Concerns have emerged in India regarding xenophobia against Africans. Anger intensified after the murder of a Nigerian in Goa at the end of October, which led to Nigerian-led protests in Goa. The authorities in Goa have been searching for connections between Nigerians and drug-related gangs. The government in Goa reported that the Nigerian had been murdered due to violence within the drug-related gangs and that an arrest for the murder had been made. Nonetheless, the diplomatic relationship between Nigeria and India has weakened. Politicians in Goa have made prejudiced statements regarding Nigerians. The authorities in Goa have arranged to deport the illegal Nigerian immigrants in India, which has enraged Nigerian diplomats: “There are only 50,000 Nigerians living in India, but there are over a million Indians living in Nigeria. Thousands of Indians living there will be thrown out on the streets if the forcible eviction of Nigerians in Goa does not stop,” Jacob Nwadibia, a consular attaché, said. Africans frequently complain about facing discrimination in India. African college students have voiced their concerns regarding unjust treatment in college. In addition, there have been complaints regarding difficulty in obtaining housing. Furthermore, Africans are stereotyped as associated with crime and drug-trafficking, which results in discriminatory treatment from the police. Foreigners report a diverse set of experiences in India. Their accounts suggest that foreigners in India may be treated differently based on their nationality, race, or gender. At times whites are in a privileged position as compared to blacks and men earn more respect than women. It is time for India to start treating all its foreigners justly and equally. Links to information:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/2013/11/africans-decry-discrimination-india-201311139485418912.html http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/2013/11/murder-sparks-india-nigeria-diplomatic-storm-201311109531844644.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24835058 http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-04/india/43657766_1_nigerians-goa-government-forcible-eviction - Nitya "Each time I picked up black grapes, tea, jamun or strong coffee, my in-laws made me put it down saying that black-coloured foods will darken my growing fetus!" - AJ Franklin http://darkisbeautiful.blogspot.in/2013/11/surviving-discrimination-aj-franklin.html - Nitya
On November 5th India sent its first unmanned mission to Mars in the hope of becoming a member of an exclusive group of countries who have successfully sent spacecraft to Mars. The purpose of the mission is to explore the atmosphere on Mars and search for signs of life. If the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is successful, it would be the fourth space agency in the world to reach Mars, following the space agencies of US, Russia, and Europe. Opinions on India’s space mission range. Some see India’s space mission as evidence of a space race emerging in Asia between countries such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea. Also, although India’s Mars mission is the cheapest Mars mission ever undertaken with a cost of $74 million, critics argue that the millions of dollars could have been spent towards alleviating India’s extreme poverty. However, supporters of the mission state that the space mission will end up benefiting India’s population as a whole. Furthermore, advanced space technology proved to be valuable before Cyclone Phailin hit in October. Extensive evacuation efforts were possible because of prior warnings from weather satellites. Also, the mission would fuel optimism and imagination in India. Nisha Agrawal, the chief executive of the nonprofit organization Oxfam in India, has an interesting perspective on the issue. She argues that India’s status as a world power makes it necessary for India to engage in projects with a global impact such as the Mars mission. “We are not really one country but two in one. And we need to do both things: contribute to global knowledge as well as take care of poor people at home” she said. Her suggestion that India has to maintain these two roles may be controversial, but draws attention to the political and economic considerations India must make as it emerges as a world superpower. Links to information:
http://world.time.com/2013/11/05/india-races-to-space-with-a-mission-to-mars/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24729073http://ibnlive.in.com/news/india-sends-mars-mission-into-space-a-symbolic-coup-over-china-japan/432403-62-127.html http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/elements/2013/11/a-mission-to-mars-on-the-cheap.html - Nitya Check out this brilliant ad from Google India. Subtitles are available for those who need if you watch it on YouTube itself! Some awesome poetry by a really cool 18 year old girl in response to the backlash against Nina Davuluri on Twitter after her crowning. Look out for a piece by Nitya in the upcoming print edition!! The other day when I was browsing Facebook I came across the following post by Mahroh Jahangiri. Commenting on a picture of WashU students at halloween, Mahroh clearly articulates the stereotypes and prejudices faced by the American Muslim community. The discussion that ensued from this post shows two sides of the argument. Read the comments for some well articulated responses outlining both sides of the debate. Some hate driven comments, however, have found their way into this argument, and we want to be very clear that whilst every argument has two sides, hate and religious bigotry is not one of them. We commend Mahroh for her willingness to speak up on a contentious issue, and encourage others to exercise their opinions. As Tufts' students may know the South Asian community is not far removed from contentious issues - with Holi/Color run being the most recent example. Mahroh's post serves us as an opportunity to step outside the Tufts' bubble and acknowledges difficulties faced by minorities on other campuses. Please take the time to read through this whole post, I promise you will not regret it. Feel free to comment and add to the discussion. Post by Mahroh Jahangiri. |