[Watch] Nigerian Shares Personal Accounts Of Racism And Xenophobia In Malaysia
The Nigerian swore that he would never set foot in Malaysia again.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest stories and updates.
Why do the customs, taxis and restaurants in Malaysia discriminate against black people?
That is the question raised by a Nigerian who vowed never to come to Malaysia again.
The Nigerian, known as Suleiman, talked about the unpleasant experience of being racially discriminated against when he travelled to Malaysia.
He posted a video on TikTok, sharing his experience of racial discrimination when he came to Malaysia to visit friends and travel a few years ago.
@suleiman_toks @lmfaomal The kind of premium rac|$m I experienced in Malaysia.. 👀 #storytime #travellingwhileblack ♬ original sound – Suleiman
The Persistent Problem Of Generalisation
He pointed out that when he was a student in 2016, he decided to visit two good friends in Malaysia by chance, and the two friends were Indian and Ugandan.
Suleiman recalled that after arriving in Kuala Lumpur, he spent three to four days with his friends there and then went to the islands in Sabah.
He said that other passengers stared at him and another African friend when he was on the plane.
Suleiman said he felt as if they had never seen a black person.
He claimed that after arriving in Sabah, he and his friend were detained by immigration officials, who then took him and his Ugandan friend to a separate room.
After some time, the (immigration) officer returned our passports but said we cannot enter Sabah.
Suleiman on being singled out by the authorities because of skin colour.
He said immigration officials told them more directly: “We don’t allow people like you to come.”
Suleiman said he did not complain too much then, saying he would return to Kuala Lumpur.
Still, the immigration officials insisted that they pay for their air tickets back to Kuala Lumpur.
However, Suleiman, who was still a student then, apparently could not afford the extra airfare, and immigration officials were eventually willing to let him fly back to Kuala Lumpur.
He said that since his friends could not afford the return trip, he stayed alone in Kuala Lumpur for 3 days and decided to use the time to wander around Kuala Lumpur.
However, Suleiman described this as the beginning of another nightmare.
When I want to go out, the taxi driver on the road is unwilling to stop to pick me up because I am black; when I go to the restaurant to order food, the waiter is unwilling to give me the order because I don’t want to talk to black people.
Suleiman on being rejected and stereotyped by Malaysians.
He angrily said he had to walk everywhere because no taxi driver would take him.
Suleiman added that when he was finally about to leave Malaysia and was queuing to board the plane, five airport personnel came to surround him.
He claimed they began to interrogate him, asking, “where is he from, where is he going” and so on, and took away his passport to check that it was not fake.
However, the allegations cannot be verified as the TikTok user only made this video after several years of his trip here.
Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
