We bumped into these two African people while we were shooting street interviews in Bangalore. Normally, we ask our interviewees a series of pre-written questions. However, when we began to realize that this African man, who is originally from the DR Congo, had things to say outside of the questions, we encouraged him to speak up.
While India has made huge steps towards social equality, racism still exists in one form or another in almost every part of the country. Fair skin is chased after and admired by many, and darker skin is often "fixed" with skin lightening cream. What about black skin though? Often times, people with black skin living in India are thought of as untrustworthy, violent, and ugly.
Of course, not all of India is like this. The country makes positive progress on a daily basis, and as a new generation of young people enters into adulthood, India matures and begins to unburden itself from the inequality that characterized its past. Still though, complete and universal change takes a lot of time and hard work to establish. Racism still exists in India, and it regularly affects the lives of those who don't meet India's traditional beauty standards.
Being black makes life difficult for the Congolese man that we interviewed for this video. He teaches French, and he is also a football coach and computer teacher, but many people, before meeting him or hearing his story, assume that he is a criminal. He wishes that Africans living in India could receive the same treatment as Indians do. He wishes that people didn't assume that he was violent or that he is living in India for the wrong reasons. At the end of the day, this man is just another foreigner who is living and working in India. He came to India to study, and stayed to work. He is not a criminal, and he certainly doesn't deserve the judgement, stereotyping, and mistreatment that he receives on a daily basis.
Are you an African who is considering moving to India? Are you an Indian with dark skin? Let's start a discussion in the comments section of this video. Racial issues should be talked about openly, and we want this video to encourage that dialogue.
Негізгі бет What is it like for Africans living in India?
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