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Violence against foreign shop owners erupted in Soweto.
Some consider this to be a crime; others call it to be a face of xenophobia similar to that happened in 2008 in South Africa. Whatever one names it, it is an unacceptable loss of lives and properties which will definitely have negative impacts on not only the lives of shop owners but also the lives of whole communities, including the locals and the foreigners in the area.
In the efforts to tackle this unfortunate act and prevent the possible future re-occurrences; it takes the whole community and the state institutions together.
An important role that the leaders of local communities can play is to educate the youth about the foreign shop-owners and the condition that brought them to Soweto and South Africa in general.
The young ones have the right to learn that most of the shop owners are African brothers and sisters who came to South Africa because of life threatening harsh circumstances that exist in their countries, like Somalia and Congo etc. The young ones have also the right to learn that it is normal for a citizen of a particular country whose life in endangered, to flee and seek a safe haven as some South Africans did during the Apartheid Era when they faced all sorts of human right violations. And more importantly the youngsters have the rights to be reminded that the lives of humans and their properties are sacred in all cultures and constitutions around the world.
The foreign shop owners can also play a role in solving this problem and preventing future ones.
The foreigners need to integrate themselves with communities and share and involve the ups and downs of the locals: helping the elderly for instance by giving credits or any other assistance is important.
The participation of the community programmes and functions, for instance offering donations can be a helpful tool in getting rid of the dangerous stereotyping and generalisation, which are the main causes of this unfortunate situation.
Foreign shop owners have to respect the local cultures and learn the local languages as well. The foreigners should always remember that it is the same community who has been supporting their businesses for many years and that it is some insignificant unstable members of the community that cause the mayhem. It takes the whole communities to reintegrate the affected shop owners and also the members of the local communities. Reintegration and peaceful coexistence among all is possible.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
Some consider this to be a crime; others call it to be a face of xenophobia similar to that happened in 2008 in South Africa. Whatever one names it, it is an unacceptable loss of lives and properties which will definitely have negative impacts on not only the lives of shop owners but also the lives of whole communities, including the locals and the foreigners in the area.
In the efforts to tackle this unfortunate act and prevent the possible future re-occurrences; it takes the whole community and the state institutions together.
An important role that the leaders of local communities can play is to educate the youth about the foreign shop-owners and the condition that brought them to Soweto and South Africa in general.
The young ones have the right to learn that most of the shop owners are African brothers and sisters who came to South Africa because of life threatening harsh circumstances that exist in their countries, like Somalia and Congo etc. The young ones have also the right to learn that it is normal for a citizen of a particular country whose life in endangered, to flee and seek a safe haven as some South Africans did during the Apartheid Era when they faced all sorts of human right violations. And more importantly the youngsters have the rights to be reminded that the lives of humans and their properties are sacred in all cultures and constitutions around the world.
The foreign shop owners can also play a role in solving this problem and preventing future ones.
The foreigners need to integrate themselves with communities and share and involve the ups and downs of the locals: helping the elderly for instance by giving credits or any other assistance is important.
The participation of the community programmes and functions, for instance offering donations can be a helpful tool in getting rid of the dangerous stereotyping and generalisation, which are the main causes of this unfortunate situation.
Foreign shop owners have to respect the local cultures and learn the local languages as well. The foreigners should always remember that it is the same community who has been supporting their businesses for many years and that it is some insignificant unstable members of the community that cause the mayhem. It takes the whole communities to reintegrate the affected shop owners and also the members of the local communities. Reintegration and peaceful coexistence among all is possible.
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
