The Heart of Darkness

As Indians, we face racism across the first world, and yet, we are guilty of being one of the most racist nations in the world. The recent ostracization of Nigerians in relatively liberal Goa, paints the darkest picture ever, of our nonexistent anti-racist consciousness. Nitasha Kaul reports.

 

Racism is ubiquitous in India. And like many other overlapping prejudices – sexism, casteism, regionalism, homophobia, Islamophobia – it thrives on the public denial of its presence. A poll published in the Washington Post earlier this year found India to be the second most racist nation in the world. India’s smallest state, Goa, in spite of its relatively liberal attitude to attire, alcohol, and nightlife aspects of being a tourist beach destination, is no different from the rest of India.

In 2013, A Nigerian man was stabbed to death and five others wounded in Goa. Clearly lacking faith in the Goan administrative system, 200 Nigerians protested by marching on a national highway, demanding that a Nigerian official be present at the deceased man’s autopsy. They believed the murder was carried out by a local drug mafia called Chapora Boys and that the police was unwilling to act against them. Mismanaging the protest, the police looked on as clashes between the locals and Nigerians escalated and a Nigerian was brutally beaten up. Later, fifty-three Nigerians – but no locals – were arrested in connection with the violence.

Voices in the local media made it clear that if any FIR was booked against the locals, they would not tolerate it and would “come out on the streets”. The Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar, said the stabbing of the Nigerian man was related to the drug mafia. He also promised to track down any Nigerians living illegally in Goa and deport them, thereby collectively scapegoating all Nigerians as illegal drug Mafiosi. Some village councils (Silom and Parra) started a campaign to expel all Nigerians from their  villages. The Goan ‘Rent-a-Bike Association’ (a government scheme for tourists) decided that it would not rent bikes to any Nigerians. They put up banners in Mapusa, a market town and home of the Goan CM, stating “Say No to Drugs. Say No to Nigerians”, and led a rally (also on a national highway) from Mapusa to Porvorim, demanding that Goans not rent houses or vehicles to Nigerians. The Goan Minister of Art and Culture, Dayanand Mandrekar said, “Nigerians are like cancer”, a statement for which he later apologised.

Meanwhile, the CM sneered at the media, asking if they could take on a Nigerian one-to-one. In his view, Nigerians were “seven-feet tall, huge and aggressive”, and that it would take “at least 100 of our policemen to handle a crowd of 50 Nigerians”. Subhash Phaldesai, another MLA of the same ruling BJP party, said Nigerians were like “ wild animals pumped with drugs”. Some of the arrested Nigerians went on a hunger strike in jail demanding that human rights panel members meet them to record their statements. A newspaper in the UK concluded “The Goa police does keep its hands off European tourists, but the Nigerians aren’t so lucky”.

By presenting this entire episode as a case of lawlessness carried out by illegal Nigerians, the Goan CM requested more police resources from the central government, complaining that the BJP government in Goa was being given “step-motherly” treatment by the centre.

The BJP, with its Hindutva agenda in general, is a party whose politics derive from the quest for a morally pure society where all problems are ascribed to those perceived as “outsiders”. The ascendancy of such right-wing intolerance in India across the board has made prejudice more entrenched in a politics of self and other. This widespread prejudice and stereotyping is the real cause of the violence, and policing is not a solution for addressing that. When the Nigerians in Goa are referred to as “wild animals on drugs” or are equated with drugs and diseases, what we see is not just xenophobia but an inexcusable de-humanisation of people.

In this case, the de-humanisation and collective punishment draws upon a larger armoury of racist prejudice against black people in India. There is a strong racist subtext in many Bollywood movies and advertisements that depict Africans in less-than-human terms as ignorant, primitive cannibals. In a newspaper report on racism in Delhi’s residential areas, a local broker was quoted as saying “We accommodate chinkis, but never habshis”, displaying a hierarchy of racist prejudice that ranks black people lowest.

There are numerous cases of abysmal discrimination and hostility against people from various African countries who are legally in India, either as students and professionals or accompanying their spouses (who are either Indians or other foreigners who in India for lawful purposes). These legal visitors and residents routinely face racist chants, assault, and infringement of their rights and liberties. A similar situation exists even in supposedly more liberal cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore.

In a land where whiteness creams are peddled for everything from male faces to female intimate parts, being black is seen as somehow sub-human. Remarkably, there is very little in the way of anti-racist consciousness or struggle, either in the state or in civil society. On a visit to Goa, I saw the words “Goa is like a fridge. Everyone comes to chill here!” painted on many walls. Not all Goans are racist, but for most Nigerians today, Goa is indeed a chilling place.

Nitasha Kaul is a Kashmiri novelist, poet, academic, artist and economist who lives in London. Her debut novel Residue (Rupa/Rainlight, 2014) was earlier shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize. Aside from fiction and poetry, she comments in the media and has written in edited collections, journals and newspapers on the themes of identity, culture, economy, gender, social theory, technology, democracy, Bhutan and Kashmir. She has a joint doctorate in Economics and Philosophy, is the author of the book 'Imagining Economics Otherwise: encounters with identity/difference' (Routledge, 2007), and has previously taught Economics, Politics, and Creative Writing in the UK and in Bhutan. She has travelled to over 55 countries across 4 continents documenting the strangeness of the everyday and the otherness of the present. More at www.nitashakaul.com

10 Comments

  • Reply December 21, 2025

    boaboa casino aktionscode

    Mit Freispielen können Sie kostenlos an Slots wie Gates of
    Olympus oder Book of Dead spielen, ohne eigenes Geld einzusetzen. Dabei können Sie Bonusgeld erhalten oder sich Freispiele sichern.
    Über den Willkommensbonus hinaus sollten Ihnen die Top-Anbieter weitere
    attraktive Promotionen bieten. Sowohl die Auszahlungsraten an den Slots,
    Tisch- und Kartenspielen sowie weiteren Echtgeld-Spielen sind identisch – mit oder ohne
    Nutzung eines Bonus. Ja, die Gewinnchancen in einem Online Casino sind immer die gleichen, egal ob Sie mit oder ohne einem
    Casino Bonus spielen. Auf Playcasino.com finden Sie die besten Cashback Bonusangebote mit fairen Bedingungen.
    Man muss diese Apps vorab herunterladen, ehe man in den Casinos spielen kann.
    Es ist ratsam, die Mindesteinzahlung im Kontext des angebotenen Bonusbetrags zu betrachten, um zu entscheiden, ob es sich lohnt.
    ✅ Keine Umsatzbedingungen – Gewinne gehören direkt dir✅ Wird häufig als Freispielbonus vergeben❌
    Meist geringerer Bonusbetrag als klassische Boni
    Hier müssen wir zuerst klären, was Bonus-Freispiele sind.
    Wird euch bei der Registrierung nicht automatisch eine
    Ausschlussmöglichkeit angeboten, solltet ihr sie über den Kundendienst regeln lassen. Allerdings kann auch bei Gratisguthaben eine Mindesteinzahlung über die Zahlungsmethode erfoderlich sein, über die man auszahlen möchte.
    Dann kann es sein, dass ein Willkommensbonus nur einmal möglich ist.
    Bonuspaket, Startguthaben, Freispiele sind für Online Casinos wichtige Marketing-Instrumente, mit
    denen sie Neukunden für sich interessieren wollen.

    References:
    https://online-spielhallen.de/alles-was-du-uber-rizk-casino-in-deutschland-wissen-musst/

  • Die Immerion Casino App bietet das komplette Spielerlebnis für unterwegs –
    optimiert für iOS und Android. Die Mindesteinzahlung beträgt bei allen Methoden 20€, während Auszahlungen ab 30€ möglich sind.
    Immerion Casino bietet eine breite Palette an Zahlungsoptionen, die speziell auf deutsche Spieler zugeschnitten sind.
    Das Live-Casino bei Immerion bietet mit über 200 Tischen rund um die Uhr
    echtes Casino-Feeling. Für Freunde klassischer Casinospiele stehen bei Immerion Casino über 150 verschiedene
    Tischspiele bereit.
    Für jede Empfehlung, die mindestens 20 $ einzahlt, erhalten Sie 50 Freispiele in Sweet Bonanza 1000.
    Immerion Casino bietet den Spielern die Möglichkeit,
    bis zu 20 % Cashback zu erhalten. Die Mindesteinzahlung, um den Bonus zu erhalten, beträgt 15
    $ oder den entsprechenden Gegenwert. Neukunden im
    Immerion Casino erhalten einen Willkommensbonus auf ihre erste Einzahlung und
    können bis zu 500 % Bonus einfordern. Wenn Sie im Immerion Casino spielen, können Sie sich
    jederzeit auf die freundlichen Kundendienstmitarbeiter verlassen.
    Eine App zum Download bietet das Immerion Casino nicht an. Umfangreich fällt dabei
    auch das VIP Live Casino aus, in dem du Tischspiele wie Blackjack,
    Baccarat und Roulette im Salon Privé entdecken kannst,
    die sich vorrangig an Spieler mit hohen Spieleinsätzen richten. Der Betrag für eine Mindesteinzahlung beträgt jeweils 10€, bei MoonPay werden hingegen 30€ vorausgesetzt.
    Jedoch bietet dir das Casino vier unterschiedliche progressive Immerion Jackpots an.

    References:
    https://online-spielhallen.de/novoline-casino-mobile-app-dein-spielvergnugen-fur-unterwegs/

  • Reply December 27, 2025

    demo slots

    They make casino operations enjoyable and easy while placing the player as their top
    priority. The Level Up platform today boasts a truly large library of online
    gambling entertainment. The level of development of the
    website of the online casino LevelUp can praise itself with a convenient and well-planned design, easy navigation, which
    allows You get acquainted quickly with offers and working rules.
    Also, the platform guarantees that the gameplay on Level Up is always fair, and all transactions
    are securely protected.
    As far as their terms and conditions stating you’re not allowed to make another account, I feel like they’ve void that all on their own by
    not making me aware of this UNTIL it came time to withdraw
    my $1000. She tells me that the reason I can’t withdraw my winnings
    is because I can only have ONE active account at
    a time. I made 2 deposits with no issues, and received my bonus.
    The only difference between last time I registered for an account and
    this time was that I used a different email address.
    But clearly unsubscribing doesn’t work because yesterday I
    got another email from them about a bonus I could
    get if I deposited $50+.

    References:
    https://blackcoin.co/best-payout-casinos-in-australia-2025-guide/

  • Reply December 27, 2025

    GAME4U casino bonus

    Bing News Quiz is a popular trivia game that is updated daily and weekly
    on the homepage of Microsoft Bing. Challenge your friends and see whose knowledge is the strongest!
    Each question is based on current events. It’s not
    just about guessing answers — it actually tests how well you follow
    current headlines and trending stories.
    Your local Post Office will hold all mail to your address until you return. If you are outside of the U.S., you cannot verify your identity in-person and won’t be able to submit a change of address
    with USPS. In-person identity proofing is offered at participating Post Office™ locations nationwide and
    allows certain federal agencies to securely verify registrant
    identities to provide access to service when identity cannot be substantiated online.

    For the cost of additional postage, you can have your package sent to
    a different domestic address. If your package doesn’t fit in your mailbox and you won’t be home to receive it,
    you can provide USPS Delivery Instructions
    online and authorize your carrier to leave it in a specified location.

    References:
    https://blackcoin.co/hobarts-home-of-entertainment-the-ultimate-casino-experience/

  • Reply December 27, 2025

    Dining at The Star Sydney

    I started making Roblox games at 12. Every users now gets 1M free tokens/month to use a purpose-built AI assistant just
    for Roblox game creation. Really sucks for users with monitors that have non-standard refresh rates (aka anything but 144, 240 and above), I
    personally use this because I don’t want the client to waste time rendering frames that I can’t perceive Unfortunately I think it’s
    a necessary evil to prevent the rapid abuse of FastFlags and communities built
    around aimlessly trading broken Flags and scamming little children. NOOOOOOO,
    my beloved rccservice is gonna break
    With gaming excitement nearby, exceptional service, and access to
    Tahoe’s top attractions, it delivers a sophisticated escape for leisure travelers, adventure seekers, and luxury enthusiasts alike.

    Along with 1,100 slots, 70 table games, and a Caesars Sportsbook, the Southern Indiana destination has 503 hotel rooms, an event center, and three restaurants highlighted by Gordon Ramsay Steak.
    Thompson says the union has been in negotiations with
    EBCI Holdings, LLC, which operates the casino and
    hotel through a licensing agreement with Caesars Entertainment,
    for months.

    References:
    https://blackcoin.co/basic-draw-poker-rule/

  • Reply December 27, 2025

    Wild Fortune Online Casino

    In addition to the vice president, the Senate has several officers who are not members.
    Many non-member officers are also hired to run various
    day-to-day functions of the Senate. Independents and members
    of third parties (so long as they do not caucus support either of the larger
    parties) are not considered in determining which is the
    majority party. Although no senator has been expelled since 1862,
    many senators have chosen to resign when faced with expulsion proceedings – for example, Bob Packwood in 1995.

    And sometimes they are identified as to whether they are the junior
    or senior senator in their state (see above).
    In Georgia, a runoff between the top two candidates occurs if
    the plurality winner in the general election does not also win a majority.
    In the general election, the winner is the candidate
    who receives a plurality of the popular vote. Ballot access rules
    for independent and minor party candidates also vary from state to state.
    The Elections Clause of the United States Constitution grants each state (and Congress, if it so desires to implement a uniform
    law) the power to legislate a method by which senators are elected.

    The Senate, along with the United States House of Representatives, votes on which laws the United States should have.
    They must also live in the state they represent at election time.
    Originally the legislature of each state decided who their senators would be.

    Today, while a populous state like Texas has the same Senate representation as smaller
    states, its delegation in the House of Representatives is
    several times larger than those of many smaller states combined.
    Elizabeth Rusch and Daniel Lazare argue that the Senate’s structure gives voters from small states disproportionate influence and allows them to benefit from disproportionate amounts of federal funding when compared to
    voters from larger states. The Senate’s structure gives
    states with smaller populations the same number of senators (two) as states with larger populations.

    References:
    https://blackcoin.co/minimum-deposit-casino-sites-with-payid/

  • Reply December 29, 2025

    dfc1318.kr

    paypal online casinos

    References:
    dfc1318.kr

  • Reply December 29, 2025

    www.garagesale.es

    online slot machines paypal

    References:
    https://www.garagesale.es/author/kerrieloren/

  • Reply December 29, 2025

    amigomanpower.com

  • Reply December 29, 2025

    lazerjobs.in

Leave a Reply