This is an interesting turn of events. Just this morning I wrote about Somalis in South Africa protesting the “xenophobic” treatment of Somali migrants by other black people in the Rainbow Nation, here.
Now comes news (really only the photo below, I couldn’t find a story) about a protest in Columbus, Ohio (one of the largest Somali resettlement sites in the US) in support of Somalis in South Africa and against the government there.
American Somalis should tell Obama to put pressure on the African National Congress to be more welcoming when he visits there later this month, after all that’s what the Rainbow Nation idea was all about. Right?
Also, today, it has been reported that the man considered the father of this model socialist government, 94-year-old Nelson Mandela, has been hospitalized in Johannesburg.
Hamain Ismail of Columbus holds the Somali flag during a march on the North Side before attending speeches about the mistreatment of Somalis in South Africa. Local Somalis gathered in the parking lot of the former Value City Department Store on Innis Road to call attention to the situation. Eric Albrecht | DISPATCH
Update June 21st: South Africa no longer the number one most desired country for asylum seekers, gee, I wonder why! Here.
Update June 14th: Some humor about the Obama trip hereat my other blog. Minnesota Somalis protest in solidarity with brothers in S.A. here.
Update June 13th: Obama family trip to South Africa later this month to cost US taxpayers $60-$100 million! (here). There is more! No safari! Sniper team nixed (snipers for wild animals that might eat the Obamas), here.
Update June 11th: South African Muslim lawyers want Obama arrested when he gets to the country later this month, hereat Creeping Sharia.
Update! See this interesting turn of events as American Somalis protest in solidarity, here.
We had learned previously that Barack had been inspired during his college years by the anti-apartheid movement of Nelson Mandela (his first political cause!) and I expect they are going to South Africa once again (or at least Michelle is going a second time, remember the expensive 2011 trip!) to extoll the virtues of the socialist Rainbow Nation.
You can bet the African National Congress is going to hide their refugee problems when the Obama’s arrive.
Somalis protest xenophobia (they call it xenophobia because everyone involved is the same race, this is black on black violence).
Members of the Somali community in South Africa have marched to parliament in Cape Town to protest against recent attacks on foreigners.
Three Somalis have been killed this month and the Somali government has requested the South African authorities to do more to protect their nationals. [We learned yesterday that tens of thousands of Somalis are going home to Somalia—ed]
About 200 people took part in the protest, holding a banner reading: “Everyone is a foreigner somewhere.”
Correspondents say xenophobic attacks have increased recently.
Some of the protesters accused the authorities of not doing enough to prevent attack on foreigners, especially Somalis, or prosecute those responsible.
Two Somali brothers were allegedly hacked to death with an axe in the northern Limpopo province on Thursday night.
Last week, Abdi Nasr Mahmoud was stoned to death in Port Elizabeth.
Mohamed Aden Osman told the BBC that criminals saw Somalis as “soft targets”.
Someone should tell Barack and Michelle that Mandela’s Rainbow Nation is a myth.
….some believe the African National Congress (ANC) government has become distracted by other things.
In May 2008 international newspapers carried the horrific image of Ernesto Nhamuave – a Mozambican man who was “necklaced” – torched by a marauding mob – simply for being a foreigner.
The 35-year-old father of three later died of his injuries.
It resembled the appalling violence during the struggle against white minority rule.
During last year’s xenophobic violence the clashes were between black Africans: locals and those considered outsiders.
New readers: You can learn more about the Rainbow Nation mythology and South Africa’s treatment of refugees in our archives, here. There is growing pressure on western countries to begin resettling South Africa’s refugee over flow.
