Our own racists
One of these past few days I entered one of those high security buildings where they scan you with those metal detectors and things for security reasons. This is the process that follows immediately after signing your details in a visitors’ book and handing in your I.D, among other things. Whilst I was still at stage 1 (of filling in personal details), one white lady who had been behind me waltzed past the guards manning the inner entrance after enquiring which floor such and such an organization was. When it was my turn, the female guard quickly moved into place to start zapping me with the metal detector. Instinctively, I stepped back and demanded to know why she had not also zapped the white woman who had entered before me. With a puzzled (if not surprised) look, she just shrugged and without answering my question, told me she had to scan me for security reasons. I neatly refused although I had nothing to hide, and demanded free passage. What criteria did they use to decide who got subjected to that annoying and almost embarrassing ritual? I noticed I was slowly gathering a small crowd and felt I was also getting red in the face. But I was determined, and so were both guards. The male guard told me in my face I had a choice to either get searched or leave. I chose the latter, spun right round, demanded my I.D back and left a puzzled audience. My business there could wait.
My dad was telling me the other day that one afternoon at lunch, he and a fellow (white) workmate set out to hunt for sustenance around the shops. As they drove around town, the most they came across after almost half an hour of searching were a couple of Chelsea buns selling at $100 thousand each. Between them they needed at least ten, and that meant parting with 1 million bucks. They decided they’d rather forego lunch. As they drove back to work, my father spotted a hawker by the roadside and bought two packets of maputi from her; one for him and the other for his workmate. As the two stood outside the car and ate, they realized they had gathered around them a small crowd who were visibly shocked at the sight of a murungu (white man) eating maputi. Someone apparently shouted that: “Nzara yazotiyenzanisa manje baas.” Loosely translated to mean hunger has now made us equal. Apparently very fluent in Shona, my father’s workmate lashed out asking the man who had shouted what the kind of food anyone ate had to do with anything? Did the man think all Zimbabweans were only black? I thought those were good questions.
Then I was reading in the Independent about the few remaining white farmers who were recently served with eviction notices with a 90 day grace period to wrap up and vacate their properties. The farmers have appealed to the regional Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Tribunal in an effort to stop government from illegally expropriating their properties. According to Vice President Joseph Msika, these few remaining are “remnants of die-hard unrepentant racists. These farmers have done their best to prevent agricultural production in many parts of the country; and have made a significant contribution to the country’s economic collapse.” I couldn’t help agreeing with Muckraker when he/she wrote: “…primitive racism is now the official creed of Zanu PF.” Now before anyone starts labeling me an unpatriotic born-free who doesn’t understand the sovereignty our ancestors died for; will the real racists please stand up?
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 3:11 pm
[...] Natasha Msonza, blogging at Kubatana, nails it on the head with this post: Our own racists. [...]
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 3:20 pm
Interesting observations, Natasha. Air travellers will be familiar with the now customary security checks at airports. Not everyone, however, is subjected to physical csearches after passing through the X-ray machines. In some cases, I am told, they use what they refer to as “profiling”, by which they have certain targets, so that when a person fits that profile, they are invariably subjected to searches. Now, the criteria of this “profiling” is not entirely clear, but it could well be based on race, religion, dress, etc. It is quite controversial because not everyone who fits a particular “profile” is a potential threat. And it has the risk of eliminating from searches those who, apparently, do not fit the profile. It infuriates those who feel targeted and consider it to be discrimination. Authorities would deny that they use profiling, but, who knows? So perhaps, in your case, the security guards may be using a similar method? Or am I taking the rationalisation of their behaviour too far?
I can understand the way you felt, because i have certainly felt it before. But with experience, i have now come to accept it as “one of those things” (there far too much to worry about) and as i have nothing to hide, i very often submit myself to the search even before i am asked to do so. It saves me the trouble of being unnecessarily bothered by the behaviour of the authorities and what might appear to be discriminatory! Don’t worry about – Challenge them, yes, but in some situations when you want to get things done, just let go. The dog does not worry when the chicken runs over to the bones – it knows the chickens have no teeth to chew the bones and so saves itself the trouble of a needless fight. Kind regards, Alex
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 3:31 pm
[...] Our own racists One of these past few days I entered one of those high security buildings where they scan you with those metal detectors and things for security reasons. This is the process that follows immediately after signing your details in a visitors book and handing in your I.D, among other things. Whilst I was still at stage 1 (of filling in personal details), one white lady who had been behind me waltzed past the guards manning the inner entrance … [...]
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 3:58 pm
let ur pen do the talking girl!
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 4:04 pm
even in Europe some people are their own racist!
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 6:44 pm
This is the same debate I was having with some colleagues earlier on. The problem with the world is that it allows black people to be racist. Picture the US or Britain evicting black people from their country- the outrage right! But when a black person does it people are more hesitant to do anything about it because it all of a sudden becomes a sensitive topic. You wer probably searched because you are black very true because us black people in Zimabwe have an inferiority complex.
Thursday, October 18th 2007 at 9:43 pm
I read news daily of happenings on the African continent. The nation will reap the fruits it has sown in evicting the producing farmers based on the colour of their skin………..Reverse racism and revenge are non productive as is evident.
Monday, October 22nd 2007 at 1:29 pm
[...] Zimbabwean activist Natasha Msonza touches on a sensitive topic, all the more dangerous when spoken in a country where the ruling kleptocracy routinely blames the country’s economic problems on white racists, neo-colonialist farmers and imperialist foreigners. Referring to a column published in the Zimbabwe Independent, she notes several telling instances of racist behaviour, and writes: I couldn’t help agreeing with Muckraker when he/she wrote: “…primitive racism is now the official creed of Zanu PF.” Now before anyone starts labeling me an unpatriotic born-free who doesn’t understand the sovereignty our ancestors died for; will the real racists please stand up? [...]
Wednesday, October 24th 2007 at 2:33 pm
[...] You wouldn’t imagine coming across cars doubled parked in the official Meikles Hotel car park would you? But there they were blocking up the works when I was trying to find parking last Friday. A colleague and I were visiting one of those high security places which Natasha referred to in her blog, Our Own Racists. Unsurprisingly we had a similar experience except this time we were two white women albeit with a sizable age difference. So at the front door the female security guard insisted on looking in our bags and that we hand over our cell phones. She gave my bag a cursory glance which is just as well because she’d need to don latex gloves on account of the fetid bits and pieces that lurk within. My colleague’s bag had a much more thorough going over and finally the security guard demanded that she hand it over. But she pointed indignantly at me and said, well what about her bag then? In response the security guard just shrugged and both our bags bridged security. [...]
Wednesday, October 31st 2007 at 3:58 pm
Natasha’s article is so captivating and brings issues at home. I always ask my dad as to whether the young generation has to face the ugly head of racism in this era, and yet one would assume that the war against racism had already been won in 1980 when we had our independence.
The harsh reality of racism really hit me in November 2006 when I was attending a women’s rights conference in Mexico and was ‘harassed’ by the immigration officials and airline officials at the Oliver Tambo airport and at the Mexican airport, and I realised that many African women activists also faced the same harassment on their way to Mexico.The harassment starts when one is applying for a visa and other procedures. When will this end??? Only God knows, but at least, if the young generation and the old generation start talking about it in a constructive and critical way, then the answers to end racism, intolerance and xenophobia will be there for everyone to see – food for thought!!!
Monday, February 11th 2008 at 8:22 pm
Natasha is right and that profiling business is VERY real. In post 9/11 US, certain people(no need to mention names) fit the profile of terrorists. Now, Britain has a Muslim Minister, or Secretary as they call them there. He was delayed twice on trips to the US and had to file an official complaint which caused some diplomatic issues. A relative once told me they confiscated her passport on her trip to Canada a few years ago. Reason? They thought she would destroy it and apply for asylum. This relative of mine is a high profile director of an international NGO. In the US, where I write from, blacks are also stopped more often by cops. Now here is the twist….if they somehow note you aren’t African American(nekufamba kwedu kwanaMhofu Yemukono), they keep their distance! Wear an African shirt and you will have them smiliong at you for no reason. Of course I don’t smile back but just go about my business. The profile is useful in some cases but usually racist in orientation and implementation. Unfortuantely black people in Zimbabwe suffer from an inferiority complex and that’s worsened by lack of interaction with other peoples. Perhaps they need to see whites begging on the streets first, as they do here in NY.