Finding a home tough but city safest, say Africans in Chennai

CHENNAI: When Flavia Placidus flies home to Namibia, she will take with her a master's degree from University of Madras and fond memories of her stay here but none of the fear many from Africa have reportedly experienced in cities like Delhi.
The 25-year-old, who specialises in online media, said she had not come across any incident of racial discrimination or abuse against African students during her two years in the metropolis."Chennai is a safer place for us," said Flavia who moved to Kanathur off ECR in 2014 after she joind a PG course in the department of journalism and communication at University of Madras.
"My experience is that in any argument between an African and a local person, the local community stands behind justice and does not blindly support the local guy," she added.
More than 500 students from countries, including South Africa, Nigeria, Namibia, Burundi, Ethiopia and Uganda, live in the city for study or work. Most of them like Flavia, seem unanimous that Chennai, despite its conservative nature, displays little of the racist attitude that Africans in cities like Delhi have allegedly suffered.
Nigeria's Adewole Adeyemi Titus, looking for job opportunities after completing an undergraduate course in shipping and logistics at a private university, says it was the lure of doing a degree in Chennai that brought him from Lagos. "My classmates treated me equally. I am looking for employment and willing to take offers," he claimed.
The African students in the city, despite being from various countries, live in closed groups, meeting and partying among themselves. This they do, Flavia says, to avoid conflicts. "We have language and cultural differences as we are from far-off countries. African students largely move closely in their (African) community during get-togethers and parties. It is not that we do not want to mingle with Indian students, but just wish to avoid unnecessary conflicts," she points out.
Almost all Africans TOI spoke to said finding private accommodation in the city was a daunting task. Landlords emphasised on boys and girls living separately, they added.
Deo Gratias of Uganda, who lives in Padur on OMR, said they had no problem over food but added that most landlords rented out houses based on their experience with the previous tenant. "I though did not face any problem as I got accommodated in a house where another African was already staying," he said.
Chennai, Deo asserts, is more tolerant than other Indian cities. "When a student back home approaches me for advice, I strongly recommend that he choose an educational institution in Chennai due to the friendly environment. Any scuffle between an African and Indian at Chennai, it would rather be an issue among the two individuals and not because that we are from Africa," says Deo, who passed out of University of Madras this year.