The danger of ‘otherization’

The trending video that surfaced after President Muhammadu Buhari attended the UNGA in New York, showing an unprovoked assault on some people that are considered “Hausa-Fulani” or “Northern Muslims” by their provocateurs on account of their facial countenance and, or the apparels in them, is a perfect example of the deep-rooted hatred, obsessions and insecurities […]

The trending video that surfaced after President Muhammadu Buhari attended the UNGA in New York, showing an unprovoked assault on some people that are considered “Hausa-Fulani” or “Northern Muslims” by their provocateurs on account of their facial countenance and, or the apparels in them, is a perfect example of the deep-rooted hatred, obsessions and insecurities bedeviling many people in some parts of this country which translated into this dismissive ‘othering.’ 

It is even very possible that the two or three people in the video who are being verbally assaulted with a barrage of racist invectives and the most opprobrious language share no cultural or ethno linguistic affinities with Fulani, but because of the fact that the racialization of the Buhari/APC government has taken a firm root, the entire people of the North are lumped together as either Fulani or Hausa-Fulani (whatever that means) and demonized by many people in the South, including even the most educated ones. What a profoundly ignorant mischaracterization. 

 But the striking irony is that, there are many people here in the North or even residents of Daura (the hometown of Mr President) who might be disillusioned with the Buhari’s administration and who could also share cultural, ethnic and religious affiliations with him but are worse-off today. Also, there are those who do not share these features with the president, but by their circumstances or by way of geography, they are lumped together and mischaracterized as Fulani or Hausa Fulani.

But the danger of this ‘otherization’ and the racialization of APC is that it could provoke ethnic and religious sentiments during elections and make people rally around a maligned candidate, whether he is the right choice or not in terms of capacity and ability to deliver.

The victory of APC in 2015 and 2019 was therefore a combination of many factors, including the idealization and evocation of sentiments for candidates put forward by the party.  

And this will continue to play out if the antipathy like the one we’ve seen in this video continues.

Mukhtar Maigamo writes from Kaduna