From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Africans subjected
Date: 11 Sep 92 13:55:16 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Title: CZECHOSLOVAKIA: Africans subjected to racism


an inter press service feature

by tamara lave

prague, sep 3 (ips/pragnosis) -- africans furthering their studies
in czechoslovakia, say they are being subjected to discrimination
and violent racial attacks.

upon arrival, africans studying in prague are quarantined in
transit offices until they have been thoroughly examined for any
diseases, according to the study department of foreign students
within the ministry of education.

medical tests last between a week and 10 days, and although
officials consider disease unlikely, people still fear that
africans pose some kind of a health threat.

czech student radovan krjc said: ''africans carry diseases, aids
and these illnesses. my friends and i think the same on this. you
see their country is so (dirty) that you can't think that they
don't have aids.''

forty years behind the iron curtain left czechoslovakia's 15
million citizens generally isolated not only from western
capitalist democracy by from the third world cultures that have
dynamically transformed the ethnic mix of western cities like
london, paris and new york.

thousands of vietnamese workers arrived during the 1970s and
hundreds of africans filtered into the country's universities, but
czechoslovakia's main ethnic groupings in 1989 remain the same:
czechs, slovaks, moravians, hungarians, poles and romanies
(gypsies).

although an african diplomat said it was ''communist official
policy to discourage racism'', students who make up most of the
2,500 africans in czechoslovakia, describe treatment prior to the
revolution as openly hostile. now it is less blatant, they say,
but there all the same.

before there was ''propaganda that people from developing
countries don't have shelter and that they are given clothes at
the airport'', says childwell nyirenda, a student from zambia.

''they were told that blacks can't think. the youth league during
communist rule was there to organise czechs against foreigners
(and to discourage students) from having boyfriends, especially
black.''(more/ips)

czechoslovakia: africans subjected to racism(2-e)

czechoslovakia: africans (2)

george, an african student who did not want his last name used,
agreed that there was more blatant dislike of africans before the
revolution when africans and czechs shared dormitories and often
lived as roommates. now, he said, foreign students have been
relegated to one building.

''it raises a lot of suspicion,'' he said. ''we look at it as a
kind of racism. the reason they gave is it is easier during
holidays but we don't really trust that. the czechs call our
building the zoo.''

skinheads, the right-wing, ultra-nationalist youths aiming to
keep czechoslovakia closed to foreigners, give the africans the
most trouble. ''people see (attacks) but do nothing,'' said esayas
ashebir, a student from ethiopia. ''either they're happy that the
skins are attacking us or they don't want to get involved.''

some say the police are of little or no help. ''a few africans
have been beaten up, but if they report it to the police they say
you should  have beaten him back or the police officer will come
and say, 'beat him quickly and then run away','' nyirenda said.

racist attacks against africans are not a big problem, said
vladisalav plechaty, director of the police department's group to
fight against fascist and racist activities of punk and skinhead
movements. he said in 1991 there were only five reported attacks
and several less serious ones, against africans.

he admitted, however, that some attacks are not reported, since
some people ''don't want anything to do with the police''.

in the 1950 africans started coming to czechoslovakia when the
communist government began encouraging students from the
developing countries to study there. arrangements were made
through communist countries in different countries, explained dr.
otto barbec, an official at the foreign ministry of education.

although there are still scholarships for underdeveloped
countries, since 1989 the number has decreased
significantly.   barbec estimates that the number of africans
studying in czechoslovakia will decrease to one-fifth of what is
used to be.

since the revolution, the government has adopted a policy
designed to deter africans from settling in the csfr permanently.

''all this system of giving visas is limited. this is in
accordance with the neighbouring countries which share the same
interest. they'd like to avoid too extensive a migration from
africa to europe,'' said one official from the foreign policy and
passport service who requested anonymity.

many people think integration will come in time.  ''things won't
change in this generation, but maybe in 50 years,'' said nyirenda.
''this generation has been destroyed by the communist system which
was inhuman.''(end/ips/ip/tl/cdm/92)



-- 
Mr. Aaron Barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african,apc.reg.safrica,sanet.talk.politics