The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– ‘Extremely offensive’ –
“This statement shocks us a lot… as Africans but as black people too”, said Senegalese teacher Mohamed Dieye, adding that “we do not need Americans or Europeans, we will go it alone”.
Some acknowledged problems in their countries, but blamed this on their poor leaders as well as western nations such as the US.
“Please don’t confuse the #shithole leaders we Africans elect with our beautiful continent… Our motherland is the most blessed continent that has been raped by imperialists in collaboration with our shitty misleaders for generations,” wrote Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi on Twitter.
In South Africa, the ruling party declared “ours is not a shithole country” and described Trump as “extremely offensive”.
“It is not as if the United States doesn’t have difficulties. There are millions of unemployed people in the US, millions of people who don’t have health care services or access to education and we would not deign to make comments as derogatory as that,” said Jessie Duarte, the deputy secretary general of the African National Congress (ANC).
– ‘It’s our shithole’ –
Some Nigerians however did not hold back, with many on Twitter saying their country was a “shithole”, but that it was “our shithole” to criticise.
In Senegal’s capital Dakar, administrator Idrissa Fall said “we cannot really say that he (Trump) is wrong”.
“African countries, and sometimes our leaders, do not exactly deal with the problems of the worst-off, that’s what makes people immigrate”.
Even war-torn South Sudan weighed in, with President Salva Kiir’s spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny slamming the comments as “outrageous”.
However Juba businesswoman Jenny Jore, 31, told AFP that Trump’s remarks were “on point”.
“It is thanks to our African leaders that we are insulted that way,” she said.
Trump’s latest comments also provided ample fodder for talkshow hosts.
South African comedian Trevor Noah, star of “The Daily Show”, described himself as an offended citizen of “South Shithole” and also criticised Trump’s preferred choice of Norway for immigrants.
“He didn’t just name a white country, he named the whitest -– so white they wear moon-screen,” he said.
