Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
African students decry racism
BLACK students in Ukraine have taken to social media to expose the racism they have been subjected to by Ukrainians and officials as they try to flee the country.
Videos of black people being pushed away while trying to board trains or cross to neighbouring countries have been trending all week as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
Jessica, a student in Ukraine, documented her journey to Hungary and said she was not allowed to board a train.
“The official looked at me and said only Ukrainians, that’s all.”
She said she walked for 12 hours before reaching a shelter where she spent the night. The issue, she said, was not at the Polish border but at the Ukrainian border.
“Ukrainians are prioritising their citizens only. They will push you, they will beat you. They do not care.”
Another student said there was a hierarchy in buses and trains: Ukrainians first, followed by Indians then Africans.
Bijan Hosseini also shared on Twitter how her adopted sister, Rugi, from Sierra Leone, struggled to flee Ukraine.
“She was staying in Kyiv when the war broke out. They piled in a small sedan, eight of them including a 13-month-old baby.”
He said after reaching Kyiv, the driver left them and they had to go on foot.
“At the border they weren’t let in. Two lines were formed. One for white people, the other for everyone else. Only Ukrainians were being let over.”
They eventually made it past the border but she fainted from exhaustion and had to be taken to hospital. Her journey took four and a half days.
The UN admitted that some non-European refugees have faced discrimination while trying to flee to safety at Ukraine’s borders.
High commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi said: “You have seen reports in the media that there are different treatments with Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians. Now our observations, and we possibly cannot observe every single post yet, but our observation is that these are not state policies – but there are instances where it’s happened.”
Over a million refugees have fled the country, according to the UN.
Phumzile Jack, from the Black Civil Society, said: “What happened in there is a totality of whiteness. Even if they find themselves in trouble or in war, their true colours still show.”
He added that the black and Indian people in Ukraine were there for a purpose. “Many are students and we should not be asking what were they doing there. This shows that there is consensus that black lives do not matter.”
Mandisi Gladile, a social activist, said the racism experienced by black people had its origin in slavery. “The black skin has a history of slavery and dehumanisation. It only makes that black people are given a treatment that is concomitant to that history. The world is built around anti-blackness.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said there was no discrimination whatsoever and asked the public not to fall victim to misinformation.
Minister of Department of International Relations and Co-operation Naledi Pandor expressed shock when she heard that African students trying to get through the Poland border were pushed to the back of the queue.