May 2008

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Xenophobia is a Global Problem

ACT Responsible is an innovative NGO that targets the advertising industry, promoting socially responsible advertising for a better world. In this advertisement, they show that eliminating racial and ethnic prejudices is something that can be achieved if we teach our children to accept, respect and acknowledge other cultures as well as their contributions to our global village.

It's About Time Our Bubble Burst

Picture: Johnathan Gill Saliem Fakir - The Free State students who made the racist video are perhaps breathing a sigh of relief that they’re no longer the centre of the world’s attention. It was too much for them too soon. The world was shocked then too. At least they too know, no matter how revolting their little show, malicious prejudice conflicts with the idea of democracy and they are not alone in harbouring ghastly prejudices. They have something in common with all of us. Even a quiet prejudice seeds it’s...

End Xenophobia Today: I am a refugee, where is my dignity?

Bronwynne Pereira and Nadine Hutton’s pictorial narrative provides a stirring account of the shameful events that shook South Africa during the outbreak of attacks on foreigners. Their photographic compilation follows the unfolding chronology of the event, showing the focused purpose of the perpetrating mobs, the trauma of the victims and the impact that the attacks have had on broader South Africa. Indeed, we can longer lay claim to being “Proudly South African”.

The Fault Lines of Urban Poverty and Inequality Create an Explosive Mix for Xenophobia

Picture: Ismail Farouk Frank Meintjies - The growth in immigrants from the rest of Africa to South Africa, and attacks on such immigrants, dates to the mid-1990s. What has changed today is that South Africa is home or temporary host to exponentially more immigrants. What is different today is that immigrants are infinitely more intertwined in the lives of ordinary South Africans. South Africans are generating profits in other African countries. There is a roaring export trade to those countries. Today also, many middle class South...

The Solution to Rural Poverty is at Hand, but Government is Not Interested

Picture: Border Rural Committee Ashley Westaway - In the midst of the drama of the past few days, which has seen South Africans rampaging against foreigners to vent their frustrations at the slow pace of delivery of land, housing and jobs, one story stands out as the antithesis to the story of non-development. In the little rural village of Cata in the Eastern Cape Province, the employment rate has increased from 4% in 2001 to 26% in 2007. At the same time, the percentage of households with a monthly income of more than R1600 has increased...

Dear Mandela

Abahlali BaseMjondolo tell the story of strife in South Africa's informal settlements, which for the best part has turned into a struggle against the democratically elected government, in this creatively produced and touching video clip. For the community featured in this video, struggling against government-led evictions has become a common feature of their lives.