DIASPORA AFRICANS ARE FEELING THE PINCH OF THE EBOLA CRISIS IN AMERICA

Ebola, the virus that has killed thousands of people in West Africa, and one on the American soil, has become a reason for discriminating Africans by a section of people in the United States and elsewhere in the West.

For the first time, Africans living in the US feel profiled over Ebola even though they live thousands of miles away from the epicentre of the disease in West Africa.

The virus has exploded into a major crisis in America. It has sent people into a state of panic or "hysteria" as President Obama has said, and driven them into what is now known here as the "abundance of caution." Extreme prevention measures have been put in place to curb its spread. This is after a Liberian national Thomas Duncan arrived in Dallas, tested positive for Ebola and died. Two American nurses who had close contacts with Duncan are presently hospitalised.`

The importation of the virus from Africa has fueled an abundance of xenophobia among a large population of Americans whose perception of Africans has now turned into one of suspicion and indignation.

It is common knowledge that many Americans are deficient on matters of geography. Because the United States of America is one country, they cannot imagine Africa is different, that it is a splinter of over 50 independent nations.

To many Americans, Africa is a homogeneous continent inhabited by black people who are not only backward but also poor, miserable, corrupt, and different. They cannot tell the difference between West Africa and East Africa nor differentiate between a Zulu and a Luo.

This lack of knowledge helped by an ill-informed media has exposed Africans in the Diaspora to cynicism and hate perpetrated by racist elements desirous of isolating the continent.

Of late, there have been several disturbing instances pointing to racist tendencies against Africans.

Last week in Dallas, a Kenyan nurse was sent home from work because she had contact with her daughter who was visiting from Kenya. In Oklahoma, more than twenty Kenyan children on an exchange visit to America are now in a state of limbo accused of bringing Ebola to the United States; and in several places reports have emerged of African students being bullied on account of their origins, with one case of a teary high school student from Niger of particular interest. Similar discriminatory behaviour has been reported in Europe.

Usually, I never shy away from flaunting my Africanness while overseas. But with the explosion of Ebola-phobia in the United States having reached extreme proportions, some of us are compelled to mute our origin to avoid public humiliation.

I don't see Ebola going anywhere any time soon which means the phobia and the resultant taunting of Africans will continue for a long time.

But that is not all.

Pressure is mounting on President Obama's administration to ban all travels to and from Africa (not just West Africa). If this happens, the economic implication will be huge not only for Africans but for the entire international community. It means, westerners will not be able to leave from or travel to the continent; and Africans will virtually be isolated.

I hope President Obama will resist such pressure.

And that is my say.