BACKGROUND (Access full article on this link) https://rdcu.be/flpxw
This study aims to assess the long-term viability of relations between the Czech
Republic and Africa by evaluating their cooperation in education, particularly in the
context of the challenges faced by Africans in the Czech Republic, specifically, overt
and covert racism. As such, the study also seeks to analyze the plausible drivers of
racism in the Czech Republic and what the policy implications are for the African
people in the country. This study fits into the broader framework of mobilities between Africa and Europe, and endeavors to demonstrate how race, as an instrument of recognition,
influence and power, affects access to social amenities, education, and employment.
The study also attempts to examine the dual role of a foreign language as a means
of bridging the gap that can aid the process of transcultural integration, while at the
same time, realizing that language can be a barrier and a struggle in the everyday life
of African people in the diaspora. Racial discrimination is the behavioral manifestation of a negative attitude, judgment, or unjust treatment towards members of certain groups of people due to their skin colour, race, and ethnicity. This is done through decisions, policies, laws, and
behaviors intended to subordinate and control those groups on the mistaken belief
that the white race is superior to other races. However, discrimination should not necessarily be confused with racism because acts of discrimination can occur even within people of the same racial and ethnic groups. It is necessary to note that discrimination can be motivated and driven
by a variety of elements, including racism, hatred, misogyny, homophobia, and envy. The study advances the frontiers of scholarship on overarching dynamics of racial discourses by highlighting challenges and prospects from both sides, the African and the Czech governments. Methodologically, the study relied mainly on a qualitative approach with data derived from interviews of African diasporas. The study is especially relevant to policymakers as it provides some seminal lessons on the (mis)handling of the issue of racism. Bigotry is mainly driven by epistemologies of ignorance, which justify white advantage as a legitimate entitlement of the presumed superior white race. The social and political morphology of the Western conception of Africa is one full of negative portrayals of Africans as lumpen, as people with questionable intellectual acumen.
KEY STUDY FINDINGS
This study has debunked some myths, such as the perception that the Czech system is amenable to candid and open discussion on racism. The official Czech position on the prevalence of racism is one of denial, seemingly suggesting that, ‘there is no racism to talk about’ – a notion that superficially visors the reality on the ground. The study notes that despite the academic credentials and Czech language competencies of African diasporas, there is a pattern that can be generalized to support an inference that racial prejudices are always a factor in how African diasporas are treated. A catalogue of racist incidents highlighted in the study reinforces the view that institutional reform is going to be an important policy imperative if discrimination is ever going to be curbed. Although racism rarely occurs with physical violence, it nevertheless remains a form of violence because it leaves a lasting emotional and psychological impact on victims. The study also finds that attaining higher education or the acquisition of Czech language skills does not provide a safe net from racial discrimination. Crucially, the study finds that racism is not simply driven by skin colour differences, but also about the economics. Thus, on the African side, until Africans can do self-introspection on crucial economic and governance gaps internally, the status quo regarding racial profiling, redlining, and discrimination in the Czech Republic and Europe more generally, is likely to persist. African governments and people will need to draw up a new epistemology that will ensure that the continent retains its respected pre-colonial self-sufficiency pedigree by being economic masters of their own destiny. Mainstream views of respondents of this study suggest that it is difficult for Africans to earn respect overseas if they keep trekking to Europe on the basis that their home countries are unable to provide opportunities in education, employment, health care services, and social welfare programs. From a contextual back ground, it bears emphasising that no European will respect an African coming from a wrecked and corrupt country where human rights abuses are the norm. The African political governance system needs urgent and radical revamping to reduce the incentive for migrations. In this way, going to Europe would become an option rather than as a survival mechanism. If African regimes continue pussyfooting in key economic development areas, they must then be ready for more racist behaviors to keep (re)emerging against their people overseas.
CONCLUSION
By providing insights into the challenges faced by Africans in the Czech Republic, this study has not only helped to narrow the gap in the literature but has also helped to pique the collective interest of Africans in the imperativeness of local/African economic growth. In this context, rather than mulling over the racial divides experienced in Europe, Africans might see the silver lining and advance themselves and their economies towards self-sustaining local goals that would significantly reduce the incentive for overseas migrations. Overall, the most vital contribution of this paper is the recognition that dealing with the issue of racism requires proactive and collective efforts from both the Czech government and the African governments.