Decades of racist treatment has resulted in "counter-racism" by many in the Nubian community [Getty]. Date of publication: 23 July, So, sometimes my colour is ok with people. The exposure to racism depends on one's ethnic origin, he added. Abdel Rahman Sherif again agrees. Racist Egyptians [try to] tell the difference based on the facial features and the varying shades of skin colour.
In , the Egyptian riot police killed at least 20 Sudanese refugees protesting in Mustafa Mahmoud square about their poor conditions in Egypt while seeking to be resettled in another country. The attack did not provoke any notable outrage among Egyptians, many of whom responded with racist remarks. They escape in fear when they see cameras," Sherif said. The accumulation of anger due to decades of racist treatment has resulted in "counter-racism", according to Fatma Emam.
People hate strangers, and by teaching Egyptians about Nubians, they no longer become strangers. Sudanese and Nubian people always featured in Egyptian films as illiterate and obedient domestic workers. Men would play the roles of doormen or cooks, while women would appear as nannies, maids or exotic fortune tellers. The same applies to mainstream media. Abdel Rahman Sherif and other activists staged a protest in front of the Maspero TV and radio headquarters in to demand better representation in cinema and TV.
I even love Bakkar [a Nubian cartoon character]'. Sherif created his blog after the revolution to "document racial discrimination against black people in the Middle East".
We need to send out the message that it's okay to be black," he said. Fatma Emam sees the development of black activism in Egypt as something to be hopeful about.
