With attacks on African nationals studying in India dominating the news cycle and social media, a lot of Indians and Africans are openly talking about racism and introspecting its existence within our society.
One such note calling out racism by Nana Kofi Yalley, who not only studied in India but also works here as the Public Relations Officer at Federation Of International Students Associations in Bengaluru, has attracted a lot of attention and has gone viral.
Through his post, which he published on Facebook, Nana talks about how he had fallen in love with India initially only to be faced with different forms of racism after getting here. He writes, “India was an amazing place I always day-dreamed about from hearing about the Taj Mahal… I felt it was worth the price to at least come one day to see this beautiful country.”
But he goes on to calling out a mentality he has witnessed in the country where the entire African community gets held responsible for the actions of a few bad apples. He beseeches Indians to put themselves in the shoes of those who come to this country to start a new life and stop “ganging” up against Africans and foreigners in general.
At the end, he simply notes, “It’s only a fool who fears what he doesn’t know. Let our voices be heard.”
Photo source: Facebook
Nana’s brutally honest post has gotten support from people across all quarters, including Indians who have taken to the comments section to apologise to him and also have a frank conversation about racism in general. One comment notes, “Not that it matters, but really sorry that you are made to feel this way by xenophobic actions of my fellow countrymen.”
You may also like: A Woman From the Northeast Writes a Powerful Letter Slamming Racism in India. And It Will Move You.
Another person also rushed to his defence by saying, “Just would like to tell you that I’m on your side, this behaviour is unacceptable.”
It was a dream country to visit one day, only to find my dream come through by having a chance to migrate and stay here…
Posted by Nana Kofi Yalley on Tuesday, March 28, 2017
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