Nigeria, May 11 -- Julius Malema was not yet born when my generation of Nigerian student leaders put our lives and resources on the line for the liberation of South Africa and other countries under the yoke of colonialism and apartheid in the region. Yet, it was he who had the courage to defend foreigners of African descent at the receiving end of a murderous Afrophobic campaign by his fellow South Africans.

Afrophobia is a specific, intense prejudice and violence targeted specifically at Black individuals of African descent, particularly in the context of South Africa. While xenophobia can affect anyone from a different country, Afrophobia often acts as a specific, racialised scapegoating of fellow Africans. In a tragic twist of irony, ...