International students speaks on racism in northern Cyprus

Local daily, Yeniduzen went into the streets recently to discuss with students of African origin about the issue of racism in northern Cyprus compared to other countries in the world.

This is coming in the wake of a warning issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria to young Nigerians not to travel to the northern Cyprus, citing human rights violations.  

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Director-General of the Diaspora Commission Nigerians, said, “Think twice before you go to North Cyprus. We can't do much for Nigerians there. Our students are killed every day."

Following the publication o the news on local dailies in northern Cyprus, citizens flocked to the comment sections to speak ill of Nigerians with some demanding that all Nigerians should be sent away from the country.

Some foreign students who spoke to YENİDÜZEN on the situation stated that they are not exposed to intense racism compared to other countries in the world, but that the main problem is related to language and communication stating that many people in the country do not know enough English and therefore cannot communicate which they said creates distrust.

What did the students say? 

Eicht Eazykell: “I have literally never experienced an incident of 'racism'”

“I think the Nigerian government's statement is a lie. I don't know that such an event (Nigerians killed) took place. As for racism, I can't judge everyone here, people are different. But I didn't experience any 'racism' in the full sense of the word.”

Yousuf Yousuf: “The main problem in this country is language”

“I've been living in Cyprus for 2 years, I haven't seen anything bad. I used to live in Canada, where I was really exposed to racism. The main problem in this country is language. The language problem can cause a conflict. But even though we spoke the same language in Canada, I was subjected to racist behavior. I have many good Turkish friends. We often have problems with translation.”

Richard Olenu: “They don't know enough English”

“The main problem here is language. People living here don't know enough English. They are afraid and hesitant because they cannot communicate. I haven't heard anything about the death of African people in Cyprus before. As I said, the main problem here is language. Sometimes I can tell if someone is racist, whether they translate what I'm talking about (google) or not.”

Destiny Anazya: “This is a peaceful country”

“I am not exposed to racist incidents in Cyprus. This is a comfortable country. You don't get any trouble. You don't have a fear of being suddenly arrested for no reason. This is a peaceful country…”

Rustem Oparah: “People have a hard time communicating”

“There is no racism in Cyprus, we can all live together, it is a beautiful country . The only problem may be language. People have a hard time communicating. Other than that, we don't have a problem."

Pascal Orana: “Not being able to communicate creates barriers, creates problems”

“The Nigerian Government is giving false information. This is the most peaceful country I have ever traveled to in my life. A safe country... The only problem is that there are no specific regulations for students such as rent. There's also the language problem. Not being able to communicate creates barriers, creates problems.”

Folarammi Laifat: “There are times when I am exposed to racism”

“There are times when I am exposed to racism. Just while I was coming here, 2 Turks made fun of me. This feels really bad. I dont like it."

Humula Kaose: “How many of us have thousands of dollars? Do you have"

“The problem here is African people who have a lot of money, from the point of view of the citizens here. Sometimes this money is not understandable. How many of us have thousands of dollars? Do you have?"

Source: Yeniduzen