Experiencing the dark side

This week’s attack on a female Tanzanian student on the outskirts of Bengaluru — who was assaulted by a mob that believed she and her friends were responsible for a road accident that had claimed the life of one woman — has brought into the spotlight once again, the several difficulties that students from Africa face during their time here. From being overcharged for basic services, not being rented property, being questioned by the police, to being stared at or abused — these are just some of the issues these students say they run into in their daily lives. However, most of them are also very thankful for the support of their friends and classmates here.

The Mumbai Age reached out to African students in this city, and in other metros, to find out what their experiences here have been like. Among these students was 21-year-old Moses Icado, who lives in Delhi. Moses came to India to pursue a degree in digital filmmaking and animation and has been here for four years now, and says that he did not find it very different from his home country in Africa, except in terms of infrastructure and facilities.

Moses told us that he has had a mix of experiences here — positive and negative. “Two years ago, I was thrown out of my rented house one fine day because the landlord and the society decided to ‘house no Africans’ in their building premises,” Moses said.

“I put up at my friend’s house for a few weeks till I could look for alternate accommodation.” Moses says that for his Indian friends themselves, finding housing is a problem — for someone like him, it becomes that much more difficult.

Indeed, for most African students here, finding housing is quite the pressing issue. In Mumbai for instance, not too long ago, 25 Nigerian students in Goregaon (E) were issued eviction notices by agents who had rented them apartments. The agents claimed that they had been asked to do so by the cops, but the police said that they had only requested a document verification of all the foreign nationals. Bright, who is a BSc Computer Science student here, told us that it was difficult to hold on to apartments. “It’s difficult to get one here,” Bright said. “We don’t get apartments, I believe it (our) colour. Most of them do not care if we are capable of paying the rent. Recently, all the blacks in a building close to mine were asked to vacate their flats. Honestly, I do not know why.” (Referring to one of the reasons that was offered by the authorities, that certain African nationals were involved in drug dealing or were staying on after their visas had expired) Bright added, “If someone had committed a crime, he alone should be dealt with right Why do others have to pay for it ”

Bright has raised an issue that many of the students we spoke to had also brought up. Bokor S. Moussa, who is the vice-president of the Association of African Students in India, Bengaluru chapter, said that being rounded up by the cops even when he/his compatriots haven’t done anything illegal, is a reality. “The local police doesn’t treat us very well,” rued Moussa, who came to India in 2013 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Applications and will now take up an MCA.

Then there is the casual negativity that Moussa says he and his friends face on the streets. “Every day there is discrimination on the basis of colour and we are taunted, teased,” he said. “There is no respect shown towards us.”

Moses Icado admitted that he has faced instances where, when walking down a road, or using public transport, passers-by or fellow commuters have called him “kaalu”. “I had to Google the word to find out what it meant,” he said. “Initially, I would get into verbal exchanges in such incidents. But how much can one fight I have learnt to ignore it.”

But these students also told us that while there have been negative experiences, there have been lots of positive ones too. Bright said that after much searching, he found an Indian landlord who has been most helpful. Andrew Daniel, 29, and Solomon Valley, 22, have both formed close friendships with their classmates here, and say they’ve had their support through thick and thin.

“I completed my BMM in Mumbai and I’m now pursuing Fashion Designing at an institute in Delhi,” says Andrew, a Nigerian who has been in India since 2011. “Yes, communication was difficult due to language issues, and people would often stare at me when travelling in the train. That made me uncomfortable. But my friends in college were very helpful. They never made me feel like I’m in a foreign country. There was no discrimination in my college either.”

Solomon Valley, who is studying for a BSc Chemistry degree in Mumbai, said that India was an easy choice for him — as “education here is cheap and the culture here is so diverse that if people can survive here, they can survive anywhere in the world!” He added, “I’m the only foreigner in my class and other students keep cracking jokes in Hindi; I don’t understand what they say but I laugh with them. It doesn’t bother me. I’m trying to learn the language and cope. People look at us with suspicion and it is embarrassing, but there are others who have helped us through thick and thin. I have made lovely friends, who’ve helped me and my pals. I will forever be grateful to this country for offering me a good quality education, a roof to stay under and wonderful friends for life.”

Indeed, most of the students we spoke to said that they were taking negative experiences, if any, in their stride. As Moses Icado said, “There are bound to be differences when people come across cultures which are not similar to theirs. Hence issues like discrimination will crop up when you aren’t in your home country. I hope one day each one of us decides to live peacefully with the other.”

Inputs by Julie Sam