Sting Video: “No Room for Negros” – Racism, Caught on Camera

The Quint tried to find rooms for 5 African nationals. We recorded reactions on a hidden cam. Watch the video here.

African students face racism in India. To get a reality check, we went out with a hidden camera and received some shocking responses (Photo: Aaqib Raza Khan/The Quint)

“Ye jo South Africa ya..Nigeria..in jagahon ke log hain, inki market reputation thodi si kharab hai”

How racist are we exactly? From attacks on people from the Northeastern states, to abusing those who are not even from our country. What’s more worrying is that the bias is based largely on the appearance. We are quick to judge on face value.

To investigate the racism that exists in the by-lanes of a modern metropolitan city, The Quint went undercover. We posed as students seeking accommodation for 2 French and 5 African students. The reactions shocked us, but were not very surprising.

We visited property dealers, brokers and landlords in Delhi, expressing interest in renting their property for a year. It went well, and the deal went smoothly even after telling them that we are seeking it for international students. But it froze the moment with dropped the ‘A’ word.

As soon as we revealed that African students would be living in that property, we were met with shock and disappointment. We were refused. Oh yes, the French students were permitted to rent the same property. The excuses remained scattered and largely unconvincing.

But in the same search, we found some accommodating people too. They listened to us carefully, didn’t flinch when we informed them that this would be for African students, and in fact offered extra services to assist them. That saved our faith in humanity, by a whisker.

In the first week of February this year, a Tanzanian woman was assaulted, stripped, and paraded naked on the streets. This happened in Bengaluru, when a mob believed her to be related to an accident that had happened earlier.

Though the Minister of External Affairs called it an isolated incident, the attack was believed to be a racist one. A few days later, Africans in Hyderabad were also attacked. And with such rampant attacks happening across the country for a long time, we wondered, where is India headed?

Is this the ‘Incredible India’ we invite our guests to? Atithi Devo Bhava?