FRED KHUMALO | SA needs the rest of the African continent as much as it needs us
The year was 2016. My hosts, the Academy of the Arts of the World, had asked me to speak about xenophobia in light of the fact that both Germany and South Africa had recently experienced upsurges of this social illness.
At the end of my speech I sat down to a long round of applause. But joy was soon replaced by fear. Voices raised in anger suddenly exploded from the back of the room.In due course I began to learn that the black men were from different parts of Africa, and they were disgusted by my presence in Germany.
"You South Africans are killing your fellow brothers," one voice rang out."Go back to your shameful country, you haters of black people!" The organisers explained to the protestors, many of them from West Africa, that I had consistently spoken out against xenophobia, through numerous articles I'd penned and the speech I'd just delivered. I therefore was a"good guy". Peace was finally restored. But the incident left me quite shaken.
I found myself thinking of this incident when I flew to Nigeria two weeks ago to attend the Ake Literary Festival in Lagos.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
WATCH: What SA needs to do to avoid Is a downgrade to junkJones Gondo from Nedbank CIB talks to Business Day TV about the rating review from Moody’s Investors Service
Read more »
The mistakes donors make when funding African media | News | Africa | M&GCOMMENT: Donors tend to spend their funds on short-term, cosmetic interventions, which fail to address the systemic constraints that beset Africa’s media.
Read more »
The most important thing SA has right now is an honest leader - Richard BransonBillionaire Richard Branson has said that he would invest his money in South Africa now but might not have done so a few years ago. What's changed?
Read more »
Saftu slams SA Investment Conference - SABC News - Breaking news, special reports, world, business, sport coverage of all South African current events. Africa's news leader.%Saftu says government is making plans on behalf of worker without including them.%
Read more »
OPINIONISTA: ANC’s empty promises doom SA to the economic doldrumsSince the ‘New Dawn’ there have been high hopes for the ANC leadership moving from mere words to the actual implementation of plans to arrest the backward economic slide in which the party placed the country. Alas, this seems not to have been the case.
Read more »
Investors pledge billions to improve SA economyPresident Cyril Ramaphosa says pledges received at his second investment conference could create 412,000 thousand jobs.
Read more »