In October 2016, I penned an op-ed titled “Why You Ought to Not Go to South Africa,” a scathing rebuke of the nation’s visa insurance policies towards Nigerians. On the time, I had deliberate to attend the MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) in Johannesburg, however my plans have been derailed by an onerous visa course of that symbolized broader frustrations many Nigerians confronted when interacting with South Africa’s immigration system. The article, initially revealed in The Guardian Nigeria, aimed to critique South Africa’s immigration insurance policies, which have been unnecessarily costly, time-consuming, logistically difficult, and downright hostile. This was particularly placing at a time when South Africa was actively courting West African vacationers, significantly Nigerians, by way of a significant marketing campaign led by its tourism arm, South African Tourism. The dissonance between this heat invitation and the arduous visa utility course of and subsequent therapy on arrival at South African Ports of entry, left me unsettled. I sought to alter this course of by detailing my decades-long expertise touring to South Africa. My pondering was that by reminding Nigerians of their collective affect as cultural and financial drivers, they might search friendlier locations on the continent and thus problem South Africa’s near-monopoly on intra-African tourism.
The article rapidly gained traction. Initially, South African Tourism in West Africa tried to handle the problem diplomatically. Nevertheless, others dismissed it because the rant of a “wannabe influencer,” believing it might fade into obscurity. It didn’t. Different native and worldwide media publications rapidly picked it up, and earlier than lengthy, I used to be having sit-down interviews.
I quickly discovered myself on the heart of a heated, usually divisive, debate about relations between Nigerians and South Africans. What began as a critique of presidency coverage developed into an emblem for broader grievances, together with generally inflammatory rhetoric. Associates and strangers on all sides of the problem approached me at occasions—from New Yr’s Eve events to weddings—to debate the subject. Some denounced the coverage, some defended the spirit of it, and others detailed private tales about the way it had affected them.
Whereas I wrote the essay with Nigerians in thoughts, it resonated far past Nigeria, amplifying frustrations shared by different Africans who had skilled comparable hurdles. It turned a rallying level for these disillusioned by South Africa’s method to African guests, and I inadvertently turned a lightning rod within the broader discourse round xenophobia, coverage inequities, and African unity.
Over time, nevertheless, I spotted the unintended penalties of my advocacy. What started as a critique of presidency coverage was misinterpreted by some as an assault on the South African individuals, additional polarizing relations between Nigerians and South Africans. As somebody who had made a deliberate effort to inform optimistic and uplifting tales about Africa and Africans, this was by no means my intent. My critique was all the time aimed toward coverage, not individuals.
A Diplomatic Breakthrough
By 2019, as tensions between Nigerians and South Africans continued, I started to query whether or not disengagement was the best method. An off-the-cuff dialog with my mates—Ghanaian-American entrepreneur Afua Osei and South African actress and activist Nomzamo Mbatha—in Washington, D.C., provided readability: reasonably than discouraging Nigerians from visiting South Africa, why not encourage extra South Africans to go to Nigeria? As South African comic Trevor Noah as soon as instructed, the antidote to bias is commonly engagement. Actual understanding grows from direct interplay, and the necessity for constructive engagement between Africans turned more and more clear.
Then got here Giants of Africa, a non-profit based 20 years in the past by Nigerian-born President and Vice Chairman of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors Masai Ujiri and his associate and NBA scout Godwin Owinje, who have been launching their first foray into South Africa. They partnered with Johannesburg Parks and Zoo to construct two basketball courts as a part of their Constructed Inside mission to speed up youth improvement throughout Africa by developing 100 basketball courts.
Having attended earlier launches in Rwanda and Côte d’Ivoire, I knew basketball diplomacy would supply the best second to return to South Africa—to not criticize, however to play, witness, and have a good time Africans constructing collectively. The disclosing of their thirty fifth court docket in Johannesburg’s Berea neighborhood embodied the unity and progress I had lengthy advocated for.
My return after an virtually decade-long hiatus additionally coincided with a major diplomatic breakthrough. Within the weeks main as much as the Giants of Africa launch, Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his South African counterpart, President Cyril Ramaphosa—the leaders of two of the continent’s 4 largest economies—addressed long-standing points throughout the eleventh session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-Nationwide Fee in Cape City. South Africa agreed to loosen up visa necessities for Nigerian vacationers and enterprise individuals—a victory for widespread sense, to cite former Nigerian Head of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon.
Whereas tensions between the individuals of the 2 nations will little question take a while to thaw, the agreements marked an vital step towards repairing relations. It signaled a shift within the South African authorities’s posture towards Nigerians—from one which presumes criminality to at least one that aligns carefully with its acknowledged purpose of welcoming extra vacationers and enterprise individuals from the continent. This is a vital marker for native leaders and residents to observe go well with.
Towards a New Narrative
Strolling by way of the identical airport the place I as soon as spent a number of hours in detention with a Nigerian passport, this time as an American citizen, I felt the stark distinction in therapy. It was a bittersweet reminder of the persistent disparities Africans face relative to vacationers from exterior the continent. But, my optimism for the longer term stays intact.
On my return to Johannesburg, I had the nice fortune of participating with Africans from throughout the continent—from younger children to seasoned veterans, individuals from all walks of life: enterprise, improvement, sports activities, music, artwork, trend, movie, politics, Uber drivers, immigrants, market merchants, and mates. Whereas I stand by the ideas of my unique article, I now see that mutual understanding is best served by lively engagement. I imagine that as an alternative of boycotting South Africa, we must always encourage and create alternatives for extra South Africans—not simply celebrities and enterprise individuals, however abnormal individuals like the youngsters from Berea—to go to Nigeria, work together, collaborate, and interact with Nigerians in Nigeria.
My evolution on this subject is a microcosm of a broader story of African progress—one marked by the relentless pursuit of unity. The lesson is obvious: constructive engagement, diplomacy, and shared cultural experiences are the keys to bridging divides. My hope is that this renewed engagement will pave the best way for deeper unity throughout the continent. As a result of, in the long run, we’re strongest after we stand collectively—not simply as Nigerians or South Africans, however as Africans.
As I look again, I’m reminded that my position as a storyteller is not only to doc or critique however to construct. Africa’s future lies in our potential to work collectively, problem inequities, and have a good time our shared humanity. To that finish, I say: go to South Africa, go to Nigeria, and go to each nook of this extraordinary continent. The connections we forge as we speak will form the Africa we dream of tomorrow.
Ernest is a Nigerian and the founder & Managing Companion of Denda Group, a model design and development technique firm that makes use of design pondering and efficient inventive storytelling to construct and develop start-ups, small companies and social enterprises. Learn extra op-eds by him right here.
