Recent developments in China seem to point to an orchestrated campaign by Chinese officials to paint Africans, especially blacks as the purveyors of the dreaded COVID-19 in China. Social media is awash with videos of maltreatment and acts of discrimination against Africans in the guise of preventing the spread of coronavirus.
This would have seemed like a comedy if it was not so sinister and delusionary. First of all, the whole world knows that COVID-19 was initially referred to as the Wuhan coronavirus. This is because that was the origin of the virus. The only debate is whether the virus actually started with infections from live bats in a meat market or whether it was a man-made creation in the Wuhan bio-lab. The US is presently investigating purported claims that the virus was indeed a laboratory creation gone rogue.
One begins to wonder the rationale for this obvious insult and slap in the face of Africans as reported cases of the virus in Wuhan is officially put at 50,333 while the entire African continent has just about 17,000 cases and confirmed cases in China is about over 82,000. Meanwhile, such treatment is not being meted out to citizens of the USA, Italy, Spain and the UK where the disease has taken stronghold and each has recorded cases in hundreds of thousands.
Chinese authorities in Guangzhou reportedly decided to forcibly test all Africans because 2 Nigerians tested positive for the virus and had an altercation with health authorities after which the resorted to evicting all Africans from their homes and hotel accommodations, forcibly separating them from their Chinese spouses and literally stopping them from entering any building whether it is a residence, hotel, warehouse or public building. All this happening while their passports are reportedly seized by the Chinese authorities. This forced Nigerians and other Africans whose test results turned out negative to sleep in the streets and under bridges like stray dogs.
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Could this persecution of Africans be an attempt at deflection by the Chinese to take away increased scrutiny on their claims on the origin of the virus? Why should Africans be made their fall guys? Are they doing this because they know African leaders are beholden unto them for loans, grants, and favors and would, therefore, look the other way while their citizens are being treated as third-rate humans? Why should Africans continue to suffer all kinds of indignities and subjugation from people of other races?
If the pliant African leaders fail to call the Chinese to order, the incidents will not only escalate but they may actually take it to the next level and start treating Africans like animals. There is already news that Chinese-owned restaurants discriminate against Nigerians and citizens of other host countries. In some African countries, they are known to flog and corporally punish their local staff. Should Africans continue to suffer in the hands of the Chinese in China and even in their own land? Is this slavery and colonization 2.0 loading?
Africa must do something before it is too late!
