Wow!South Africa has come a long way. We are a democratic state, with everyone equal regardless of race and culture. Most South Africans have high hopes and big dreams for the country. But working for a community newspaper(The Rep) has opened my eyes to an appauling incident. There's a part in the paper where we do vox pox, with local and national politics being the main focal point. In a vox pox we are expected to get views and opinions from a diverse group of people, from different races and cultures. Throughout this process of getting people's opinions and views, I've noticed that white people don't give a damn about what is happening with our government and politics. Two weeks back we did a vox pox on the issue of former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Bhalindlela being removed of office. We took to the town hoping to get people voicing out. The first White person that we(me and Athenkosi,Rhodes university journalism student) approached was shocked that we were representing a newspaper. She said "I thought I was being mugged". That was the most degrading thing anyone has ever said to me. from there she didn't even want to comment on the issue, which I didn't have a problem with, but was shocked by her judgement on us. I was shocked to hear that I look like a mugger. I see myself as a decent looking young woman ( even though I don't walk around with pencil skirts and stilletos) and I can say the same about Athi. I asked the lady why she thought so but she just loughed it off and said "never mind". Why wouldn't I mind? What is it in me that looks like a criminal? then the old cliche` comes about: Is it because I'm BLACK?but anyway the point of this post was on the lack of knowledge of what is happening in our government and politics in white people in Queenstown. So we went on with the program, spoke to few people got their opinions. For the sake of diversity, we tried different races. The two white people we aproached didn't even know who Bhalindlela is. The other said all these( I don't know who he was refering to) people don't know how to run a country. He suggested there should be a 'clean up', starting from state president. I asked myself why would he want all of them cleaned out if he doesn't know what their positions and duties are. From noticing that none of the white people knew who Bhalindlela is, just for interest sake, I aproach some more people for my own understanding and research. Only one participant knew Bhalindle, but she said she thought she was still the department of the education minister. Even though Bhalindlela left that position a while ago, I considered this to have been a positive responce. Two boys from the town's boys high thought Mandela was still president. That was the funniest of all the responces. I mean come on!Mandela still president?!That was classic.
( I know you're asking yourself why I targeted white people, but there aren't many races in this town, there's black and white people and a few Indian shop owners)
Well I don't know who is to blame for this lack of knowledge. Is it us the media? Is it ingnorance from white people?
About Me
- Mark My Words
- I'm happiest when I'm my own company...socialising every now and then; can't live without a pen and paper; love being a black woman in South Africa
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9 comments:
psshhhh man man man, what can i say? thats true sa for u gal, we might as well be like zimbabwe for population when it comes to politics. I think it all lies in the fact that if u look deep at the situation, white ppl still possess the wealth and fortune of the country. I mean lets face the music, black ppl do also feature in top managements of big corporations nowadays but ask yourself this, who actually makes more money than those blk ppl leading the company as a fancy MD or yo CEO positions? if u know yo math right, its still white ppl, u cant escape from the fact. So i think white people view politics as some sort of means to exert the power and wealth of the nation away from then and nearer the blk population of the country. so i think they constantly ask themselves why should they give a rat's ass about politics when they holding the hot seat.
Oh!peto, uyabhala sana. But then places like Quenstown are still white
Hey Dudoo, I try man...finally we're free to voice out ngoku
I feel that mna lemeko yase Queenstown represents something that already happening in South Africa but it's jus even worse here
that's great at the end! and I don't think you look like a criminal...
haha
thank you for checking out my blog!!!!
I think it's like that a lot of places, just because the older people were raised on differences. Instead of today, where more people stress similarities, they paid attention to the things that separated them.
The town is home to me and what you say is true.I think white people wherever they are don't care about politics and I have Cherra-dee to testify. They are confined behind walls and live in fear in such that it led to them thinking of black folks as criminals.I don't know what they buy newspapers for if they don't know politics or is it black politics to them? whatever the case might be whites need to realise that we must share this country.
But to some extent we blacks are like them when it come to our fellow Africans. Not so long ago,a new word got into my people's vocab XENOPHOBIA and we also as ignorant about what is happening to other Africans. All we care about is American celebrities, who do crime and we admire that.
I don't want to say much but hear me out on my blog.
shuba`
Phaki I feel you on that Xenophobic tip, people tend to fear difference and change. The issue of xonophobia has always been rife in our society, but it has just been highlighted by the violent attacks. It has been axcepted, look at the commonly used name of Amakwerekwere. there are people like Arthur Mafukate who have used that term for entertainment purposes in their songs, which I feel is sick. There is a lot of education that needs to be given to South Africans about the beauty of of diversity. Both to black and white(and those in between) citizens.
zona inde lanto uybhale phayana fondin... kodwa ingath imnandi so mandiyfunde nam mhlaumbi ndinga commenta if ayphelanga ndisafunda imali yam...
i don't think the problem lies with the media kodwa mna... some people just choose to shut themselves behind their doors and not even take notice of what's happening in their own country. the media is playing a huge role in informing the nation on what is going on and i think that is right. those who choose not to take anything into their thick skulls then... i don't know, i want to say "TO HELL WITH THEM" but im not gonna say that... lest the HRC call me in.lol
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