Februaury 6th 2012 – Nigerian students, residing in Kochi, for their higher studies complained about racial discrimination by the city people who have asked Nigerians to vacate the rented house. 50 students sponsored by the Nigerian government, for a special training programme were allotted block No 2 of the NRI Silicon Heights residential society in Kochi.
However, the residents are complaining that a Nigerian student unzipped his pants in public, in front of two school going girls. The allegations were denied by the students and they felt its their skin which has attracted the controversy. Even the school is supporting their foreign students on the matter . A local, Executive Director with Euro Tech , claims that this is a pure case of racial discrimination against the Nigerians. He too is a Kerelite but blames the residents, who he heard yelling slogans against the students, addressing them as monkeys and asking them to go back!
Well, Nigerian nationals have spread in many parts of the country and have been accepted well in cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata. These nationals need not be students necessarily and it has been rare that they offend the Indian society with their behaviour or act. Considering the incident being true where one student dared to harass school-girls by un-zipping his pants, it’s that particular student who should be held accountable and not the community as a whole. Indians who themselves have been discriminated on racial grounds by whites , arabs and even blacks, in many countries, have never retaliated to foreign guests on racial grounds. That is not our culture.
It is understood if a White guy finds a Black guy completely different or vice – versa but not us. India is not only a blend of culture and religion it is also a blend of skin colours where some Indians can win competitions of being darker than Nigerians while some can compete with the white-skinned Americans, as well.