...classified as a white person

The other day I was rummaging through my old documents trying to track down my birth certificate. There, in the midst of all my old report cards, I stumbled upon my very first identity document. As I flipped through its pages there it was – my formal classification document in which I, Catherine Bollaert, was legally ‘classified as a white person’ under the Population Registration Act as legislated in 1950.

I was flabbergasted! In all my thirty-three years of existence it had never once occurred to me that I might have owned a real-mckoy document of such historical significance! I mean I knew that Apartheid had done this to people. But there it was - my name on this little piece of paper with a stamp that declared that this person has been ‘classified as a white person’. Immediately my mind began interrogating the significance of this discovery. Was it intended to be a treasure or a curse that needed to be burned?

With this discovery, it felt as though I had landed with a thud into the heart of South Africa’s Apartheid history. Where did that leave me? Even though I was too young to have really experienced what Apartheid was all about, the colour of my skin meant that I was guilty. Nonetheless, I had benefitted at the expense of the ‘other’. For this, justice and restitution had to be made. So, was this the hard evidence proving me guilty as charged? However, on the other hand, because of the very nature of my being white, I am now cast an outsider – an illegitimate child.

So, it was as though this little piece of paper contained the curse of my identity. With THAT stamp the rest of my life had been pre-determined. Unless I could change the colour of my skin there was nothing I could do about it. Because of these four little words I would grow up in an all white neighbourhood and go to an all white church and be educated in an all white school, each of which was over-flowing in privilege. Most would consider me lucky! A blessing indeed to have been born white in a context where to have been born black meant being classified as sub-human and treated as such. Nonetheless, it was also because of those four little words that I would be trained in the ways of racism; that I would be taught to privilege privilege itself; and taught to fear the black man coming towards me. Because of those four little words I was now part of the world wide web of oppressors. So, the discovery of this little piece of paper was like discovering hidden muthi – the magic charm that contained the power of my curse. For this reason alone it needed to be burned.

No. This little piece of paper is now becoming my treasure. It is evidence that I too am a product of the society into which I was born and which continues to be defined by the stamp that the authorities on that day felt like putting on your little piece of paper. Can we really be defined by the tone of our skin colour or by the ability of our hair to retain a pencil? Does this not only go skin deep? Can we not see the absolute absurdity of all of it? Should we not be laughing out loud in mockery of those words - to think that I, that we, have allowed them to dictate who we are today? Whilst I am in no way dismissing the magnitude of the injustice of Apartheid and the severity of how it destroyed the lives of millions of people – the least of which is mine – can we really let those few little words on that little piece of paper continue to maintain its pervasive power which is still plaguing the stability of our society? In as much as you had no choice in your being classified as a ‘black’ or ‘coloured’ or Indian person, whose consequence you have had to live with, I too had no choice in being classified a ‘white person’. I too have to live with the consequence of that. But it is me who now gets to choose how.

Angola, South Africa: It's all the same...right?

It’s unbelievable really. The African Cup of Nations suffers a major attack; the Togolese deep loss and trauma and the Western media is more concerned whether this is the “litmus test” of what’s to come during the football world cup later this year in South Africa! What is that all about? Nonetheless, I thought the response of a South African who was being interviewed about this perceived security risk, by a Sky News reporter, was priceless. Drawing the parallels he asked the reporter that if a bomb went off in London (as indeed it has) whether it would deter them from going to Amsterdam? Of course not – it wouldn’t even cross one’s mind to think that!

For a moment I want to draw a few comparisons to gain some perspective on this. First of all, the continent of Africa is larger than the size of Western Europe, China, USA, India, and Argentina put together! Secondly, as Time Magazine points out, the distance between Cabinda (where this attack took place) and Cape Town is about double the distance between Paris and Kosovo , double the distance! (http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1952798,00.html). Thirdly, for me to fly from Durban to Cape Town takes about the same amount of time as it would to fly from England to Switzerland. A vast continent indeed! With countries that are separated by massive geographic distances! Why then is the Western media so concerned that what happened in Angola is going to happen in South Africa?

Is it because they still think that Africa is one and the same country? Surely not! However, considering the number of “non-Africans” who still refer to the African state they are about to visit as ‘Africa’ – then perhaps this remains a valid hypothesis. But why such fear?

With the way the world has been politically and economically structured, it is usually those with less power who are obligated to enter into the world and worldview of those who exert the power. The result of this in South Africa meant that most “blacks” have had great insight into who “whites” are – as they were continually having to enter into the “white” world. On the contrary, for “whites” knowledge of who “blacks” are has largely been based on what the media and religious institutions have said (or didn’t say) they were. For “whites” this created a deep-seated fear of “blacks” that was pivotal to upholding the Apartheid rule.

So, when reading about the fears that the West continues to have of Africa I am reminded that such dynamics are not peculiar to South Africa but form part of the global order. I am also reminded of how similar “white” South Africa and the West are with their attitudes towards Africa. For me, this Togolese tragedy is a beckoning for those of us in the West to step beyond our ideological boundaries and discover that in fact the distance between Cabinda and Cape Town is as safe as the distance between London and Amsterdam. In doing so not only will we feel more secure but so will the rest of the world!

16 December: Day of Reconciliation

Today in South Africa its a public / bank holiday in which what is now called Reconciliation Day is being commemorated.

Originally called the DAY OF THE VOW, this day was observed as a religious holiday by the Afrikaans (the Voortrekkers at the time) in memory of their victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River on 16 December 1838. Before the battle, the Voortrekkers had taken a vow to observe a day of thanksgiving should God grant victory. In return for this, they promised to build a church - which in fact was built in my home town of Pietermaritzburg (church of the vow). For centuries since - until 1994 that is- this day has been annuallycommemorated by whites and particularly the Afrikaans.

But such a victory must be interogated. Can one really attribute such a victory to God. Really! Guns versus the spear? Is this not to suggest that he favoured the Afrikaners over the Zulus? That he loves one more than the other? That whites are more important and superior over the blacks? Isn't this the conclusion that many of us have come to and that assisted in justifying what Apartheid was all about?

You can imagine then that what a celebration of this nature, year after year by whites, means for blacks who suffered the oppression of Apartheid, as year after year it re-inforced "god-ordained" white nationalism and black subjugation.

Today, following the abolishment of Apartheid, this day has been re-named the Day of Reconciliation. For me this is a magnamimous gesture on the part of the new government - as they have sought to redeem a most heinous past. For me this is an absolute act of humanity!

The problem however, as uncle Zuma in his speech today rightly points out, we have a long way to go.

As I was reading what some of the respondents had to say in the news (http://www.mg.co.za/article/2009-12-16-reconciliation-sa-has-a-long-way-to-go-says-zuma) - it becomes apparent:

For many whites - there is still much anger. I am interested to know why. Is it because the change in dispensation and the fact that the belief in God's favour over them is being challenged poses a great threat to their identity - for which one must fight for?

But for many others across all the colour groups, including many blacks, the 16th of December is simply a great holiday - a short work week. If I were in South Africa - I would naturally be naturally fall into this group - something I have a really hard time with. Surely this should be a day of reconciliation; a day of coming together; of remembering from whence we come; and actively seeking how, in small ways, we can continue redeeming and bringing restoration to the communities in which live and going beyond the borders in which we have been culturally designsated to live?

Nonetheless, for most blacks it is about celebrating the liberation struggle and the long road to freedom. This year the focus has been on providing for those who fought in the struggle. Of course this has been cause for the arousal of deep anger from many whites who were deceived and betrayed by their former bosses, the chiefs of Apartheid as they too have suffered their own losses. Consequently, this days shows what a long road we have ahead of us a brewing racial tensions are brought to the fore.

But this day should no longer be only about reconciliation between blacks and whites, as unlce Zuma points out - its also about laying aside our xenophobic reactions towards other Africans. After all was this not a part of the liberation struggle was all about? As today is an act of redeeming our humanity as South Africans, so should it be a day to renew the humanity of those seeking refuge and security in our land.

So it is that those who are seeking to redeem the past should be supported. Until such a time that a sense of restorative forms of justice and the humanity of the other is redeemed none of us will be able to live in an environment in which peace and stability is prevalent. This requires the risk of stepping beyond our borders to find the humanity of the other on the other side.