Abstract
Africa is witnessing a recurring wave of xenophobic attacks despite being built on the foundations of humanity and oneness. Nigeria and South Africa are both regarded as regional powers, although located in different sub-regions on the continent, and as regional hegemons, they tussle for international recognition as exemplified in occasional diplomatic confrontations. Relations between Abuja and Pretoria have been marked by several stages with their political, economic, and socio-cultural interaction punctuated by rivalry, conflict, cooperation, and competition. This chapter explores the paradox of xenophobia in South Africa and its impact on strategic relations with Nigeria through the lens of citizen diplomacy. Relying on secondary data, we assess the level of its enforcement with regard to the protection of Nigerian citizens residing in South Africa and beyond. We propose policy prescriptions to enhance the Nigeria-South Africa strategic partnership with an emphasis on the adoption of a cultural-mix policy and early warning signals, which are paramount in eliminating xenophobic conflicts in African societies.
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Notes
- 1.
Abacha died on June 8, 1998 and an interim government headed by General Abdulsalam Abubakar was set up to spearhead Nigeria’s return to democracy.
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Ogunnubi, O., Aja, U.A. (2022). Continental Africa or Europeans? Confronting the Paradox of “Afronegativity” and “XenoRacism” in Nigeria-South Africa Relations. In: Akande, A. (eds) Handbook of Racism, Xenophobia, and Populism. Springer Handbooks of Political Science and International Relations. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-13559-0_38
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