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Where do You Feel Safe?
By Oludele Botchway
The first answer to probably pop into your mind is – at home. If asked what you mean by “home,” the answer will obviously be – where I live. At least, that is how it should be. We should feel at home wherever we live and we should feel safe wherever we feel at home.
Reports of racial encroachments, hostilities and even racially motivated killings, like the shooting of six Africans in Naples last September makes those of us living within the Diaspora question whether our place of residence is actually our home and whether our home is really safe.
Living in the Diaspora has many implications and effects on our individual lives. One of them is that we sometimes do not feel at home where we live. We feel foreign, different and are aware that we are perceived as such. Along with the feeling of being perceived as different is a certain type of uneasiness. For those of us who live in major cities with a diverse population the feeling of being spotted as different might be uncommon, but for those who live in cities with a less diverse population, that feeling might be a well-known and even daily experience. Whenever I travel to Paris, London or Amsterdam I instantly feel as though I am part of a hybrid community, thus it is easier for me to feel at home than in some places in Germany, which actually is my home country.
But how does it feel to live in a place that does not feel like home in addition to feelings of insecurity? To me that condition would be unbearable. When people I know read about racist incidents in the news I am often asked how the situation in Germany is. My first response is that I definitely feel safe over here. Still that question always encompasses more than a request for my sense of security; thus, I would have to elaborate my answer.
My own experiences are mixed. Especially during my adolescence, I felt that society paid special attention to the social group I belonged too or rather that I felt placed in. Young, male foreigners or teenagers with foreign ethnic backgrounds like myself are much more likely to be controlled by police than their German counterparts yet I could not report any personal physical encroachments or anything of that nature. We felt safe, but still many of us could not fully embrace our residence as home.
Some countries, especially those with a colonial history, have a longer tradition of multiculturalism. In Europe this holds particularly true for France and the UK. Other countries such as Italy, Spain and Germany commenced their transformation to immigration countries decades after those nations. Over the course of history, many societies in Europe, like the ones previously mentioned, have undergone significant changes. Like any major change in society, these adjustments take time and are generally accompanied by problems and difficulties.
Reports of rioting teenagers in the Banlieus (a term for the poor suburbs in France mainly occupied by foreigners), outbreaks of racist attacks on Northern African immigrants in Spain and the shooting of six African immigrants in Italy last September dramatically showcase how much potential conflict these changes harbour. Although occasional incidents related to racism still make the news Germany, which probably had the worst reputation as far as hospitality and acceptance of immigrants is concerned, has moved past the violent phase. I quite well remember the prevalence of these issues in the news in the early 90s.
I can recall marches, more than a decade ago, of tens of thousands holding up lighters against racism as a result of xenophobic attacks. During those days one had the feeling that society was on the verge of change but some people were unreceptive of that fact. Nowadays it seems more important to constantly protect the benefits of those inevitable changes that took place. These transformations were due to significant demographic changes and did not only alter demographic statistics but instead brought a new multicultural togetherness to life.
In my peer group, which mainly consisted of non-German youths, the feeling of being different still prevailed. Reading the news, we were often confronted with reports of the poor performance of foreign teenagers in schools. Juvenile delinquency and violence were also said to be huge problems among foreign teenagers. To us it often felt strange to be portrayed as some kind of threat to society. We rather felt society was, if not threatening, then at least not accepting.
That feeling gradually subsided over the course of time as we grew older. Nonetheless, we all remember why we used to feel different and why many of us hesitated to apply for the German passport. To us it was amazing to see how young immigrants in France embraced their residence as their new home and cheered on “les bleus” during the World Cup. This often puzzled us, because we found it more difficult to identify ourselves with “our” national team than with the French team. One of my friends claimed this was because the French team was composed of players of different ethnic backgrounds.
Change takes time, but in situations like the one Italy faces, political authorities as well as the general public feel there is no time to be patient and wait for acceptance. In reference to the latest demonstrations and conflicts between minorities and authorities, Nicoletta Vallorani, an Italian writer said: "The risk of racial riots is high. Nowadays Milan reminds me of Paris during the (2005) Banlieue revolt, or London at the time of the (1981) Brixton riots." As historical parallels already show, such fundamental changes in society sadly ever proceed without violence.
The latest racially motivated incidents in Italy clearly demonstrate that authorities need to be alert and ready to combat violence against minorities. Moreover, it shows that besides all the claims for multiculturalism, especially with Europe priding itself on being comprised of such culturally diverse nations in the European Union, it is still a long way to go until the words of the French parole “Liberty, equality, brotherhood” become a reality.
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