that comes from the northern part of the country. They consider those from the northern part of the country to be those suppose to do the dirty jobs in the country. And moreover, they think we are not qualified to hold any position in government. Time and space will not permit me to say everything.
More importantly, lets consider the recent xenophobic attacks that happened in South Africa. Blacks were seriously attacking blacks simply because they were from "different countries", really? This was not the first of its kind to have happened, we have witnessed many xenophobic attacks and tribal wars in Africa. It is simple, most Africans are tribal bigots.
So with all these, a black man thinking he is superior to his fellow black man, who has the same skin color as his, why then should we blame a white man? Your skin is black, his skin is white, a big difference than among yourselves. You live in hot Africa, he lives in cold Europe, another big difference. His country is far developed than yours, further difference. He thinks and cares about his own people, you think about just your stomach and your family, at the expense of those you are accountable to. You amass wealth through corrupt ways when you are at a higher office, and you save the embezzled wealth in private accounts overseas. And with this act, your selfish colleagues cover you up and get their own share. But he takes only what belongs to him and others will hold him responsible if there is a misconduct.
So why should we blame them for discriminating against those whose color is different from theirs, when we even do it among ourselves? The world would be a nice place to live if racism ends, but we can not blame them if they continue to do it, let's blame OUR OWN SELVES.
I am proud to be an African, but I stand for reality
A very interesting post on very topical issue!
In regards to corruption, the western countries have as much corruption as Africa, if not more - it's just that our politicians in the UK are just more professional at it.
In Africa a politician might choose a fancy gift, in the UK, it will be that place at Eaton for your mates son. In Africa they may buy large mansions, in the UK they will get a "consulting" position that pays £600K a year at a friends bank.
It's good to hear from young people like yourselves, do keep posting!
@kabir88