In White Switzerland, Can We Make Black Lives Truly Matter?

So yeah, it’s taken them a while, but now they’re here. After about 8 months of writing about racism in Switzerland, the Swiss trolls have finally come for me, and like their global counterparts, they’re aiming for the jugular. But maybe they don’t realize what they are up against, my sheer determination and perseverance. I don’t back down.

You see, the racism I have faced here all of my life, has endowed me with resilience, fortitude, and endurance. I’m here for the long run. I’ve got a ton of antiracism marathons left in me, I will not be bullied or deterred. I’ll keep on speaking, and I’ll continue to expose racism in Switzerland — because it is important to do so for my children, and for a better future.

You see, I’m tired of fakery — tired of that false, deceptive image that Switzerland sells abroad. While there are indeed beautiful mountains, magnificent lakes, amazing skiing, and chocolate and cheese to die for here, Switzerland like many other countries has its issues when it comes to racism.

Being on the side of it here is an excruciating and painful experience. It devours your self-esteem and self-confidence, and if you’re not careful, it could maintain you in an endless cycle of depression, servitude, and poverty — especially if systemic racism prevents you from being gainfully employed.

Apart from an antiracism law voted on in 1994, that makes it illegal to blatantly and provenly discriminate against minority groups, Switzerland hasn’t done much to address racism. In most cases, it is ignored and brushed under the rug. Like most things in Switzerland, it’s as though, “if we don’t talk about it, it will go away”. But the thing is, it won’t.

I’ve lived here for almost all of my life. I’ve had my aspirations and dreams sabotaged, decapitated, and thrown to the wind for no other reason than the color of my skin. I’d love to be Tina Turner or another black celebrity with loads of cash in the bank. Money is the language many Swiss people speak, so if you’ve got tonnes of it, they expertly hide their racism to the point that you might even think that they are not racist at all, but don’t kid yourself, they are.

My dream job was to become a television anchorwoman. Early on, I was warned that Swiss television didn’t hire black reporters for front-of-camera roles. I should have known, growing up here, I’d never ever seen a black or brown person on TV, but I thought I could change the system. I tried hard, and I failed.

In the wake of Black Lives Matter protests in Switzerland last Spring, a few things changed, but it breaks my heart to say that they were all performative. The national French-speaking television hired a black woman to moderate a game show. I guess that that’s a start, but the reality is that we have enough black talent in this country to hold highly-regarded political commentator roles instead. But apparently, the Swiss population isn’t ready to see a black political commentator yet. It’s simply mind-boggling, isn’t it? Switzerland is still in the Stone Age when it comes to diversity and black and brown representation in the media, in politics, and in the places that matter. That needs to change.

Many of the Swiss trolls say: “you’re lucky, we even let you into our country”. And the reality is they are just screaming out loud what many Swiss people think deep down inside. No matter what I do, because of the color of my skin, Swiss people will never consider me a Swiss citizen even though I am. They’re sure glad to take my money in the form of taxes every year. The same taxes that contribute to paying the salaries of a political elite that not only does not resemble me but also clearly does not represent my interests. If they did, why is there still so much systemic racism here?

I remember in between jobs, I had to sign up for unemployment benefits just in case. After the first meeting, the employment advisor who didn't even know me wrote a report about me. Unbeknownst to him, I got access to that document. It read that he was sure that I was a “lazy individual who wasn’t really interested in securing employment”. According to him, “My sole objective was to game the welfare system”. I was appalled but not surprised. He’d written a report based on his skewed, stereotypical, and erroneous view of black people. It was in no way a reflection of who I really was.

And this week again, the Swiss showed their true racist colors yet again. You may have heard that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, an illustrious Harvard University and MIT scholar, Nigerian-American economist, and former World Bank director was appointed to head the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Mrs. Iweala is simply a brilliant leader, yet the headline in some Swiss newspapers read “66-year-old Nigerian Grandmother to Lead the World Trade Organization”. The sheer audacity of this derogatory headline demonstrates the backwardness of the Swiss and the racist and sexist nature of many that live here. I don’t think I have to say it, but I will for those who think that that type of headline is “ok”. Do you think that the same newspapers would dare say of Joe Biden — “American Grandpa to Head The US”? No, I think not.

And there are other real-life stories of racism on display in the land of Heidi and Toblerone chocolate. Tidjane Thiam, the former black CEO of Credit Suisse, one of the largest banks here, stepped down from his position in 2019. The New York Times did a scathing piece detailing the abhorrent racism he faced while leading that organization. Even the events that led to his resignation are steeped in a blatant and horrendous form of racism that to this day, makes me sick to my stomach.

Racism needs to be dismantled here like anywhere else. And the first step in dismantling racism is to acknowledge that it exists. Because they can, many people here are still taking their time when it comes to acknowledging it. And when you mention white privilege, it’s like you’re inciting an insurrection, people become alarmingly defensive and try to silence you — like those horrible Swiss trolls I mentioned at the start of this article.

I feel a sense of urgency to address and dismantle racism here in Switzerland because I have seen firsthand how it destroys lives. My older brother had a Ph.D. from the EPPL — the equivalent of MIT in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. He was an imposing black man and because of that, he struggled to find work. He died 4 years ago of a blood clot. Not a day goes by without me thinking about the last conversations we had while he was on his death bed. He asked me if he hadn’t done everything right — in terms of going all the way in school, up to a Ph.D., to gain the privilege of a job. But, Swiss society was ruthless— he was a black man and they couldn’t see past that, they never gave him a chance.

The other day, while we were watching another group of white Swiss politicians laying down the Covid 19 restrictions for the umpteenth time in the last year, my mixed-race daughter asked: “How come there are no black or brown faces on the political elite?” I didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t even realized it myself. I guess I’ve become so used to not seeing black or brown people. I’m no longer even expecting representation in the higher political spheres of this country that I have called home for close to 40 years. And it’s not to say there are no black people in Switzerland, there are, but politics is a space in which we are not at all accepted. There is only a handful of black and brown politicians who even try. It can be an overwhelmingly painfully racist experience from what I have heard. One that might not even be worth trying if one is into self-preservation if you see what I mean.

And so yes I have a sense of urgency, for my late brother Boris and also because I have children starting off in life and I don’t want them to face the same challenges I faced. Because no one should ever have to face those challenges because of the color of their skin.

Switzerland prides itself on being the seat of innovation. And yes indeed, it’s the place where the World Wide Web or the internet was created. It’s the seat of the United Nations, a place where peace deals between warring factions are often brokered. It’s a place where new things are tried, so why don’t we try to make Black Lives Truly Matter here?

Let’s start with a place like Geneva. Already, 41 percent of the population in Geneva are foreigners, a fascinating blend of people from all over the world. This is mainly due to the presence of the United Nations and several multinational companies. Mixed-race families feel welcome and are at ease most of the time here. Against this backdrop of multiculturalism, multilingualism, tolerance, and mutual respect, it is indeed possible to build a place where each and every human being is truly considered equal and where fair chances for all truly exist.

Thanks for reading my perspective.