SPECIAL STATEMENT ON SOUTH AFRICANS XENOPHOBIC ATTACKS

By: Matthew M. Fred

Founder/Executive Director

Youth Against Tribalism In Africa

Alumni, Presidential Precinct Network

2014 Mandela Washington Fellow

Members of the AU Commission, Fellow Africans, and Bilateral partners on the continent, my name is Matthew M. Fred from Liberia, a West African State known for electing the first woman head of state on the continent. I am a Global Rights Activist and work with the Youth Against Tribalism In Africa (YATIA) a youth-led organization fostering unity, peace, growth and prosperity on the continent regardless of the tribe (ethnic background), geographical location, race, and religion. With sadness, regrets, disappointments and a feeling of exasperation, I salute you all.

The recent xenophobic attacks on aliens and foreigners in South Africa need to be addressed, the rest of Africa have to show South Africa that she is still dependent on other African countries to boost her fast pacing economy. With South African businesses being the largest African-owned businesses around the continent cannot easily survive economically without the rest of the continent purchasing and be importing their products. We as humans depend on one another to survive, likewise, a nation’s dependency is on another through partnership and trade policy and collaborations to boost one another’s economy. South Africans knowingly lacked to exhibit the good leadership of one of Africa’s greatest heroes, Nelson Madiba Mandela who inspired a lot of great people and nations around the world.

As a Global Rights Activist, I believe this does not have to continue, and the rest of Africa must shun on this. The African Union as an organization must address this act of stupidity and discrimination. Africa cannot be fighting to grow her economy in order to minimize western dependency, when, at the same time be discriminating against itself. We have to ensure that this ignorant act of madness and animosity that continues to be carried out by South Africans toward their fellow African brothers and sisters be abolished and never be repeated. This barbaric and unnatural behavior which has the propensity to create conflict and destabilize peace and livelihood in the southern region; also has the possibility of segregating and creating a generational hatred and envious scar from victims of the incident.

I believe that this is another form of tribalism because they are discriminating and humiliating against their fellow African Kinsmen of different tribes, countries, and regions. I also believe that this grudge and envy developed by South Africans toward their fellow African brothers and sisters also has the propensity to undermine and underpin the bilateral relationship that exists between the countries and people of Africa.

South Africans should know that without exporting their products to the rest of the continent, they would not have improved in their economic growth and development. They should not look down on their fellow Africans as an impediment to acquiring their jobs, growth, economic development, and livelihood, but rather the strength behind their economic power. What makes the West powerful is the diversity of people and the help of immigrants that make up its countries. South Africans ensuring their diversity must understand not to humiliate and discriminate against their fellow Africans, regardless of tribe, color, region, and physical identities, but rather help build one another as one group of people. One thing the African Union failed to realize over the years, is that they have forgotten to follow the principles and foundation on which it was founded. In order to curtail and address issues in the region, the AU must understand that it cannot do it along with the formulation of untimely and unreasonable policies that cannot sustain, maintain, and curtail issues in its member States, but rather increase and stir up issues in the region.

The AU also seemingly failed to understand that the issues surrounding the region cannot be addressed only by a group of commissioners, AU representatives, members and class of the African elites, but rather with a collective effort that needs the collaboration and consultation of the masses, the community, the local people and the commoners. The AU has to understand that the voices of these people have to be heard. The AU also need to realize that to Unite, consolidate and govern a group of nations, the people first have to be united, because, without the people, there is no nation, there is no AU, there is no Africa, it is because of the people that these places and sects exist.

To form a city, you have to immaculate towns and communities, to form a country, you have to immaculate its geographical territories and regions, same as to immaculate a continent that contains hundreds of cities, towns, regions, counties, communities, territories, and countries, it has to be with the full involvement of the very people that will inhabit it, uniting them should be the first priority. When the people understand they are of the same kind and from one region, they have a common solidarity and believe in one common objective; which I would term as seeing themselves developing and growing economically, and peacefully as one people with one voice.

Thank you...

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