Seated in the unenviable squalor of my modest, sparsely furnished living room, deep in the southern end of “shithole” Africa, as American President Donald Trump casually described it in January 2018, I have come to the firm conclusion that America is not qualified to lecture my continent on human rights and democracy. I have watched the video of the tragic, untimely death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota and have remained appalled at the brazen inhumanity demonstrated by the police in a “first world” democracy.
I have read in horror countless social media posts, penned by pained Black, brown and white folks on the latest controversial death of a Black man in America, which came on the heels of the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia and Breonna Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky.
Each post has been inundated with an obvious abundance of silent, peaceful rage and despondency at the violent racism permeating every aspect of life in the world’s leading democracy. Utterly shocked at what I have been seeing, I have had to repeatedly remind myself that this is America.
*The views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.