Xenophobic world and its influence on today’s politics

Livinus Ukah

In general Xenophobia is hatred of strangers. Who is a stranger?

It could mean one who is not of your culture and does not share the same values with you and you detest such a person.

Infact, Xenophobia is a dangerous characterisation of dehumanising creatures of God who are born equal and have rights to exist and live anywhere in the kingdom of God.

Although the primitive was bogged with the word but lived and practised it in all its ramifications.
Besides that, Xenophobia is embedded in hostility and fear of other people. It has become a culture of such people.
A society that is xenophobic lacks culture of civilisation.

A Xenophobic society lacks inclusiveness and does not know that divisiveness can stagnate them and they continue to have low productivity and low economy.

A society that opens its door for humanity is inviting development and prosperity. Practising the philosophy of Xenophobia for the sake of preserving your culture makes nonsense of that culture but global culture has many advantages e.g. economic advantages, democratic advantages, connectivity and creating citizens of the global world where your expertise can carry you anywhere to exercise your particularity.

Apart from Xenophobia, we have another slur called racism. It is a global phenomenon that creates disunity and discrimination that strips people of their personal inventories and classifies them as people of less-worth such as “they are not like me. I am white and have economic benefits and I am superior to them.” The recent happenings in Charlottes Ville demonstrated racism and claims of white supremacy. Some were chanting, ‘Jews will not replace us, Black people will not replace us.’ These racist slurs resurrected since Obama came to power. Trump’s silence over the Charlottes Ville incident was interpreted as tacit approval and conspiracy.

The world has not really come to a better grip of such endemic characterisation. The American politics have changed now with the coming of a new leader that brought a new social construct, “America first” with its hidden nuances but now has surfaced very well. We see the face of populism roaring like a lion in United States politics now. We now have the problems of race, politics and society.

Nationalism is in vogue now. Many Americans now perceive their new president as an avant guarde of racism because of what is happening in America all these days. They have not forgotten what happened in Charlottes Ville, KKK and anti-Semitism confronted other people who are not of their race. We saw many chanting who owns our cities? We see the politics of Xenophobia and racism in today’s world. It has become a symbol of disunity. The politics of democratisation is given way to populism. America that used to be a leader of free world is becoming an agent destabilisation of systems that should unite the world. America is running away from responsibility of governing the world but wants only to govern America. It is so because of narrow-mindedness of Pseudo ideology and exaggerated nationalism.

America can feed the world and accommodate many refugees of the world especially the Syrian refugees and refugees from Africa and other continents. Why that fear? Who owns the world?

America forgets she is a country of refugees. Many countries are now trying to introduce Populism. France tried it with Madam Le Pain but could not succeed the recent election. In Germany where Far Right Party tried it but Angela Merkel is still politically visible in German politics.

Many fought the chancellor for admitting refugees to Germany and they waited for her defeat in the next election but man proposes but God disposes. No one who does the right thing is forgotten by God and society. Angela will continue to lead Germany to the right part in politics not leftist party. CNN interviewed Ellen Johnson, the President of Liberia, soon to leave office on Merkel, the Liberian President said that the German Chancellor is very impressive and every political analyst will say that she has impressive and dazzling portfolio and she has the ability not to loose anyone in politics. Infact successful people make things happen through their creativity and hardwork.

Populism has no answer to the problem of the world. It is a myopic politics of exclusivism that is restrictive with no open policy.

The world today needs political stars with dazzling credentials that will help to solve human problems, promote unity avoid killing human beings especially the people who are living to earn their living. Unfortunately the poor with no voice who are not connected with politics are being killed because of politics of dis-content.

From Xenophobia and racism, we come to tribalism; the endemic diseases that paralyse African politics.
In African politics tribalism plays dominant role because they feel that blood is thicker than water. Many African politicians fan this flame which is the height of hypocrisy in politics.

In Africa, people vote for where you come from, voting for a man with good credential does not matter as long as you come from my tribe. This style of thinking and choice of leadership creates de ja vu in African politics especially Nigeria, they call the giant of Africa.

Nigeria is vast with many tribes with linguistic peculiarities and needs exceptional leadership, a brand of Angela Merkel and Macron of France and the Canadian Prime minister. These are voices of moderation. We need leaders, who know that in politics, there is bound to be political differences because that is what makes politics but how to handle political differences is what makes a good leader, a balanced leader of a free world.

Openness of mind is needed in Nigerian politics irrespective of where you come from. Nigeria is also nepotic. When you are in power, you call your relatives, cronies, son-in-laws all around you.

There is a watered down politics today and that’s why Nigeria is still in political limbo. We expect our justice system to be a true place of justice and a true sanctuary for justice.

Frankly speaking, Africans have leadership challenge. Leadership is not just dishing it out on people, Leaders
should focus on areas of common concern and not what a leader wants. Politics is about making people’s life better. Nigerians have agreed to change their narrative and forge ahead.

It is very sickening to see what is happening today in politics especially politics of exclusivism. How do we deal with fractured communities in politics of today?

Nigerians are shouting on what causes divide and if politics of today listens, there will be less tension.
Nigeria should avoid escalation of rhetorics, talking about wars. Nobody wins with wars. We must remember the wounds of civil war. We should learn from Vietnam war that has not been healed.

Leaders should avoid wars. The victims of war are the poor. When there is war, politicians will send their children abroad. We want justice that will liberate people from shackles of poverty, remove the big gap between the rich and the poor. The level of naivety in Nigerian politics must be removed to allow citizens to be happy in their own country. Nigeria suffers from chronic brain drain. Many of the doctors seek job abroad.

One part of the country is enjoying while others are sad. It is not a good deal in politics. Nigeria needs a serious overhaul to accommodate our men of letters for sustainable development not people with tribal jingoism that is costing Nigeria dearly now.

Nigerians problems must be solved by Nigerians with their indigenous tools not foreign tools. Nigeria has intelligentsia. They are unused.

Once we remove ethnic politics, Nigerian politics will be politics of justice where merits are considered.
We must not forget the Xenophobic South who forgot the role of Nigeria in their struggle for nationhood. Nigeria helped South Africa in its struggle with apartheid. Now South Africa is engaged in xenophobia and killing many Nigerians who were once their liberators. It occurred in 1994 and reoccurred in February, 2017.

What democracy allows, Nigeria disallows and these cause political, social and economic tension all over Nigeria. What can be controlled is delayed and it causes more problems because consensus is no longer a way of accepting what people want.

We are in a democratic dispensation but everything seems to be militaristic and our problems are insolvable. Not that we don’t have skills to solve them but if it does not favour X, but favours a great majority there will be a political stalemate. That is the hemorrhage of Nigerian situation in politics of today. Nigerian dailies are political menu for those in power to read and hear what people say to help them change political gear and move smoothly for progress.

Africa should be a unifying force to strengthen their unity. Nigeria welcomes foreigners. Foreign influence and terrorism have awakened Nigeria to reconsider leaving open doors to everybody.

Even foreigners are given access in Nigeria and are termed ex-patriates quota thereby reserving top juicy positions in companies even when they are less educated and experienced than their Nigerian counterparts. Nigeria is not too rigid to accepting people and it has affected Nigeria negatively not America only which has hash immigration policy since Donald Trump stepped in with indiscriminate travel bans on some countries.

Nigeria is accommodating with foreign companies who even tend to exploit Nigerian citizens with high tariffs. Trump wants made in America products and wants American companies to work in America.

Unlike America who has been benefiting from foreign investments and foreign personnel have now turned against foreigners for example: building a wall to prevent Mexico from entering America; a new political phenomena against international diplomacy in world trade.

Living in any part of Nigeria today is not safe because of Nigeria’s irritating laws and emphasis on indigenes, sons of the soil ‘Omonile’ an exaggerated nationalism.

This is my country’s malaise. It can only be wiped away by proper education and understanding of each other, without creating division and tribal jingoism.

QUOTE:
A Xenophobic society lacks inclusiveness and does not know that divisiveness can stagnate them and they continue to have low productivity and low economy.
A society that opens its door for humanity is inviting development and prosperity.

· The Very Reverend Monsignor Livinus Ukah is parish priest of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Aboru, Lagos