Not our circus, not our monkeys? Think again. Nigerian man killed in Italy racist attack

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Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi and wife - Italian Racist Killing

As I emptied my soul into the article about the tragic executions by policemen of our brothers in America, what surprised me the most was some of the Nigerian reaction to this issue.

People asked why we were so concerned. People mentioned the number of Nigerians who die unjustly everyday. Some at the hands of Boko Haram, some even at the hands of police officers. Some said charity begins at home and we need to fix us first before concentrating on America and American problems.

What people fail to realise is that once you are a citizen of the world, everything that concerns every Black person – nay, every human – concerns you too.

Oh, wait. You think the Police will stop and inquire as to if your name is Tyrone or Tunji before shooting you? You think this doesn’t concern you? You think your nationality, tribe, religion, qualifications or good behaviour will protect you?

A son of ours, a 16-year-old Yoruba boy was stabbed on the streets of London a few days ago. Admittedly not by Police, but the fact still remains that the hate is spreading. And this is still not your problem? No yawa. Kontinuu.

Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi dies at the hands of racist Italian right-winger

©Quartz|Racially motivated murder in Fermo, Italy

With each splatter of blood, the situation gets closer and closer.

On July 5, Emmanuel Nnamdi and his wife Chinyere were walking through Ferno, in northern Italy, when an Italian man, Amedeo Mancini, called her an African monkey and tried to grab her.

As her husband tried to rush to her defence, the fight escalated. Witnesses have stated that Mancini attacked first and continued to beat Emmanuel with a street sign until he lost consciousness. He later died in hospital. His wife, Chinyere, is also said to be severely injured but with hopes of a full recovery.

The couple were escaping an already torturous past. They were running from Boko Haram who had already burnt down their church and killed some of their relatives when they lived in Nigeria.

Mancini has been arrested on charges of murder and the Italian interior minister, Angelino Alfano, while condemning Emmanuel’s death, promised to grant Chinyere refugee status.

Hatred is trending.

Brexit. Illegal immigrants. The xenophobic lash-out in South Africa a while ago. Donald Trump. Build a wall. Alton Sterling. Philando Castile. And now a Nigerian man killed in Italy. A deranged Italian killed my brother with a street sign.

It concerns us. All of us. Every time someone kills my brother for no reason other than the colour of his skin, a little bit of us dies too.

Rest in peace, Emmanuel Chidi Nnamdi. To Chinyere, I hope you find comfort and strength to move on from how we have failed you.

It is NOT well.

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17 COMMENTS

  1. You know eh, our people are VERY strange. In Nigeria, people get lynched in the streets and it doesn’t even make the local news. Life is that cheap.
    They live in a homogeneous society so don’t have an insight on what it means to be a minority in a different society and how that experience changes you.
    You’re abroad, talk about Nigerian stuff, they say “abeg this London people, what do you know”
    You talk about what happens in Europe/America and they’re like “why don’t you talk about what is happening in Nigeria? “
    I don’t even get into arguments with anyone any more.

  2. I think we are missing Viva naija’s point here, because I already see undigesting, inconsiderate and unreasoning minds ranting meaninglessly on this post. Wait, is it your joy dat it’s happening to them or dat it is even happening on our own soil? Whichever way, he is saying the truth and nothing changes it. Admit it or leave it. Maybe I should pray it happens to you too either here or there. Smh

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