Page 90 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 8

AFRIKAN FOODS
REFLECTIONS OF AN AFRIKAN

THE

POSSIBILITY

OF A

POSITIVE

"RACISM"?

Samuel Phillips

ear 2020 certainly is a
very interesting year in
the history of mankind. ism against blacks has created all the others."
YThis is so, not because forms of atrocities against the black From the above definition and from
we have not had more weird years race, even from before the trans-At- the various definitions online, it is
or seasons on earth in this modern lantic slave trade that Afrika has not clear that racism stems from belief
era, but because the events that been able to wake up from. And I and mindset which target colors that
have happened within the first half really wish Afrika would wake up are different from one's own and
of this year are re-writing so many from this bad dream. by which feelings of being superior
things for the future. Talk about But what really is racism and is are projected towards (or against)
the issue of Covid-19 and the many there any good that we can glean the same. The white race has op-
who lost their lives, the crum- out of it? pressed the black race for centuries,
bling global economies due to the based on their skin color, and I
shutdown, the racist issues that led Racism think Afrikans should be tired of it
to the killing of George Floyd and There are quite a lot of definitions by now and also be ready to take a
the violent and almost unexpected of racism online and many to very different approach to things.
reactions that followed globally. So choose from, but I will use the Dic-
basically, there are lots of things tionary.com definition, which says: Having said that, is it also possible
to talk about concerning the first "Racism is a belief or doctrine that to see racism from a very different
half of 2020, but let me talk about inherent differences among the vari- and much more radical perspec-
racism. ous human racial groups determine tive that will create a new Afrikan
cultural or individual achievement, narrative of love and acceptance for
Racism against the black commu- usually involving the idea that one's black skin, especially by the blacks
nity by the white race is as old and own race is superior and has the themselves?
popular as Mount Kilimanjaro is right to dominate others or that a Look at it this way. Racism as a
the tallest mountain in Afrika. Rac- particular racial group is inferior to form of oppression and feeling of

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