Omicron: Afrophobia is real
Trust the science, not your fears. This should have been told to Biden et al, who decided that South Africa and other seven African countries should be isolated from the rest of the world. South Africa is paying a heavy price for being forthcoming on its findings about the new Omicron variant. In typical Ubuntu spirit, they have done what’s good for humanity. In spite of the fact that Israel and Hong Kong have detected the same variant, they have been spared from travel bans. Curious to know why?
We have come a long way with Covid-19, remember when travel was banned from Beijing, and citizen Biden condemned Trump’s decision as xenophobic. Who’s is doing the same now. Apparently, Biden doesn’t want to ban ‘allies’ in spite of the fact that Europe has had surges way before Omicron was discovered. Wow! South Africa isn’t in Biden’s eyes an ally. Its worse that he called for the travel ban that excluded Israel and Hong Kong. Its even worse that he is a Democrat who wanted a world where America leads by example, not just to win an election but on policy. This has nothing to do with protecting America, its an outright demonstration that Biden can afford to snub people of African descent and think its wise. Trump would have been forgiven for this, Biden can’t be believed. May be his angst for Africa is as Trump’s for China. Isn’t Biden as protectionist and narrow minded on policy as Trump. He has an ‘American First’ vision for Democrats, only that he isn’t as loud as Trump. Biden is a turncoat. Period.
With all the science we have gathered about Covid19 in two years, travel bans would have the last tool in the box for the Biden White House. But he resorted to the same old experiment that proved less than effective at the beginning of the pandemic. The way I heard Omicron announced was as if Africa had lived up to its reputation. Finally, Africa had its own coronavirus like the Wuhan virus. But no one acknowledges that Africa is the world’s laboratory of drug and virus experiments for the longest time, and its hard not to detect any disease since African governments aren't as restrictive as China. And yet its common knowledge that even developed nations will hide health intelligence to look good to the world until its detected elsewhere, but almost certainly the first to save the day. How do you know what to do if you didn't have prior knowledge of the problem and time to test and come up with a solution.
I have heard this repeatedly that a lot vaccines have been donated to Africa. Why then would Africa still insists on vaccine inequality at this stage in the pandemic. Closing up borders to stop Omicron from getting to America, is against the evidence that vaccines work because US vaccination rates are above 70%. Vaccines and boosters are available for Americans protection, yet the fear of the unknown suppresses faith in vaccines. So why the panic driven response, is it because the same vaccine hesitancy in the US happens in Africa. Vaccines hesitancy and the fact that vaccines arrived late in Africa when the first world were done hoarding them may have left a window for the virus to mutate. The fact that vaccines are available in many African countries doesn’t mean that the US and others can now pat themselves on the back for being so benevolent. Its a reminder that vaccine inequality shouldn’t have happened in the first place because new variants would be prevalent among the unvaccinated which inevitably affects the rest of the world.
Nothing comes close to Afrophobia than what I believe was racial discrimination against people of African descent in the treatment of Haitians at the Southern Border. It was reported that Kamala Harris complained about it, but still Haitians unlike other South American migrants were deported in droves. Yet, Afghans were airlifted to a welcoming America over a Taliban scare. If you know what discrimination is, actions speak louder than words. It doesn't help Biden to have one rule for China, and a different one for Africa. This negative attitude that the West has dealt some African countries in the name of precaution, is repulsive, and to say the least racist. No one cares anymore how many vaccines are dumped to Africa, they should have available like yesterday. The chronic Afrophobia has always been that Africa is problematic and could produce the next big pandemic. China may have beaten us to this, but this assumption lingers hence the travel bans.
