By Oluseun Fatope
The Association of African Historians (AAH) has issued a stinging rebuke of the South African government and its citizenry, labeling the recent surge in xenophobic violence a historical betrayal and a sacrilegious spit on the legacy of the continent’s liberation icons.
In a powerful statement titled “A Clarion Call for Historical Sobriety Amidst The Scourge of Afrophobia in South Africa,” Professor Christopher Bankole Ndubuisi Ogbogbo, President of the AAH and Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria, expressed profound indignation over the recurring cycles of violence targeting African migrants. The association, which serves as the umbrella body for historians across the continent, noted with a heavy heart that the recent upsurge in Afrophobic attacks has led to widespread looting, the displacement of thousands, and numerous fatalities among African foreigners.
The AAH did not mince words regarding the political leadership in Pretoria, specifically criticizing what it described as the “lackadaisical” attitude of the South African government. Professor Ogbogbo singled out President Cyril Ramaphosa, accusing the administration of “callous indifference” in the face of escalating mayhem. The historians observed that since the 1995 assaults in Alexandra Township, a disturbing “orgy of violence” has taken root, often fueled by populist narratives that scapegoat foreign nationals for the country’s high unemployment rates and crime levels.
At the heart of the association’s message is a stern reminder of the “debt of solidarity” South Africa owes to the rest of the continent. The AAH argued that it is intellectually dishonest for a nation to enjoy the fruits of a liberation struggle while violently uprooting the very people who helped secure its freedom. The statement emphasized that Nelson Mandela did not endure 27 years of imprisonment to see the “Rainbow Nation” devolve into a theatre of fratricide. By attacking fellow Africans, the AAH asserts that perpetrators are dismantling the pan-African scaffolding built by leaders like Walter Sisulu and Oliver Tambo.
Addressing the South African youth directly, the AAH suggested that local history books have “gathered dust,” leading to a dangerous state of collective amnesia. The statement detailed the extensive sacrifices made by African nations during the apartheid era. It highlighted how Frontline States such as Zambia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Botswana risked their national security to host the ANC and PAC. Furthermore, the AAH reminded the public that Nigeria, despite its geographical distance, acted as a “frontline state” by chairing the UN Committee Against Apartheid and establishing the South Africa Relief Fund, to which ordinary Nigerian civil servants and students contributed their own salaries.
The historians also pointed to Ethiopia’s role in providing military training to Mandela in the 1960s and the collective diplomatic pressure from Accra to Addis Ababa that eventually broke the apartheid regime’s “Bantustan” policy. To turn against the descendants of these allies today, the AAH stated, is to grant a posthumous victory to the architects of apartheid who claimed Black Africans were incapable of self-governance.
In its concluding remarks, the Association of African Historians called for an immediate overhaul of the South African educational curriculum to emphasize Pan-African history as a defense against prejudice. Professor Ogbogbo urged all South Africans to engage in a “deep, retrospective, and sober reflection” to bridge the gap of historical ignorance. Standing ready to facilitate dialogues, the AAH maintained that the unity of Africa must not be sacrificed to the ignorance of the present, reaffirming that the continent remains one indivisible entity.
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