https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdjrHXSULtg
“South African Supports Xenophobia” by Henri Ikwuemesi, 2015.
This a a source that was created and posted by the author, Ikwuemesi. It has very few views and was extremely difficult to find. The fact that it has so few views can suggest several things; 1) the material is not of interest, 2) it is difficult to find or not easy to access for the general public, 3) the demographic it was meant for, or those people who would view it, do not have access to public computers. The author’s Instagram and social media accounts provide no proof that he was part of attacks or riots but posts continue to further his xenophobic method.
This source is a warning to those who oppose the xenophobic agenda. The man in the video talks about the pride of South Africa and how he hates all neighboring countries. He boasts about killing black woman and Ugandans. He issues a two week warning, any migrant not out of the country in two weeks will be executed. The source was created in 2015 during a xenophobic riot spree.
The Youtube video has a total of seven views, two of which were mine. The video was meant to warn migrants of an “upcoming execution” and was rife with hate speech. The video can help historians understand the way xenophobes thought, what fear tactics they used and how well they were received by the general public.
In 2008 xenophobic riots started, catalyzed by the end of the Apartheid in South Africa. Many online sources are against xenophobia but there are a few out there that believe the violence is not only justified, but necessary. In 2015, seven years later, there are many South African citizens that are against migrants.
The previous two sources are a photo of a victim and a video against xenophobia. This resource contrasts due to the violent nature of the speech, non-logical reasoning and hateful message. Henri Ikwuemesi, the creator of the video, believes that nationalism is the most important thing. He argues that all migrants need to leave South Africa or else they will be exectued. This bias, which many people in South Africa agree with, is a push factor for a nation that originally welcomed migrants.
Erin Jones