THE main reason racism is such a dangerous philosophy is because the perpetrators consider the people whose race they despise to be sub-humans whose lives are worthless.
That is why the memory of the wanton massacres of innocent blacks by racist regimes in apartheid South Africa, Rhodesia, Namibia and other parts of colonial Africa will always haunt us.
The butchering in cold blood of more than 176 unarmed schoolchildren in Soweto by the apartheid South African regime in 1976 remains a poignant reminder of how far racist heartlessness can go.
Africa’s decision to make June 16 the ‘Day of the African Child’ is therefore applauded.
For the day gives Africa a chance to reflect not only on the Soweto massacre, but also on other incidents where innocent people have been wantonly butchered because they are perceived to be inferior beings because of skin pigmentation.
When the Afrikaners, originally from Holland, mowed down black students in the Soweto massacre, it was their racist orientation that made them feel justified to do so.
The Germans did the same with the Herero and Namaqua in Namibia.
And when the British cousins in Rhodesia bombed refugee camps at Chimoio and Nyadzonia, killing hundreds of innocent black women and children, they even celebrated.
So for European nations like the British, the Germans, the Dutch and the French, among others, the conviction that Africans are sub-humans has remained entrenched.
To them colonialism was just a sequel to slavery, where blacks would remain beasts of burden.
To them colonial subjects could be killed willy-nilly.
Mind you, these are the very nations which call themselves champions of human rights.
And if we are to rank human rights in their order, which indeed surpasses that of life?
What must be abundantly clear to us is that their perception of blacks is not discriminatory – all blacks are the same, sell-out or nationalist.
But some of us are fooled into believing we are closer to the British or Americans than our black counterparts.
They are happy to connive and collaborate with them to destroy other blacks.
When the racists massacred black students in Soweto or when they bombed black refugees at Chimoio and Nyadzonia, they didn’t select.
So, no matter how much a racist might smile at you or pretend to befriend you so that you might willingly betray your brothers and sisters, you will never be kin to him.
The Day of the African Child should remind us that the Soweto children were mowed down after protesting against an education system that would guarantee their continued servitude to Afrikaners.
Racists are very good at coming up with an education curriculum that develops a mentality that accepts the superiority of the white race.
That is why we expect the new curriculum being spearheaded by Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Lazarus Dokora to instill the idea of dignity and superiority of one’s country in our children.
Because this is exactly what the racists didn’t like when they resisted black majority rule throughout the continent.
The Day of the African Child, while reminding us of the evils of racism, should also strengthen us in our resolve to develop a curriculum ideal for an African child.
A curriculum that imbues the African child with ubuntu/hunhu.