Once upon a time in Africa, there was a failing government. Instead of acknowledging their failure, and admitting that they were incapable of proper governing, the government chose to blame some of their citizens. The ones who were different.
Rapid followers of that government began calling the people singled out for blame 'cockroaches' - dehumanising them, and making it okay to kill them.
Up till now, you thought I was talking about South Africa, and SASCO's disgusting, ANC sanctioned racism, right?
Actually, I'm not.
I'm talking about the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
The Hutus targeted the Tutsis when their government began to fail. They called them cockroaches, and in April of 1994, the killing began.
Hutus, armed with machetes slaughtered Tutsis and Hutus who were believe to be moderates. Neighbors slaughtered their neighbors. School teachers hacked Tutsis to pieces.
No one knows exactly how many 'cockroaches' the Hutus eliminated during their killing spree. Some estimate as many as a million.
The lesson here is that what is happening in South Africa today - government turning a blind eye when minorities are blamed for their own failure, and the blatant hate speech and dehumanisation of minorities IS a mirror of Rwanda in 1994.
WHEN it follows the same path, don't be surprised. All the signs are there. If you're too in love with the illusion of the rainbow nation to see them, then that's your problem.
Start demanding that action is taken now. There's still a small chance that this time, the world can prevent a 'Rwanda' from happening. But not if you keep ignoring the distinct possibility that it will happen.
Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
