By Nnaemeka Oruh
One of the things I have learnt, first as a student of
literature, and then as a literary critic, is that incidents (especially those
brought about by human action) do not randomly occur in isolation, but are
rather linked to other incidents. Thus an incident would either be a result or
cause of another incident. For instance, the man or woman who becomes a
terrorist does not just wake up one day to become one. Several incidents
(including indoctrination) would have combined to create in him the mind-set of
a terrorist. It is simply human nature.
*South African President, Jacob Zuma and President
Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria
Recently, we have all been inundated
with information, pictures, and even videos of the xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The world stood, mouth open in shock, at the despicable level of inhumanity,
hatred, and incivility being displayed by Nelson Mandela's children. Children,
who just a few years ago needed the support of their African brethren to be
free from segregation. The fact that some of them (law enforcement agents
inclusive) stood by and watched without offering any help to the victims as their
countrymen beat up, torched and killed several foreigners show a certain
unspoken solidarity with the actions of their people. Which goes to show that
these few who perpetrated those despicable acts are somehow representative of
the core feelings of a larger section of South Africans. The question that any
discerning person would ask though is: are these xenophobic acts random,
spur-of-the-moment acts? Or are they a consequence of the blossoming of a
monster whose seed was sown long ago?
