Get ready for a LONG read. I wrote this article as a contributing writer for a Human Rights blog. I decided to put it here to engage my readers into having discussions like these.
Racism is defined as discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on a belief that one’s race is superior whilst tribalism is the behaviour and attitudes that stem from strong loyalty to one’s own tribe or social group.
Few days ago, I was having a conversation with my parents about a family friend who refused his daughter from getting married to three different men on different occasions because they are from a specific tribe in Ghana known as Ewes. The Ewes are in the Volta Region of Ghana and are believed to have originated from Togo which shares borders with Ghana in the East. The tribe is mostly known for being engaged in voodoo, in which violence is a common aspect. I have heard some stories about them which involved using voodoo against people who tend to offend them, and it works very well in the end.
My grandmother for instance never liked this tribe for the same reason mentioned above. She also recounts of how she lived with an Ewe family back in our hometown, in the Ashanti Region whereby they lived in the house for a long time even after their roof went off just because they wanted to ‘eliminate’ the landlord and take over the house. I found this story quite hard to believe as to why that will be the reason other than probably not affording another place of their own. Personally, I never encountered such and I felt they were lovely people and the fact that their tribe had been boxed into this type of notion does not mean I should assume the same about them.
I am from Ashanti Region in Ghana and according to history before the slave trade era the Asantes (the people from Ashanti Region) were very dominant and as such Ghana then was referred to as Asante Kingdom. Though we are in a different era now, the Asantes feel very superior especially when it comes to comparison of tribes in Ghana. A story my grandmother once told me which is quite hilarious was that; Once, the Asantes waged war against the Fantes. A security guard who was watching over a group of Fantes left his gun and spoke to the gun saying, ‘If anybody dares make a move, shoot him or her’. Frightened by this none of these people escaped after the guard left thinking the gun will automatically shoot once they made any attempt. One of the Fantes fearfully approach the gun and said, ‘My Lord, please do not shoot me, I am going to use the restroom and will be back immediately’. The Asantes of course laughed about this and felt that they have succeeded in making the Fantes feel worse off because of the power and respect they commanded and still commanding.
Back to what I was saying, my father criticised the family friend of the trauma he was putting his child through. My mother on the other hand had expressed her opinion by saying ‘Well, I don’t want anybody from such tribe in my family’. I was baffled at the kind of hypocrisy that was being displayed.
My parents lived in Italy for two decades before transitioning to the UK. Then and even now, they still recount instances where they were victims of racism. For instance, my father once had a disagreement with a colleague who insulted him for being a man of colour, along with other words that are unprintable. My parents had also told me a story regarding a school, close to the family home in Italy whereby a bus driver (who happened to be Senegalese) lost his job on the first day he resumed because the children were fearful of a man of colour. My mother has also experienced similar situation during her time in Italy especially during her travels to and from work. She found a continuous pattern of people not feeling comfortable sitting next to her on train due to her skin colour.
An eye opening moment was when I watched Oprah Winfrey inform her audience of her personal encounter; Oprah walked into a store, which belonged to a lady that happened to be Italian who had refused to sell a bag to her simply for being black or maybe she just can’t imagine the thought of a black person owning such an expensive bag…I was like what? This is just the height and I cannot believe in this 21st century, people still think and behave this way…we all have a very long way to go.
I only visited Italy twice whilst in Ghana and since I came to the UK, I have visited twice as well. I did not experience any sort of racism probably because I just did not pay much attention to it. Maybe if I had lived there like my parents did, I would have. And if I did, I would not know how I will respond to it.
My concern really lies with why people from the same country may discriminate among themselves based on the tribe one belongs to. If our fight for racism will end, then we need to build a united front. It must always start from within. Then we can start talking of racism being a canker and how we can make sure it is a thing of the past. Though the Asantes may feel superior to other tribes according to history does not mean we cannot peacefully coexist, marry from another tribe and so on.
Being an Asante myself does not make me better than anybody from another tribe either Ewe or Fante for whatever reason. None of the stories I have heard justifies any form of tribalism of any sort. It all starts in the mind, practised and it is passed on from generation to generation. The same way being Italian, Spanish or whatever nationality does not make you better off than a Ghanaian, Congolese or Senegalese. I don’t know why people are racists because I have never been one, but I choose to believe it forms part of a society they grew up in. Hence, this society that is you and I should make a conscious effort to bring up our children in a way where they can see and relate to people on who they really are and not the colour of their skin. It must be dealt with from the root and that starts with the family because ‘Charity they say begins at home‘.
I hope you enjoyed this! Stay tuned for more. Have a blissful week ahead.
Gertrude says...... 