very interesting account from a foreigner visiting Nigeria(Taken from a facebook group. I dont know how real the author of this write-up is, but I just copied it, and pasted it on here, exactly as I saw it)
I'm a white guy and having travelled in over 100 countries and 25 countries in Africa, I think it's Nigeria! Sure in French Africa, the police will want a bribe if you're english speaking and for sure if you're white. And boy will they be wicked!! But the local people there are nice and will want to be friends with you. In South Africa, they've got huge tensions for sure. But at least most people are trying to be a rainbow nation. And in provincial Western Europe and Eastern Europe, it's bad for black people. There'll be some idiots there who want trouble but most people would look away and in England most would stop it. Australia's bad definitely but a lot of people no longer believe in white Australia and even if they'd laugh, they wouldn't let anyone get hurt.
But in Nigeria, it was unbelievable!!! I've been attacked several times on my travels but only in Nigeria did I experience being attacked whilst a street full of onlookers who all laughed. In Nigeria, it's funny for a white to be attacked. If he's bleeding, it's better. Why was I in their country anyway. After all, there's only 2 million Nigerians in the 'country' where I was born. Nigerians are far too backward to get along with other tribal Nigerians so a white is just an animal to them. Every Nigerian I met wanted something out of me. If I ask for my change in a bar, they shake their heads, close their eyes and sometimes scream in anger. What a stupid white! When they see me with my Nigerian girlfriend, they shout out loud and tell her in to eat all my money. Yeah! Ha ha! If I'm friends with a Nigerian and at the end I haven't given them anything, they get angry and make threats. Sometimes, they'll see you somewhere and just look at you and shake their heads in disgust. You're white, what are you doing in my country? Sometimes, they kidnap you if you're a foreigner. When I visited my girlfriend's family home, someone outside said: what the mess are you doing in my country? Most Nigerians utterly hate whites. And they think there's good reason to! They're white and were born on white land. Nigeria's the most racist place in the world in my opinion. It's pure happy, smiling racism. How can Nigerians talk about racism?
My thoughts: First and foremost, the shameful act of kidnapping for a ransome is very true, this is why if you are a foreigner residing/working in some high risk areas, you are given security details. I think this has been extended to citizens but am not entirely sure.
That said, in some cases, I think he is being treated like any average, 'comfortable' Nigerian who finds themselves in the wrong hood.
*Every Nigerian I met wanted something out of me* Check
*If I ask for my change in a bar, they shake their heads, close their eyes* Check
*When they see me with my Nigerian girlfriend, they shout out loud and tell her in to eat all my money* Check
If one is a well dressed, well spoken person, who took a wrong turning to the more deprived areas, this is what will happen to them,regardless of race, so its not racism per se, maybe reverse classism, deprivation?? Fact is there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor and the leadership has been shown to be very corrupt that if a comfortable person shows up in those areas, flambouyantly dressed, their youths will want some form of compensation.
Shameful really, but every country has its own dodgy areas
Like this post!
My first reaction was denial....later acceptance...what you say is true...but we are not racist just tribalistic sha...& poverty is the cause for such behaviours he observed...but beating him in the public in full glare & people laughing & seeing it as a joke is the problem i have with his narration...
ReplyDeleteI've never been to Nigeria, so I can't comment on what that blogger experienced... but I absolutely believe with conviction that beating someone because of the colour of their skin is abhorrent.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is true that poverty contributes to these problems. Thanks Mena for a really insightful post!
@ nitty gritty: While I agree wea re tribalistic, I still insist that any form of intolerance is wrong and should face the full wrath of the law (if possible)
ReplyDelete@ Lady M: Nigeria is a very large country and People across that magnicificent country are remarkably diverse by just about any measure!Please do not take his experience as the norm as Nigerians are probably even more hospitable to tourist than fellow citizens.
I just found his account unique from the general census. I think its more of a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time same as it happens in almost every country, every single day.
Thanks anyway :)
SMH
ReplyDeletei don't believe this story
first he said we are French-speaking
then he says we beat up Caucasians for fun
i have lived in Nigeria for twenty one years and not once have i seen that. never and i don't know a word in French so i wonder where he went to.
kidnapping yes and that is MEND and hungry Abians (who kidnap whoever and whatever) by the way i live in rivers state where the action happens.
the wanting to gain from him happens to every and anybody....rich or poor.
not because he is white. i guess he wasn't in his comfort zone of him being ogled after.
i have a cousin whose girlfriend's friends told her to eat his money well..........yes he is BLACK
my dad works for a nigerian company that has employees from all over the world....name the race they have it and i did my industrial training there. not once did i witness black on white racism or black on anything racism. funny enough, the whites were given preferential treatment. some even brought their families over and are having a blast. to me this dude is a complete liar in my book.....making conclusions without finding out properly on things. what a narcissist....thinking its all about him and his colour.