Almost exactly fifteen years ago Nelson Mandela was released from prison having spent all his life fighting for equal opportunities for blacks and whites.
Fifteen years is a long time, but at the same time – is it long enough?
In my first weeks in South Africa, I have seen and heard of some serious cases of racism, discrimination and attitude problems out here. Let me give you some examples…
The owner of my former guesthouse was a lovely woman, who was incredibly sweet, helpful and forthcoming. She had a good educational background, a safe income and her children went to good schools (sponsored by our high rental payments). But despite all of this, her attitude towards non-whites was more than “politically incorrect”. Whenever there was a problem, it seemed to have to do with the “Blacks”. Whenever someone was mugged, it must have been a black guy. Whenever someone took her right of way on the roads, it was someone with dark skin and quite naturally whenever there were any small incidents in her neighborhood, it was because of the increasing amount of blacks living there now. The way she said it, sounded really degrading and her opinions were completely unjustified … I found this all very strange for a woman of her status, but then I guess she lived most of her live under Apartheid and has trouble adjusting to a more politically correct mindset – even after fifteen years.
Another example comes from Lucy, who told me about a devout Christian at her university. The girl is very religious and goes to church and prays on a regular basis. Despite her belief in god and his unbounded love for other people, she has turned out to be a severe racist. This translates into every day life in a way that Lucy found hard to deal with and made her doubt whether she wanted to be friends with this girl. How can someone, who believes that God sent his son to save all humans, believe that some people are better than others? Especially given the fact that she is a scientist and I have been told that the genetic differences between black and white people are less than those between different Europeans (feel free to correct me if I am mixing up my facts…). But then again, the girl is a vegetarian, but at the same time enjoys going hunting … maybe she really is just a bid odd.
I can give you another example how racial and stereotypical thinking creeps into your every day life and it comes from my very own experience (apologies if I have told the story already): When stopping at traffic junctions in Pretoria it is quite common to be attacked by street vendors, beggars or so called artists - people with painted faces vaguely resembling sad clowns. While nothing draws my attention when we a black guy tries to sell me DVD’s or plastic flowers, I immediately notice when a white person sells soft drinks or begs for money. I cannot even explain this strange feeling, but something just doesn’t seem right – you don’t expect white people to be begging for pennies out here. It is the same when parking your car in a mall. There is always a guy, who claims to safeguard your car (while he is actually listening to the radio) but it is common to give them a few Rand as a tip. But once again, this is a “job” that I heavily associate with black people and it strikes me, when some white guys offer to look after my car and then hold their hand open to get five pence from me. I cannot explain it, I feel guilty for thinking it, but that is the way it is. I guess stereotypes are incorporated deeper into us than we like to think … if they are in my mind, even though I have never lived under an Apartheid regime, what must it be like for people who grew up in times of racial separation?
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