APARTHEID IN SOUTH AFRICA

The struggle of people against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting

Milan Kundera

Apartheid is not an age-old story. It happened in my parents’ time, and their parents’ times. I am 21. Apartheid as a law ruled into action by the National Party in 1948 was merely the culmination of decades of discrimination in South Africa. The systemic discrimination of people all over the world today are stories just like the Apartheid of South Africa, and by learning about it, we arm ourselves with knowledge we can use to take power back in places wherein power is sorely imbalanced and abused. When we do not pay attention, when we forget; that is when history repeats itself. 

 The foundations for Apartheid were already laid well before the aforementioned generations. What my own generation sits with is the work of de-colonising our mindsets, education systems and social practices. Many of the older generations are still stuck in the haze of Apartheid; they are run-down from growing up in forced scarcity, or they are nostalgic for “the good old days” and unfortunately still stubbornly prejudiced.

It is worthwhile to note, not only white people participate in this nostalgia. Part of the collective memory of Apartheid is that people of colour as a whole were also separated into different racial categories ranked as inferior or superior and provided human rights accordingly. Colourism is heavy at play here. People of colour grew up noticing the privilege and prestige that whiteness painted itself into, and painted others outside-of. In a race towards un-becoming themselves, they came to hate each other. 

Some in the older generations have continued the legacy begun by the inauguration of Madiba, devoting their lives to fairness and equality. It is easy to classify all of the country into these little concepts, but every individual remains very much at their own place on a large spectrum of experience and of prejudice. People of colour who were born into wealth benefit from the “apartness” at play in the economy, but they are still discriminated against because of skin. People of colour who are closer to Eurocentric beauty standards benefit more in social areas because whiteness is prized (even by other people of colour), although they may still be discriminated against because they may not be wealthy or “white enough”. Awareness of intersectional identity is valuable in this work. 

How much of this history is relative to your own history? Have you experienced any instances of colourism? What has happened in today’s time that knowledge of Apartheid can shed light on?

The election of Nelson Mandela as president in South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994 was a joy to the nation. Thousands of people from every province (state) queued up at every available voting booth and change was in the air. You can feel it even watching the old news footage. This came after decades of revolting, civil disobedience, peaceful modes of protest, sanctions, negotiations and violent uprisings. Close to election time, there was still fear of violence and even assassination attempts at change-makers. 

Is this the price of change? Madiba was sentenced to prison on the grounds of conspiring to overthrow the government. He was accused of treason. What is the price of our stepping-up today? 

Are there parallels between American and South African history? What can we learn from this?

Although Apartheid ended, there is still much work to be done to alleviate the imbalances it dug into South African soil. The first instance of this work was carried out through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which was a court-like body of justice established after apartheid. Victims of human rights violations were invited to give their statements in court. Perpetrators were held accountable. Financial retributions were also paid. The aim of the TRC was to establish a sense of reconciliation and forgiveness among perpetrators and victims of apartheid through absolute disclosure of the truth so that healing could occur. South Africa is also hailed for having one of the most progressive Constitutions in the world, a feature of the work undertaken to restore the humanity of the nation after apartheid. 

GENERAL APARTHEID-RELATED TERMS

Apartheid: Afrikaans word for “apartness/segregation”. A legislated policy of racial segregation ruled into being after the National Party was elected when it won a “whites-only” election in 1948. 

Pass: Also known as a “dompas”. This was similar to an identification card and included the holder’s race on it. You would have needed to show your pass to be in certain areas even if you were just sitting on a bench (public amenities were also racially segregated). 

Bantustans (bun-to-stuns): Ethnically defined areas for Black people created on the basis of “Native Reserves” (Land Act, 1913). Worthwhile to note: Eugenics and misuse of psychology played a role in scientifically validating the National Party’s claim for white superiority. The sciences were abused and falsified, setting up Black people (especially anyone with dark skin and particular hair-types/skull shapes/nose shapes) to seem inferior through rigged, nonsensical testing systems. 

Bantu: A term used to describe a family of languages in Africa. During Apartheid, “Bantu” was used as a derogatory term for Black Africans. Today it is accepted to describe language family. 

“Whites, Blacks, Indians, and Coloureds”: These were the four categories that people could fall into racially. As you can see, it’s not a broad selection. Less care was given to ethnic group than skin colour and facial/hair features. The groups were also ranked according to social status with white (“European” at the time) being the highest ranked. 

“Coloured” refers to anyone who was mixed race or unable to be categorised. It is still used to refer to mixed race people in South Africa and is not received as a derogatory term. 

Black Consciousness: Ideology popularised by Steve Biko (co-founder of the South African Students Organisation) in the late 1960’s. It aimed to liberate black people (at the time this meant Black South Africans as well as Indian and Coloured South Africans-anyone who was not white) psychologically through teaching black self-worth. Steve Biko also emphasised that white people had to be messengers for the liberation of their own racial collective and not play saviour to black people. This movement rested on the philosophy that “the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed” (Steve Biko, 1971 speech).

POETRY SECTION

BLACK JOY

We were spanked for each other’s sins.
Spanked in syllables and by the word of God.
Before dark meant home time.

My grandmother’s mattress
knew each of my
siblings,
cousins,
and the neighbour’s children’s
morning breath
By name.

A single mattress spread on the floor was enough for all of us.

Bread slices were buttered with iRama
and rolled into sausage shapes;
we had it with black rooibos, we did not ask for cheese.

We were filled.

My cousins and I would gather around one large bowl of umngqusho,
each with their own spoon.
Sugar water completed the meal.

We were home and whole.

But
isn’t funny?
That when they ask about black childhood,
all they are interested in is our pain,
as if the joy-parts were accidental.

I write love poems, too,
but
you only want to see my mouth torn open in protest,
as if my mouth were a wound
with pus and gangrene
for joy.
– by Koleka Putuma

Terms in Black Joy Poem

Umngqusho (oom-nqoo-shoh) : This is an African dish cooked in different ways across cultures. Mainly it consists of samp with beans as well as  butter, onions, potatoes, chillies and lemon. It’s served plain or with a variety of sides.

Fun fact: According to Madiba’s chef, Umngqusho was among his favourite dishes

iRama (i-raa-ma) : Rama is a commonly used fat-spread for bread (like margarine). The prefix “i” before “Rama” is a feature of Xhosa, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa. Effectively the word is read in Xhosa.

Rooibos (roy-bos) : this is Afrikaans (another of South Africa’s 11 official languages) for “red bush”. It is the name of a herb native to South Africa and is commonly brewed into tea. 

Prompt: Is the suffering of POC a type of commodity today? 

Can joy be an act of resistance to said commodification and dehumanization?