Aporofobi

Adela Cortinas bok
om Aporofobi verkar
vara relativt ny.

En kollega upplyste mig häromdagen om detta ord. Ordet består av två grekiska ord:

άπορος som betyder fattig och φόβος som betyder rädsla.

På svenska översätts ordet ibland som

Fattigdomsförakt

Det är inte helt nytt. Det är etikprofessorn i Valencia, Adela Cortina, som har myntat det, om jag förstår saken rätt. Hon menar att motvilja mot migranter inte alltid har med rasism att göra. Det behöver inte vara uttryck xenofobi utan kan vara aporofobi. Migranter som är förmögna eller har tillräckligt med tillgångar bemöts inte på samma sätt som fattiga migranter.

Det är viktiga tankar. Följande korta video förklarar begreppet på engelska. Bäst hade varit att lyssna på Professor Adela Cortina på något TED-talk men de verkar vara på spanska och det behärskar jag inte.

Aporofobi är inte alls bättre än xenofobi. Överhuvudtaget förlamar rädsla och misstänksamhet. Motgiftet är möten och dialog. Om vi vågar möta varandra kan vi upptäcka att vi som människor har mer gemensamt än vi tror.

En stor skillnad mellan dessa rädslor är dock att fattigdom inte har något egenvärde. Det har däremot det faktum att vi som människor är olika. Både mellan länder och kulturer och inom kulturer. Det berikar oss alla. Fattigdom berikar ett fåtal. Därför bör fattigdom bekämpas.

Freedom Day - for all?

A google doodle. That is the illustration google puts every day on its opening page. Today I saw a que of people lining up in front of a tent. I had to think twice and still couldn't figure out the meaning.

At first I did not see the South African flag.

So, I clicked and got the explanation. Of course: South Africa celebrates Freedom Day. 21 years after the first democratic election, when people lined up to cast the ballot  - most of them for the first time in their lives.

I must admit, that I saw something else. I saw refugees. Yesterday I passed a tent in Pietermaritzburg. I am not sure, but I think it is a tent where replaced ’foreign nationals’ (as the South African public discourse often names this group) have been offered a temporary place to stay.

The photo is bad. I took it from the car, while passing. 

When I saw laundry and a green toilet next to the tent,
I understood that people actually live there.

On the surface things are going back to normal in South Africa. The xenophobic violence seemingly has stopped. It has calmed down. But what is happening under the surface?

I read criticism about king Zwelithini, who served as a spark, when he made a statement which most people interpreted as pointing a finger to ’foreign nationals’. Mail and Guardian says that he is being given preferential treatment. The Sunday Independent calls him 'the Elephant in the room'.

The ANC admits that South Africa has a challenge. According to IOLNews, the party says:

This freedom day takes place during a difficult time when our nation is reeling from the violent actions of a minority that resulted in the people of our country being wrongfully labelled as xenophobic and hostile and intolerant of our brothers [sic] and citizens from the rest of the African continent

The statement continues:

We must use these tragic events as important lessons as we continue to build a South Africa that protects the rights of all those who live in it and as we balance the grievances of the South African population with the plight of immigrants from the continent and beyond

I hope that people in South Africa make use of this public holiday to revisit the ideolgical foundation for this young democracy, namely the preamble of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996)

We, the people of South AfricaRecognise the injustices of our past;

Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land;

Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country;

and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.

We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to ­

Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights;

Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law;

Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and

Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations.

May God protect our people.

Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso.God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika.

George and Göran(zon)

Today, the 23 of April, St George’s Day is celebrated worldwide. St George, who in Swedish also has the name Göran. We commemorated him in our Eucharist this morning and before we started I read the few lines about him, that I found in a book in the vestry, which is there to introduce all different saints. I must admit that I never studied the legend about St George very well. I have just learnt about him fighting the dragon, maybe to rescue a young woman.

From what I read – and have read later today – I get an understanding that there was a roman soldier, with the name Georgius. A Greek word, that means farmer. He became a soldier in the Roman army under the emperor Diocletian, who is known as a fierce persecutor of Christians.

In 303 Diocletian issued an edict that all Christian soldiers should be arrested and other soldiers were forced to offer a sacrifice to the Roman gods. George refused and although Diocletian, who liked Georgius tried to persuade him, he stood fast and left the emperor with no other option than to have him executed.

Diocletian is also known for another edict, the same year, where he ordered the burning of Christian books.

The persecution by Diocletian only ended with the Edict of Milan in 313, where another emperor, Constantine, decided to treat Christians benevolently in the empire.

 Later legends have added the image of the fight with the dragon to the story. And indeed, we can say that Georgius bravely fought against a dragon, in the form of a dictator and oppressor: Diocletian.

So, what can we learn from this? That there are still dragons out there. There is still an empire – with many faces. Xenophobia is one. Leviathan – that lives in the Mediterranean Sea, causing migrants to die in their numbers every day. Raw capitalism or militant terrorist groups – it does not matter. This Hydra with nine heads, is not easy defeated.

Coming back to South Africa the issue of xenophobia is the most obvious today but it is under girded by many other issues. Poverty being one but also a serious lack of identity. When people are not sure about their own humanness, the risk if high that they attack others. South Africa speaks about Ubuntu or Botho (which is the seTswana word). It means humanness. It is today being challenged in a new way.

As people from the whole continent are being treated badly in South Africa, other nations are now reacting. South Africa has closed its consulate in Lagos (Nigeria) due to anti-xenophobia unrest according to Mail and Guardian. Lots of reports are coming about South Africans in other countries who need to return to their motherland.

In the middle of all this, still speaking about identity, South Africa is discussing what to do with all the historical statues. The latest suggestion, by a committee led by Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa, wants to create historical theme parks. I read this in IOLNews.

In yesterday’s SABC3 prime time news, a representative for the Afrikaaner movement, Afriforum, said that this was like creating concentration camps for the statues. Sic! But if you know your South African history, you understand why they use the word. Allegeldy it was the English who started with concentration camps during the Anglo-Boer war. I believe that Afriforum wants to allude to this.

Coming back to St George, who is the patron of the international Scout movement, this also traces its origin back to the Anglo-Boer war or the South African war, as it is sometimes named. Robert Baden Powell used young boys as messengers in the war and that later inspired him to found the Scout movement.

Although the Scout movement has a somewhat dubious history I believe it is a good movement that helps many young persons to find identity in their lives. My mother was a very active scout leader and I still admire her for that. Another scout leader that I admire was Sadihela Matsietseng in Bloemfontein. Although she was already old she continued to gather young people every week, for education and training.

Sadi was a dear friend, when we lived in Bloemfontein (Mangaung).

Today I met with George from Uganda, a Master of Theology student that I supervise. I don’t know if he is a scout but I know that he has dedicated his life to helping other humans.

We enjoy the student - supervisor relation.

Diocletian and his likes can keep on burning books. We will continue to write new ones. With the help of computers and digital tools we will fight the dragons.

Sweden and South Africa: say #NoToXenophobia

A cold wind is blowing over the world. A xenophobic wind. Where does it come from? And why does it start now?

Is the answer to this trend more police and more military presence? That is not what I believe – but that is what I see.

Two examples. One from Sweden and one from South Africa.

I read in a local, Swedish newspaper – Hallands Nyheter – about a public lecture where the author Mietek Grocher, 88 years old, talks about his experiences as a holocaust survivor. Suddenly five to six men enter the hall. They sit down on the front row. Some of them are dressed in so called bomber jackets. One of them has had his head shaved. Everyone understands that they are from a neo-Nazism organisation. They are there to intimidate and they succeed. People are scared and the principal of the school does not know what to do except to call the police. But the police cannot do anything. On the website of the organisation called the Swedish Resistance Movement it is clear that they were behind the action.

Xenophobia, which so often links to anti-Semitism. Mietek Grocher says, according to Hallands Nyheter, that he is used to this.

Isn’t that terrible? He survived the holocaust and now he has to go through similar things again? Sweden 2015.

South Africa 2015. I read this in Mail and Guardian:

The South African government has now called on the South African National Defence Force to “reinforce the work of police”, “exert the authority of the state” and “reclaim the streets” in areas where xenophobic violence has been reported.

When I read the article it describes how people, who are not South African citizens, are being stabbed or even shot. It’s terrible!

This wind is of course also blowing in Nigeria, Syria, Libya, Ukraine and in many other countries.

My point with this blog post is that more police and military will not solve this. We as citizens have to stand up, united and say no to xenophobia.

A luta continua - #XenophobiaMustFall

After being a guest in a radio show on Wednesday and having taken part in a march yesterday, I found myself in a prayer meeting an hour ago.

We started this morning at a wedding. One of my colleagues got married and quite a number of our faculty took part. One aspect, beside the wonderful thing of seeing two people in love with one another, was the conversation at our table. Professors, doctors and others were really engaging in the sharing of ideas around the situation in Swaziland as well as the present unrest in South Africa. Critical views on king Zwelithini and president Zuma were shared while we were enjoying the wedding cake. We hope that the king will have a different message at the imbizo that will take place on Monday, according to Mail and Guardian.

When we arrived we found an empty cross in front of the altar.

One of the colleagues mentioned that she was going to a prayer service at St. Alphege’s and we joined. It felt good and sad at the same time. People were sharing experiences and thoughts and I was especially touched when somebody, who was herself a migrant, came in front and thanked for the support. I mean, it is very sad when people need to do that. It should be natural for us as the children of God to live together in harmony and be inclusive to one another.

All were invited to stick pieces of paper with prayers to the cross.

During the short mid-day service we wrote prayers on small pieces of paper and stuck them to the cross, which later was carried out into the garden as a sign of solidarity. The yellow colour is a symbol of friendship. And we prayed.

The cross was then carried out of the church.

Loving God, you have restored us to life by death and resurrection of Christ; continue this healing work in us and as we prepare to leave, bless us with strength to seek justice, with wisdom to care for all people and with love to bring forth new life and hope. Amen.

We left the cross outside the church - as a sign.

We stood at the same place where we had lit the Easter candle a few weeks ago. (I wrote about that in a blog post.) And now we found ourselves at the cross, again. Are we prepared to follow Christ to those who suffer?

Solidarity at UKZN

Today we had a gathering on the library lawns on PMB campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. We were many who took a stand against xenophobia, and showed solidarity with those who are the targets of such xenophobia. We also marched from the main campus, to Gold Road campus and to the Agriculture campus.

Viva, Africa, viva!

Amandla – Awethu!

Mayibuye iAfrica!

The trees are showing inclusivity today - as always! Yellow - the colour of the day,

My colleague, Rico, was happy to be part of this activity.

We formed a big circle on the lawn and sang 'Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika' - God, bless Africa!

A colleague from another school, was one of the organisers.

The only yellow thing I found in my wardrobe was a tie!

Another colleague, Billy, and Selom, from WestAfrica (and Sweden) enjoying ubuntu!

All photos: Kristina Göranzon

The SACC calls for National Indaba on Xenophobia

Fr Michael is the Deputy President of the SACC

I would like to share what Fr Michael Lapsley just posted on Facebook. It is good that the South African Council of Churches (SACC) also reacts. After the text I will only make one comment about a sentence that can be contested.

April 13, 2015

Not in our name!
Stop attacking black non-South Africans!
Attacking fellow Africans is attacking our national values!
The South African Council of Churches is alarmed and dismayed at the growing instances of intolerance and violence that have broken out all over the country but most recently in KwaZulu Natal. These outbreaks signal a serious breakdown of the core African values that have hitherto made us an admirable and stable society at peace with itself. We appeal to all citizens of the Republic of South Africa to stop these unacceptable xenophobic attacks on fellow Africans.
We urgently call for an organized national dialogue on the “status” of foreign nationals, and our national “attitude” towards their presence in South Africa. These African nationals we are shamelessly persecuting, ransacking and killing today come from countries who sacrificed their national securities and economic development to give the liberation movement rear-guard bases to fight and eventually topple the Apartheid regime. Our future socio-economic development hinges on our ability to relate to other African nations in a manner that fosters unity of purpose and human dignity.
This unbridled violence directed at foreign nationals, which has also tragically culminated in the loss of lives, is an unspeakable tragedy. It reflects poorly on our African ethos and Christian values.
The South African Council of Churches calls for a National Indaba on the plight of foreign nationals in order to reach a consensus on a lasting solution that will preserve values that make South Africa a proud member of the community of nations. In another similar initiative, the Fellowship of Christian Councils of Southern Africa (FOCCISA) of which the SACC is a member, will, between May and June 2015, convene a special SADC meeting of Councils of Churches, to address the challenge of xenophobia in Southern Africa.
The SACC is employing its Anti-Xenophobia Action to promote interventions in the hotspots of Kwa-Zulu Natal. We call on South African business leaders to partner these initiatives. There is a very real danger that there may be a backlash against South Africans and their business operations throughout the continent in retaliation to our country being perceived as “Afrophobic.”
"Stop attacking black non-South Africans! Attacking foreigners is attacking our national values! Not in our name!
Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana Acting SACC General Secretary
bishopmalusi@sacc.org.za. 0760417244

My comment is: of course people must stop to attack other human beings in general. Not only fellow Africans. There are cases when for instance shop-owners from Pakistan have been attacked. This must also be condemned! But I agree about the focus on Afrophobia. With this amendment.

Xenophobia eller afrophobia?

Efter ett uttalande av zuluernas kung, Goodwill Zwelithini, är läget i vår provins mer och mer spänt mellan stora grupper av lokalbefolkning och utländska medborgare. Om detta har jag bloggat tidigare. Länken kommer här.

I Durban har det varit oroligheter och även dödsfall. Nu har oron spridit sig till Pietermaritzburg. Mer går att läsa i News24. Det är inte helt okomplicerat att reda ut vad som är vad.

Helt klart riktar sig främlingsfientligheten, av någon anledning, mest till andra afrikaner. Inte minst somalier, som ofta driver små butiker. Flera av dessa butiker har attackerats och länsats.

Därför är det många bedömare som understryker att det också rör sig om vanlig kriminalitet. När det är oroligt i övrigt, tar skurkarna chansen och olika kriminella gäng deltar, kanske inte främst av främlingsfientliga skäl, utan för att det är fritt fram.

Polis och myndigheter agerar självklart. Så även civilsamhället. Ikväll hålls ett öppet möte i den anglikanska katedralen. Jag kan inte var med, eftersom jag är inbjuden till en radioshow, som ikväll ska ta upp denna brännande fråga. Det går att livestreema (PMB 105.6FM / Durban 90.4FM /  på följande länk: radio Al-Ansaar.  

Är läget osäkert för oss? Nej. Vi vet ganska väl var oroshärdarna finns och håller oss borta därifrån.

Däremot är det många utländska studenter, som far illa. Det handlar inte i första hand om fysisk utsatthet utan mer om en känsla att inte vara önskade.

Ytterst är detta en mycket allvarlig trend i Sydafrika. Under kampen mot apartheid togs frihetskämpar emot med öppna armar i hela Afrika. Många hänvisar idag till detta.

Det är vår bön att både myndigheter, politiker och civilsamhället ska kunna stävja detta. Främst handlar det, som vanligt, om att arbeta långsiktigt med rättvisefrå¨gor och social trygghet.

Looting and xenophobia

From time to time there are outbursts of xenophobia in South Africa. (As in the rest of the world – especially Europe, where political parties are growing rapidly, based on this ugly phenomenon.)

The 19 January, reports ENCA, tension started to rise again, when residents of Doornkop in Soweto started to loot a so called spaza shop owned by a Pakistani national. He is accused of having shot and killed one of a group of teenagers, who allegedly robbed his shop earlier. In response the community vandalized his shop and started the looting, which has spread, writes News 24, to places like Alexandra.

Yesterday a young women was accused of having killed here baby, while she took part in looting, also according to News 24.

I listened to her on radio, SAFM, and she said that people had taken the baby’s blanket and planted it in the shop. The child, however, was indeed killed in the stampede.

Xenophobia! Wikipedia explains the word like this:

"deep-rooted, irrational hatred towards foreigners" ... and "unreasonable fear or hatred of the unfamiliar" … The word comes from the Greek words ξένος (xenos), meaning "strange", "foreigner", and φόβος (phobos), meaning "fear".

Obviously it is a universal or global thing. It is nevertheless something that we need to deal with and work against. It brings nothing good to humanity.