Students from Africa recall their racial experiences in India

Mohit Khanna

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Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 1

“What if we are black. We are also human. Please come out of this stereotype and treat us as equal,” said Khotso, from a landlocked country of Lesotho in Africa.

The reaction came a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj refused to characterise the death of Congolese national Masonda Kitanda Olivier as a racist attack.

A majority of the students studying at the PCTE institute have expressed their anguish against the law enforcement agencies. Ever since the Congolese national was killed, African students studying in the institute have been receiving frequent calls from their parents asking about their well-being. A majority of them have been told by their parents to leave the studies and return home if they feel unsafe.

Khotso, a BCA II student, have had three run-ins with local residents in two years.

He complained that in all three cases, the police and the local residents were biased.

“First incident took place over an year ago when we boarded a taxi at a shopping mall near Bhai Wala Chowk. Being foreigners, the taxi driver charged a whopping amount of Rs 1,000 from us. When we objected, the taxi driver called his accomplices and we entered into a fight outside our hostel. The local residents and the police sided with the taxi drivers. My studies were at stake. Finally, the matter was resolved with the intervention of the Embassy,” said Khotso.

He got emotional and his hands started to tremble. “I don’t know I should be sharing it with you or not. A few months ago, I, along with my girlfriend, was sitting at some distance from the hostel in Baddowal. Suddenly, four burly men surrounded us and tired to molest my girlfriend. That was harrowing. I had a fight and people of the area gathered there. The four men told the local residents that we were indulging in public display of affection. The local residents could not understand my language. Fortunately, the fellow students reached there and brought the situation under control. The matter reached the police but nothing was done. Recently, one of my friends was thrashed by 16 men outside a discotheque on Ferozepur Road. He was taking a selfie. The woman in the background thought she was being clicked. She told her husband who, along with 16 men, thrashed my friend. The police reached the spot and we also arrived there, but here, too, we found that the police sided with the locals.”

Mpuka Sylvain of Democratic Republic of Congo, who is studying in BCA I, was visibly upset over the death of Masonda Kitanda Olivier.

“Certainly, it is disturbing. My family is worried. A number of Indians are working in Congo or running businesses there. We treat them as equal. We also want to be treated in the same way. I do not understand why we are being treated with contempt. The mindset needs to be changed,” opined Mapuka Sylvain.

Nadine, a native of Burundi, said the recent killing has freshened the Yannick Nihangaza killing.

Nihangaza,  who was attacked near a private university near Jalandhar in 2012, died in a hospital after a year.

“Who else can explain the Punjabi hospitality better than a native of Burundi. I have been receiving constant calls from my parents. Naturally, they are worried as Yannick was killed in Punjab.  I would say precaution is better than cure. We travel in a group and restrict our contacts with fellow Africans to avoid landing into any trouble,” said Nadine.

Eric, another African student, whose father is a diplomat, was all praise for Delhi. “I had stayed in Delhi for five years. It is a fabulous place. Delhi is a home to many students from African countries.  I do not know why this happened but it was unfortunate.  I had a pleasant experience and have a lot of fond memories of my stay in Delhi,” said Eric.

Ansumana, a native of Gambia, said never did a police officer or any persons from the administration come and interacted with them and asked for their safety and well-being. Their only emergency contacts are the college authorities and Embassy officials. 

‘Communication gap to blame’

Ebrima K Yarboe of Gambia, a BBA student, broadly explains the problem between the Africans and the native. “First, the law enforcement agencies need to work responsibly, otherwise the African students will look for safer options for studies which will not only result in economic loss to the country but also bring a bad name to the nation.  Second, the major reason behind the trouble is the communication gap. A 

majority of residents, including the police, do not understand what we are saying and we could not understand their native language.  Further, there is a culture shock. We have to understand the traditions here and the natives have to value our way of life.  Punjabis are very hospitable and we should not form an opinion of a stray incident”