XENOPHOBIA AND FEAR OF MIGRANTS IN AFRICA: APPLYING ENEYO’S ACQUAINTANCE AND LOVE-FEAR METHODS TO NIGERIA–SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS 0 0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.83374/jesber.vol1no2.88Keywords:
acquaintance method, fearological ethics, fear of migrants, love-fear method, migration, Nigeria–South Africa relations, xenophobiaAbstract
Xenophobia remains a serious threat to African solidarity, regional integration and the safety of migrants. In South Africa, recurring hostility towards African migrants has frequently been connected to fears concerning unemployment, crime, pressure on public services, irregular migration and cultural difference. Nigerians and other African nationals have sometimes become symbolic targets onto whom wider frustrations arising from inequality, state incapacity and economic insecurity are transferred. This study critically examines xenophobia as a problem of mismanaged, manipulated and relational fear. It applies Michael Eneyo’s Fearological Ethics, using Acquaintance Method and Love-fear Method in addressing Nigeria (including other black race)–South Africa relationships to achieve continental harmony. The work adopts a qualitative comparative philosophical approach involving conceptual clarification, critical interpretation and normative analysis of scholarly literature, migration reports, political speeches, diplomatic statements and documented public attitudes. The article argues that legitimate concerns about migration become xenophobic when they are generalised, separated from reliable evidence and converted into collective blame, humiliation, exclusion or violence. Eneyo’s acquaintance method is developed as an approach based on accurate knowledge, structured intergroup contact, dialogue and humanising encounters. His love-fear method is interpreted as an ethical model of leadership communication in which genuine risks are acknowledged truthfully but addressed through care, proportionality, practical solutions and respect for human dignity. The article proposes an Acquaintance and Love Fearological Framework for bilateral relations, migration governance and community leadership. It concludes that Nigeria (other African countries) and South Africa must move beyond episodic diplomatic reactions towards sustained fear mapping, evidence-based communication, structured people-to-people engagement, lawful migration management and joint mechanisms for preventing xenophobic attacks.Downloads
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