xenophobia?

Funny how a word you almost never hear at home can so suddenly become a part of your daily vocabulary. The divisive culture of aparthied continues to reek havic in South Africa, since I've come to Cape Town I've heard, seen, or been part of discussions surrounding xenophobia on a regular basis. But nearly two weeks ago the situation erupted in Johannesburg and since has spread, in just the past day or so, to Cape Town. Foreigners, more specifically those from Somolia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe (for the most part), are being attacked and the country is quickly going into crises. So far 42 people have been killed, some 15,000 are displaced, and about 500 people have been arrested.

A friend from Congo, who came to Cape Town to escape violence, death, and fear, now finds himself unable to leave his apartment, caught in flashbacks of the trauma he tried to escape. Zimbabweans are returning home to hyperinflation, food-shortages, fear and violence related to the recent disputed elections (and with rumours flying about a possible assassination attempt on the opposition leader--Tsvangirai-- who should be winning the run-off elections on June 27, stability is not soon coming) in fear for their lives. Somali shops and homes are looted and burnt to the ground. The violence is centered in the townships, so (Somalies in particular) are escaping into city centres to seek protection. The mining industry depends on migrant labour, but the migrant workers are not showing up, (in one mine that employs 80% Mozambiquans production has been shut down completley) so the economy will quickly feel the brunt of the effects. And the police force, which underwent reconstruction in 2005, is not capable of dealing with the riots and violence, so the military has been called in for assitance. With some Western countries issuing travel warnings, the tourist industry is already being hurt (I'd like to note that it's not tourists or rich white people that are being attacked here--it's other Africans whom South Africans blame for taking away thier jobs and homes, a sentiment which could be compared to Americans blaming Mexicans for the same. It all comes down to a question of scapegoating doesn't it? Many South Africans--both black and white--were living under better conditions during aparthied (I am not condonind aparthied, just stating a condition of existence), becuase the current government has failed to achieve or successfully implement much of it's promises. When it comes down to it, it's easier to take out your frustration and desperation on a migrant worker who showed up with nothing and now is doing better than yourself, than to take it out on the president. I am not an expert on the situation, this is simply my own understanding and observations from my conversations and reading. There is a lot of history and politics playing into this that I am not fully knowledgable of as well).

In a world that is more interconnected than we realize, the implications of the situation are broad. In Southern Africa, people are returning to unstable situations, as well as threatening reactive violence (attacking South Africans in Mozambique). Foreign investment in South Africa will (has) dwindled, and South Africa's economy plays a huge role through out the continent.

There is still much to learn about what is going on, but I feel compelled to keep people updated with events in my own piece of the world that you either won't hear in your local news, or you won't hear very throuroughly or accurately. Don't worry about me, as I said, being white and not living in a township leaves me fairly far removed from any immediate physical xenophobic threat.