September 27, 2016

Racist of the Year

editor:	Ama Lorenz

There are award nominations that may bring glamour - sometimes nice. And there are nominations that bring awareness - always necessary. The Survival International “Racist of the Year” is among the latter. Every year, the global movement for tribal peoples' rights nominees persons displaying the greatest prejudice against tribal peoples.

To the this years' nominees belong: Australian cartoonist Bill Leak, the organizers of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Botswana’s President, General Ian Khama and the Indian film-maker of "MSG-2 the Messenger", Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. All nominees have one thing in common: They use their power and position to mainstreaming and displaying racist prejudice. 

Survival’s Director Stephen Corry said: “The sort of views on display among this year’s nominees would not have been out of place in the colonial era. The idea that entire peoples are “backwards,” “miserable” or “morally degenerate” has always been used as an excuse for stealing their land and forcing them into the mainstream against their will.”

What crime and injustice racism was and still is doing around the world can be read in the news - unfortunately daily. (See also fairplanet's special dossier on racism.) The more it is important to stand up against it.