Rajpal's Column

Racism conference – now and a hundred years later

The principal form of racism manifest in the world, if the media covering the event was anything to go by, appeared to be the racism practiced by the Palestinians against the Jews, and vice versa.

There were of course, issues by the side, such as an apology, and possible reparations for slavery practiced in the past, by certain races against others.

The draft declaration of the conference states, in its observations in general, that: "We recognize that slavery and the slave trade, colonialism, apartheid, racism and racial discrimination that people in various parts of the world, notably Africans and people of African descent, have historically suffered are at the root of the situation of marginalization, poverty and exclusion that affects many people in several countries and that, despite the many efforts made, the situation persists in varying degrees.''

But, it is important to note that the conference itself was racially stratified. Ongoing proposals were submitted by the EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand as a group, and the Asian and the Africans as a separate group.

But, notwithstanding that detail, under "General issues,'' the observation was made in the draft declaration that there are "new manifestations of racism.'' The media of course was not far wrong. The central issues of the conference seem to pivot around the Palestinian issue, etc., and issues such as the "sources of racism'' which were traced to colonialism and the slave trade.

All that was well and good. There was some talk of Islamaphobia as well – and it was observed that there is a growing tendency of Islamaphobia in the world. It was resolved that this "Islamaphobia'' was bad, and that it's growing ascendant tendency should be quickly arrested.

That was all well and good too. 

There were also references to internal conflicts, and the racism that can inhere from these kinds of conflicts. For instance, it was also said: 

"We express our deep concern that socio-economic development is being hampered by widespread internal conflicts which are due, among other causes, to gross violations of human rights…. etc., etc.,….''

All that was well and good too. That paragraph above in the declaration took within its ambit, all the racism that results from, or results in, low-intensity conflicts in various trouble spots all over the world – the so-called 'forgotten wars.''

But, it seems strange, that a conference that pointedly talks of colonialism, as a "source of racism'', and talks of "slavery'' as being "repugnant'' does not say a word about the new manifestations of this colonialism, globalization, the neo-liberal economy, for instance, and the racism that inheres from all of this???

All right then. It is not easy being politically correct about these things. The UN conference against racism sees new manifestations of racism, in situations such as "internal conflicts'', in "the new trends of migration'', in situations such as the "creation of refugees.''

All well and good too. But, it seems the biggest form racism of all — the old wine in the new bottle — does not even gain any coherent form or shape in the conference declaration; not even a honourable mention.

It is all well and good to say, there was slavery, and there was colonialism. But, why not identify the fact that more or less these same powers which perpetrated colonialism, and which perpetrated slavery, are still racist, more subtly, though instruments such as globalization and the overarching neo-liberal economy — the instruments of domination of these times? 

Alright then. It is not correct for the declaration on the world conference on racism, to be xenophobic, to identify, to point fingers?

But the, fingers are being pointed all the time, at governments, at "Islamaphobes'' and the whole lot, correct?

But, it makes sense. The biggest most damaging form of racism today, the racism that inheres in the white-dominated economic system has to be taken up at the next racism conference, when all the damage is done – 100 years from now. It should necessarily be ex post facto, like condemning slavery and apartheid today, decades after the fact.

As Amithav Gosh told this writer a few weeks back, "only whites get to travel in a globalised world.'' It is white racism, if not white Anglo Saxon Protestant racism, that's the worst racism of all today, period. It's manifest in all the loans given by the Bretton Woods twins — it's manifest in the WTO. If anyone wants to know why, just ask. But don't ask the world conference against racism.

Inside the glass house

Editorial/ Opinion Contents