David Aladegbaiye Patricks

Professional Business Developer

A Business developer, Reputation strategist, Facilitator, writer, and an Interactive Computer guru.

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Humans are a product of love, not hate #PutSouthAfricaFirst

David Aladegbaiye Patricks 3 years ago

I was asked one day to show Nigerians who were exceptional and passionate about contributing to the growth of South Africa. I was quiet for a moment, not because I didn’t have a list of people but the status quo is fear that comes with the backlashes and interrogations that follow, once I put these people in the public space.

What is the essence of “blacklivesmatter” if the continent that is inhabited by the largest number of black people in the world is filled with people with no love for fellow Africans. It is a waste of time and effort, campaigns have the power to create opinions but actions have the real power for change.

I have been in South Africa for more than 16 years, and I have met with some loving people, white and black as well as experienced some inhumane treatments, all of which I believe has molded me into the person I have become personally and professionally.

But the dark energy I witnessed in the space of weeks is nothing compared to what I have ever imagined. I was having a zoom meeting with a group of professionals who directed me to a hashtag that is termed “revolutionary and damaging”.

Twitter has always been a source for motivation, news digest, and intellectual dialogues but it has recently disintegrated into a somewhat toxic space, a friend sent me this image, to get the picture:

I cannot speak alone, but I am very convinced that the opinions of the people you are about to read from are not that of all South Africans but part of the general convictions. So I also went online to check the campaign #PutSouthAfricaFirst on twitter and I was shocked at what I saw.

Everything and anything was linked to migrants, legal, illegal or established citizens, it doesn’t matter, it is built out of pure hate and an avenue for people to initiate more citizens on the porous concepts that African migrants are the cause of most of the problem in the country.

I cannot agree or disagree in part but generalizing and stereotyping nationals, racism, tribalism is not the way of the South African people I know but like I said earlier, I cannot speak for the majority. The consequential issues around drug dealing, prostitution, fraud, rape, gender-based violence, robbery, hijacking, and pedophilia are what triggers these discussions but the major contributor is unemployment.

Sadly, advocating for hate, death, and mass ambush of migrants in the country is something that makes this campaign dangerous. Patriotism is a commendable attribute when it considers the image and progress of the country but campaigning for hate of fellow Africans sounds negative.

Julius Malema over the years has won over bright minds to join his movement, as he remains pro-African and very reverberant about the unity among Africans, and condemns illegals migrants who perpetrate crime in the country.

His hate for white people has not been his strongest point but considering the injustice experienced by people of color, it is a topic that I believe will change with time. He is a voice that resonates in the mind of a lot of Africans and a favorite. He advocates for Africans, while other leaders use the campaign to foster their party agendas, and the rest are afraid of backlashes.

Sadly leaders in Africa are not the same as those in the 60-80’s, ideologically, intellectually, and morally, the ones that are deciding the fate of future Africans are self-centered and non-visionaries.

Paul Kagame is a president that I believe is exceptional but what can one man do, if his powers are confined to a geographic location.

It has been very hard to sleep lately, as a PR specialist I understand the negative impact of an unchallenged ideology and the chain effect of the belief that is created through these wrong ideologies.

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