Silence is our Enemy, Listening our Greatest Weapon

Original date written: 3rd June 2020 – Helsinki, Finland

Today we face not one, but two viruses sweeping the world.

They have some similarities. Both make it difficult for us to breathe. Both can easily infect every person on this planet. Both are unlikely to go away anytime soon.

But while the world as a whole has risen and united to fight the spread of Covid-19, there is a sickening indifference to the spread of racism and the deadly symptom of discrimination that it inflicts.

I have found myself watching the murder of George Floyd over and over again. It is a stuck record; and I cannot find the off switch. I don’t want to not watch, but I do know I don’t want this pain. It is the pain that is triggered every time a person of colour is killed, beaten or abused. It is the pain that has been hidden, covered up or forgotten because there is the fear that others won’t understand. The fear that it will make others feel uncomfortable. The fear that no one is really listening.

I have no doubt that this sadness and despair I feel will go away eventually. That we will find a way to move forward just as we have done in the past. However, I owe it to George to search for every possible silver lining from the dark cloud we find ourselves under year after year.

This is not only an American tragedy. Protests across the globe have shown this contagion is everywhere.

Because, you see, this is not only an American tragedy. It is only because the drama is being played out so visibly in the US that attention is focused there. However, protests across the globe have shown this contagion is everywhere.

 Despite being one of the best places in the world to live, Finland cannot and has not escaped the ravages of racism. I have lived it. It is not a fact that I have any desire to push but it must not be ignored. Just like we must not focus on the US and ignore the voices of our brothers and sisters suffering with the same experiences in South Africa, Nigeria, Denmark, Germany, China, Australia… It's time that we all recognize this injustice, not only in the US but also in Northern Europe. Racism and discrimination lives and breaths just as bad among us, but we don't talk about it. Among the 12 western EU states in the survey, Finland topped the list regarding perceived racial discrimination as well as harassment speech and gestures. Finnish residents with African backgrounds experience the most racism, according to a new EU report (2018). 

We must not kid ourselves that this is isolated. We must not kid ourselves that any amount of protesting, of hash-tagging, of solidarity wrist bands are going to change things; are going to stop the deaths of innocent people. By donating money or by changing the background of our social media profiles all we are doing is abdicated responsibility. We are running away from leadership.

You don’t have to be black to be the one to take a lead in the battle against racial inequality, just like you don’t have to be a woman to speak up for women’s rights.

You don’t have to be black to be the one to take a lead in the battle against racial inequality, just like you don’t have to be a woman to speak up for women’s rights. In fact, if you are white, you are exactly the person we want to be having a conversation with. We need to make our struggle your struggle. We need you to understand so you can show to others that this is not a problem of race but a problem with humanity!

The history of Africa’s relationship with our European cousins is one of exploitation. It is a history that has then been white-washed; cleansed of all the colour and the suffering. Of all the evil ideology and atrocities. Like anyone who feels ashamed of something they did, no one wants to be reminded of it. Actually – that’s an understatement! Most will recoil in anger and resentment at the very thought, so overbearing can be the guilt.

To all those who react this way I say, “Stop!” It is not your guilt to bear. It is only how you think and act now that matters. But be under no illusions, racial exploitation has now become institutionalised discrimination. So how you think and act now really does matter.

It takes courage to really listen and it takes courage to sit and just be with the feelings our stories will evoke.

You can start by listening. I can promise you one thing – it will be uncomfortable. You will play the disassociation game and find ways to detach yourself from the problem. Don’t do this. We need you to be uncomfortable. It takes courage to really listen and it takes courage to sit and just be with the feelings our stories will evoke.

Then we need you to act. If you don’t know how, ask us! Don’t be embarrassed to not know. Every person and situation is different. We may not even know ourselves. We may never have been asked. You and I can find a solution together. One way you can start - don’t get in touch via social media. Video call us or go and see us in person (if current social distancing rules allow).

You see, racism is the unholy alliance of a lack of understanding on the one hand, and our own bitter, personal insecurities on the other. Our fears and pride stop us from dealing with these two evils. Too proud to admit we don’t know; too scared to truly understand ourselves.

But we shouldn’t have to keep retelling our stories because others can’t understand what we are going through. We shouldn’t have to keep asking, are we speaking out enough to make a difference. 

I shouldn’t need to ask: Is this my silence?

Yacine