Nigeria bans South African film

from io9blog

Allegations of racism against Neill Blomkamp's movie have been flying since its release, but this new move from the Nigerian government raises the stakes significantly. Information Minister Dora Akunyili explained her problems with the movie:

We feel very bad about this because the film clearly denigrated Nigeria's image by portraying us as if we are cannibals, we are criminals... The name [of] our former president was clearly spelt out as the head of the criminal gang and our ladies shown like prostitutes sleeping with extra-terrestrial beings...

(actually the director made the Nigerians the minor bad guys to mirror the Nigerian gangs in Joburg; the main bad guys are the white industrialists)
The metaphor being criticized in the movie, of course, is the huge influx of refugees from Zimbabwe and the earlier apartheid laws that kept Africans from integrating with society as inferior beings.



related article from AllAfrica:

19 May 2008, SWRadioAfrica:
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The xenophobic attacks on foreigners, including Zimbabweans, that left 3 dead in Alexandra township last week have now claimed over 20 lives after the gangs moved into other areas of Johannesburg over the weekend.

The violence has continued to escalate and more fatal attacks were reported Monday. In the last 3 days hundreds have been injured, thousands left homeless and many raped as the attacks on foreigners spread to the whole of the Johannesburg area, including Germiston, Alexandra, Hillbrow, Ekurhuleni in Boksburg, Thembisa, Thokoza and the Eastrand area...

Zimbabwean organizations based in South Africa have blamed President Mbeki and the South African government for doing nothing, for too long. South Africa's own civil organizations have also pointed to the official policy as contributing to the divisions.

The Zimbabwe Exiles Forum released a statement that said: "There is a pattern to this, and senior government officials who suggest that foreigners are to blame for unemployment, crime and HIV-AIDS do not help the situation, and should be brought to account for their incitement to hatred. Equally responsible are sections of the media that are known to government, and have been writing inflammatory first page editorials against so-called 'aliens'.".....