south africa not african enough

[Blaque_Poetess]

Its actually quite a shocker that xenophobia is still rampant in S.A. I would have thought that by now peeps would sumhow understand that discrimination f any sort is phucked up, especially discrimination against our own. As for the whole nigerians are drug dealers debate, well thats just a stereotypical view, just like saying black people are lazy, and are thieves, americans are ignorant etc etc...I think ppl just need to be open minded enuff to learn from each other, and try find sum middle ground where you can relate to others!!!

[Phill Banxx]

South Africa is actually an accelarated glimpse of where many other African countries are headed, the so called 'eurocentric' trend is being followed by other southern african countries with SA taking the cake for having shed much of it's traditional (not cultural) ethos in favour for something that readily fits more into the fabric of globalization.

Although sometimes I do think, by observation, that South Africans seem to think that they somehow are an authority on colonial suffering and seem to have little want to take the time out to understand other countries pan-african cultural view points, and sometimes are just downright arrogant- I do not think you can consider South Africa as not being african enough.

If anything they are a good example (neo-culturally) of what most of Africa is heading for. 'Eurocentricity' is not a result of a peoples losing it's socio-cultural and traditional values by choice but a result of economic growth, pure and simple. If I'm wrong, you could argue that the 'Wiggernization' of the western youth is sum clandestine AU/NCAA operation designed to turn whites into blacks instead of it's real cause which is simply good marketing by large music corporations and media networks.

With no other country having been in the circumstantial postition most of SA finds itself after the end of apartheid, it's not surprising to see that they have embraced the media as much as they did given the strong ties it has with Britain, America and the likes(Did u know that Drum magazine is a CIA initiated project?).

The disputes over the Security seat must stem from more solid debates such as geographic location and geopolitical prowess, the latter which in Africa Nigeria posseses more of. Xenophobia and racsism are bound to rear their ugly heads whereever a significant human population exists, that is understandable- what should be being talked about is Mbeki's efforts as a PAN-AFRICANIST to further gain meaning into why there is so much hostility towards SA about the issue in Norther,east and west Africa and vice versa.

[mahoganysoulchild]

i agree with u on ur article, but do u not think that as a people or betta still as individuals it is up to us to celebrate our cultures and heritage. i do not think that euro-centricity comes about as a result of economic growth, why do u have to dress, walk and talk like americans just because ur counrty is headin in that direction! when we talk about africa why should we not talk about it with pride nowin that even though this name was given to us by our oppressors our ancestors fought to liberate us so that we could walk tall, i mean come on people like steve biko and thambo where preachin black pride and the way i understand it is pride of whom u r, pride of being xhosa, tswana, etc, and that is why i respect artists who are able to incoporate there cultures into there music( tandiswa, konfab) they say to know where u are goin u must always remember where u come from, im not sayin that peeps should be dressin traditionaly all the time, im sayin that while lookin like beyonce u can still work the shwe-shwez.
one love

[Killa Merc]

This has little to do with not being African enough. The fact is that there is growing resentment of South Africa in many African countries. This is mostly because we have emerged as arguably the most influential country in Africa barely 10 years after freedom. The bigger &mmore complicated issue is that we are seen as the new imperialists in some parts of Africa. This comes from the fact that many SA firms (e.g. MTN, Shoprite, Vodacom, Eskom, Standard bank, etc) are moving into many African countries and doing very well.

The fact is that many Africans rightly see us as Xenophobic. We call them Amakwekwere, blame them for taking our jobs, women, etc. Of course not every South African is xenophobic but some incidents just show that xenophobia is a big problem with us. A few years back 7 Africans died when they were hurled off a moving train by South Africans who were on their way back from protesting about unemployment.

Why did many African delegates not vote for us during the 2006 & 2010 world cup bids. Many say it is a sign of the growing resentment that Africans have about us.

The Mail & guardian has recently reported that many African politicians in the African Union want to  move the NEPAD secretariat to Ethiopia.

[Phill Banxx]

Given, but check the articale again and notice I said SA is shedding it's traditional not cultural tendencies, I fully agree that as Africans we need to embrace our African values and cultural heritage but doing so without adapting them to the world in which we live today is not just backward but impossible.

'Eurocentricity' or 'westernization' is an unstoppable process attributed to economic growth because the capitalit instuttion you deal with ARE FROM EUROPE AND THE WEST IN GENERAL. Media, clothing, food every single object of any market value will have with it a attached a western cultural attribute because of the simple fact that they RUN SHIT.

Where we come from and what we should remember is the task of individual African governments and their cultural heritage departements as much as it is a indvidual (personal) task, what we must realize is that most other cultures have a much better DOCUMENTED and WRITTEN rather than ORAL history such as we have in Africa.

Artists incorporate african ethnic features, all good and well but I tell you that the problem of African youth embracing american or western culture rather than their own will only dissapear when Africa gets its shit 2gether and African youth have African astronauts and scientists, and big company CEO's to look up to instead of only revolutionaries, sportsmen/women and musicians.

In that same breadth it is understandable that countries with lesser economic developement resent some of SA's aspects of society and see it as un-african rather than humans expressing emotion or business accumen.

South African who have trouble grasping why there is hostility towards them should never forget that through all of SA tromendous achievemnets in the past 10 and contributions it has made, lumping the rest of Africa together as I have seen people doing on this post and off it, and thinking a central administartion point for all of Africas problems is feasible is a grave mistake.

Yes, SA does have the most favorable economic and possibly (only possibly) political enviroment but it still is SOUTH africa, and there the west african the east africans, the hebrews and the Arabs to think of. Lest we forget our own continents diversity, we are all in this together because of the label the west has given us. Let's not make the same mistake when it comes to governing ourselves.

[Killa Merc]

Phil. Agree with your most of your points.

But it is too simplistic to say being eurocentric has to do with just economic growth. Think of China, currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but far from being Euro centric. The Chinese have their own way of doing business – foreigners have to adapt, the Chinese value their languages, culture 7 way of life. Off course like any other country it cant run away from some effects of globalization. Nonetheless, it is definitely not Eurocentric. The same can be said of Japan, India, United Arab Emirates.

[Phill Banxx]

Merchant, mebbe I have to clarify my statements that 'eurocentricity' is the combined result of economic growth and the fact that our cultures don't have shit to show us or to instill in us youth through the most important things such as primary and secondary education and local media because the intitutions are not set up.

You cannot compare countries such as China and Japan or UAE OR in fact India because of their vastly different histories to that of Africa and African countries. And to say that China and Japan are not westernized in their cultural or business aspects is I think a bit ignorant. Having different labour, business and contract laws does not signify that u have 'culturalized' your business ethics, because at the end of the day your are dealing in USD and Euros. And if you would take a good look at youth culture in China and India  and virtually any country on earth it's the same thing happening everywhere. Kids dressin, talkin(even in their own languages) and acting like MTV.

And with China in particular, I'm sure you've seen them in SA and tell me do u think they respect SA cultural and business ettiquete? HELL NO!
So of course you can expect that at their home country.

Our problem lies in the fact that we don't have things in any sort of organized fashion, a couple of BEE movements here and there but African businessess are still primarily run wether through funding or business ties or plain management by WESTERN INSTITUTIONS based in Europe and America.

And that's including all those companies you just mentioned.