I write what I overhear, what people tell me, what I read, & what I see. I write what I think, and what I imagine. I often write because I’m angry. This blog is currently written from South Africa, mainly Johannesburg, although I have posted from Angola too. Come October 2008, I will be posting from the UK, probably mainly from a place called Hackney in East London.
This work (that is, all of this blog) is licenced under a
Creative Commons Licence.
January 24, 2008 at 12:33 pm
unstrung-I’m replying here as you have no email posted. I’m assuming that kaffir is the same as nigger, or a close equivalent. Let me know if I’m way off. The thing that I find is that we are all racists-but the important thing is to know that and work on it. It is a constant on-going project, and as you point out, language is a huge part of it. I find your blog very illuminating. I’ve been to a lot of places, but never South Africa. I live in NYC where the races and languages are innumerable and are literally cheek to cheek, ear to mouth. But—I am not in the midst of what you talk about. Keep writing…be careful.
Ha! you can see that I’m a Mom.
February 14, 2008 at 9:06 am
I never replied to you Mia. I don’t know whether, for example, here in South Africa, black South Africans have reappropriated the word kaffir for their own, as has happened among some people in the States, with nigger. I don’t think it has, but I could be completely wrong.
I’m not sure if I agree, ‘we are all racists’ Mia. I’m not sure that’s true. I don’t know exactly what you mean by that. I’d want to ‘unpack’ it (sorry, terrible pompous expression). But I’m with you on language, and also with you on the idea that we should never think we are ‘above’ race, as I’m sure some of us do. I think there was a stage when I thought that, when I really thought I’d got to the other side. But I was wrong. You’re never on the other side, you never outrun reality; you are only ever running with it, at best, and dealing with it, and working with it. We make decisions about people based on race, sure, but not necessarily more than we do on their hair, their clothes, their age, their smell, their wealth, their ‘language’, etc etc. This is a long debate. We must all keep on with it, keep debating, keep pushing. One of the things I feel about South Africa, or at least, my small time here in Johannesburg, is that the debate itself is stifled. Even having the debate, beginning it, would be progress. But currently, I think, it’s not really even happening. People talk about ‘race’ and use ‘colour’ in their language, but there is not a debate about racism and everyone’s palce in it. IT’s almost as if among some people, they assume that having lived with apartheid, they’ve been there, done that. They know better than the rest of us about race. That’s kind of the feel you get from people here. I think. I could change my opinion on that!
May 8, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Hi – Abi (glasgow) turned me on to your blog – I really enjoy reading it! Also wanted to let you know that I added you to my blogroll. All the best. -Pinky
July 9, 2008 at 7:59 am
Your blog gives much to think and ponder about. Keep up the thought provoking writing, I love your style. I am adding you to my blogroll, If you would like to add me that would be great!
Sincerely, Dee
July 13, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hi Lara, So I see you are in Jo’burg. How are you?
July 14, 2008 at 10:23 am
I’m ok, Adewale. OK. Though I can’t say South Africa fills me with delight…
July 19, 2008 at 8:10 pm
‘You’re never on the other side, you never outrun reality; you are only ever running with it, at best, and dealing with it, and working with it. We make decisions about people based on race, sure, but not necessarily more than we do on their hair, their clothes, their age, their smell, their wealth, their ‘language’, etc etc. This is a long debate. We must all keep on with it, keep debating, keep pushing.’
I totally agree with you. (Sorry it took so long for me to reply to you on my blog, wordpress had marked it as spam, and I only just found out that there was a spam comment page I could review.) One of the worst things we can do is deny something that is so blatantly obvious as skin colour. I grew up in Bermuda, which is 75% black, 10% white, and 15% Filipino, Portuguese from the Azores, and random Eastern European ethnicities. One of the things I remember from my childhood is how people would be so careful not to point out someone’s race. Like, ‘that girl by the bar in the red shirt and blue skirt’ when there’s two girls in red shirts, but only one black girl, by the bar, instead of saying, ‘the black girl by the bar.’ It’s no different than saying ‘the guy with the blond mohawk,’ or ‘the woman with the horrid shirt.’ It’s just the easiet identifying factor. It makes racism worse to ignore in like that. It keeps the differences fresh in everybody’s mind, instead of just getting over them.
I’ve always wanted to visit South Africa. I’m good with languages, and Afrikaans is one of the next languages to learn on my (very long) list.
I’ve been reading ‘Country of my Skull,’ by Antjie Krog, about her coverage of the TRC. It’s hard work, and very dense. Have you heard of it/read it?
July 21, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Derriad, please remind me where I left that comment. I remember writing it, but you haven’t left a link for me to retrace my footsteps.
What you raise here – about pointing people out and avoiding their colour – is, I think, a little more complicated. I think it depends on where you are, who you are with, and the circumstances in which you find yourself in terms of how you talk about colour, and the words you chose. In some cases, stating “the black girl by the bar” might be different to saying “the guy with the blond mohawk” – it all depends on circumstance. Moreover, it is interesting, in this example, that you pick such an extreme comparison: a blond mohawked man is unusual. Being black is not.
Sorry, Derriad, I don’t want to sound like I am turning fast on my hind legs and running – but I think we have to be careful not to assume that everyone is (trying to move) beyond race. Loads of people (most of the world?) are not. As I said before: You’re never on the other side, you never outrun reality; you are only ever running with it, at best, and dealing with it, and working with it.
Please let me know where you are on the web!
And, no, I haven’t read that book. Is it any good?
July 22, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Actually, where I live, it’s not at all unusual for people to have mohawks (or the equivalent). Almost half the youth in the city (and there are a lot of us, with four universities in the city proper and two outside it) are hippie/indie/scenester/punk/goths. At least a third of the people I know have visible tattoos, and probably more than half have multiple visible piercings (other than ears). My university’s head librarian has one of those horse-shoe shaped things through the middle of her nose.
I’m one of the odd ones out, wearing blouses and skirts and dress trousers and not just in the snobbish south end of the city, and believe me, I have felt judged for it.
My example was meant to be as common as possible, but I guess what’s common here isn’t as common elsewhere. So, let’s alter that to ‘the guy in the collared shirt’. I don’t know anything about South African culture, but in Canada there aren’t any social or employment strictures against tattoos, piercings, etc. Unless you’re in big business, but I’m not. So, it wasn’t an extreme comparison.
And living in Canada does tend to put rose-coloured glasses on the whole race thing, although there is prejudice, specifically in the older generations against the Acadians whose first language wasn’t English. They had segregated schools until at least the sixties.
The link’s here: http://derriad.wordpress.com/about/
And Country of My Skull is a very good book, but it is just one woman’s view of the TRC, something I’m very interested in, and I’d like to know more.
Have you heard of the theory of democracy-to-come, in critical theory/deconstruction? I think you’d find it very interesting, given your comment on outrunning reality.
July 23, 2008 at 7:19 am
Ah. Derriad. Point taken re: mohawks et cetera! I realise, from this place called Johannesburg, that I’ve only seen one mohawk since I’ve been here: a multi-coloured broom end stuck to a man’s head. So yes, it depends on where we are.
As for the theory of democracy to come… No, I haven’t heard of it. Is this that democracy is coming?! So where do I go to find out about it?
August 4, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Hello Lara, sorry I didn’t respond, I just started a new job, by boyfriend got into grad school, etc, etc. I meant to write a post on the democracy-to-come, but I promise I will do so in the next week or so, complete with links and so on.
That book you mentioned in your last post sounds really good.
September 10, 2008 at 6:56 pm
Hi Lara
What are your contact details? I’m a digital journo working for CNN.com International writing a story about the recent elections in Angola. I wonder if you would be interested in giving me your thoughts on the country, its post-war reconstruction and what the recent elections mean for its future as a democracy?
I’m on a pretty tight deadline so if you fancy talking to me could you send me an email or give me a ring on +44 7786 912 947 or mairi.mackay@cnn.com
Thanks
Mairi
September 11, 2008 at 7:57 am
Mairi, Thank you for writing. I have a couple of questions:
Do you mean by “digital journo” that you write for the CNN website? And when you say you’d like my thoughts do you mean in order to quote me? I’m tempted to say yes, but – as you may gather if you read this blog – I’m very reluctant to have my name and words and thoughts pasted into skinny story on Angola on CNN where so much horrendous propaganda is produced. It may well be that you are one of the exceptions and are doing your best to produce a good story, but I’d like to encourage you to speak to the Angolans if you can. Find out from them what they think?
Does CNN have anyone in Angola? The last I knew was that the CNN representative was a European man who made it his business to amass and produce propaganda for the ruling party, and to ensure that people like me are kept firmly out of the way. You may not be aware of this: but it’s true.
And it is also CNN that runs the most bizarre and partial advertisements on Angola that I’ve perhaps ever seen on any screen other than the state-owned television station, TPA. CNN, in other words, actively assists in promoting an imbalanced impartial version of the state of affairs in Angola, no doubt because of the US’s vast oil interests in the country. Halliburton and Chevron are just two of the major American interests operating in Angola.
I think you should try to speak to Angolans. If you email me on lara@larapawson.com I can give you some contacts. Do you have anyone who speaks Portuguese who could translate the interviews?
My very best,
Lara