South Africa is a new nation still coming to terms with its government and economy. So I feel the definition of self for many South Africans is developing. But there are few aspects of a South African’s distinctiveness we can discuss.
Race, while certainly a part of the individual sentiment is also a part of the overall country’s identity. Nelson Mandela mentioned in his book, during apartheid, if you were born a black South African, you were ostracized and oppressed by the government. If you were non-white, you could not roam around anywhere without a pass that identified you and your race. One race had privileges over the other and was seen as the superior citizen. You were divided from the rest of your community and separated by tension created by the government. But then when freedom came, whites, blacks, Coloured and Indian all became equal. The damage done economically, however, is long entrenched in the society and now the divisions that exist are mostly are based on one’s wealth, just like in the US. Yes the majority is black Africans but whites, Indian and Malay immigrants play a significant role. You cannot call South Africa as an only black and white nation, but that with shades of grey, just like its own history. And they are proud of it. The country’s motto is after all “Unity in Diversity”.
Even within whites there are divisions in terms of those of the Afrikaans community and those of the English. Some Indians that I have met only identify themselves as ethnically Asian because of their ancestor’s origin and their skin tone but have no emotional connection with India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or Nepal (the term Indian in those days clumped theses groups together before India was partitioned into the new countries) in any way and call themselves South African. And then there are those who have incorporated their Indian culture into their daily lives, even popularizing traditional food like samosas . As Mandela had said in the last few chapters of his memoirs, if you choose South Africa to be your home then you are welcomed with open arms, no matter your ethnicity or origin. The other aspect of identity that comes up is language and the community you hail from. One could be a Xhosa, Sesotho or Zulu black or only Afrikaans or only English speaker. The tongue in which a South African chooses to speak has also been a long battle, having gruesome consequences like in the Soweto 1976 riots. Students refused to be taught in Afrikaans because it was not the language they were familiar with and it was not their own. It was so important to them that this part of their identity be preserved that they took to the streets to protest.
I had talked about recently of an experience with listening to President Jacob Zuma’s first state of the nation speech. Then I had said that I felt South African because of the feeling of something new starting for the nation. I feel another thing that makes South Africans so unique is the presence of traces of raw patriotism. People may have given up on the ANC after its inability to deliver some of the results it promised but the dawn of possibility and optimism after Thabo Mbeki is indicative of the country’s infancy. The past seems to still have a hold on the present conditions of the people, many living in the same ramshackle huts in townships from the 90s.
Working at a radio station has allowed me to listen to music that South Africans identify with and realize it’s a very important part of the self. Music was an element of the struggle and the two combines produced music that sing about lost souls, pain, freedom and strength. Gospel, a capella, marabi, kwaito, mbaqanga, and even what are symbols of cultures coming together and creating unique sounds, again descriptive of South Africa’s situation. What Mandela describes as the hauntingly beautiful Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika is the national anthem with Die Stem emphasizing that to be South African means to co-exist.
To be South African means dealing with all these diverse elements and also trying to find a balance between traditions and progress. The challenge in trying to reconcile its identity also means accepting new immigrants from Zimbabwe and other neighboring countries, who seek refuge and opportunities.
