Xenophobia, you took it upon yourself to kill me.

I was sitting with Aparthied the other day discussing what it had done wrong in its heyday and how it would make up for it. It listened attentively to me preach and I was genuinely surprised that I was getting somewhere. Or so I thought. Talk about split personalities. Somewhere between our 1994 and 2008, its attitude towards me changed.
It then spoke to me like I was insignificant, dirt and not worthy of its time. I was a hinderance to the bigger picture it pursued; its ultimate goal.
I now felt uncomfortable, and could not understand why our conversation had taken such a turn.

"WHO ARE YOU?", I said.

It couldn't lift its head but I could tell it was seething with anger. Its colour changed from White to Black, Black to White, then to Black; and Black it stayed.

"WHO ARE YOU?", I screamed.

"I AM XENOPHOBIA!!!!", It screamed it screamed back to me as it lifted its ugly Black head.

I realised that I wasn't sitting with Aparthied anymore, but with Xenophobia. It looked the same, spoke the same, but actions were different, shocking and unprecedented.

In my confusion, I must have looked a right idiot because the laughter that came from the direction of my new friend was so loud and obnoxious. Spoken words of how I, this alien could not have known and seen this coming, were said in so many local languages.

I fumbled for words that could make me less intimidating. Words taken from its own mouth that would make it understand that at least I was making an effort. Words that showed that I came in peace.

Suddenly, it made its move. It stood up, spat at me and struck me in the face.

"SHUT UP!", it said to me.

It struck me again and again, harder and harder with its pleasure only increasing with every strike. Body growing with muscle as it assimilated more ignorance, hate, propaganda, lies, laziness, unemployment. This was going to be a recipe for disaster. It knew I wasn't going to fight back. This was not supposed to be my fight. If it only knew that it is was between the government and itself.

I looked at my adversary in the eye once it took to putting a car tyre around my neck. I knew what was going to happen next, but I still made time to ask who it's mother was, how it had been raised and why it was doing this to me. My answer, the lighting of the tyre. I was not worthy of an answer, just pain. The fire has engulfed my whole body. My whole life is going up in fire. Celebrations are the order of the day; they have finally defeated me. I fall to my knees. I can't cry, ask for help or yell. I guess this is it.
I slump to the ground, burnt beyond recognition; not looking human anymore, just as Xenophobia had intended.

"Lord, help me?"
"Mwari, dibatsirei?" (Shona spoken in Zimbabwe)
"Nkosi, ngisiza?" (Ndebele spoken in Zimbabwe)
"Mulungu, nditandizeni?" (Chewa spoken in Malawi and Zambia)

I'm dead.