2PAC REVOLUTION

The Question of the Coloured Identity.

For a large proportion of South African history pre, - during and post-Apartheid the question of the Coloured identity has not been satisfactorily answered. There is not one definition to the term “Coloured” leaving the race divided amongst themselves. Taken into account the African heritage, the Khoi, the mixture of races it appears that every person who cannot be placed in the bigger racial category of Black and white is being perceived as Coloured. Although research has been done on the topic of the Coloured race it appears that the perception of the Coloured identity differs from person to person, race to race, group to group and area to area within South Africa. By the latter I mean the following: In South Africa are many people who by race classification will be perceived to be in the category of Coloured whilst those people themselves rather classify themselves as Khoi or Brown people. Research shows that the race within itself consists in many cases as a mixture of different races.

My opinion is that we are within a South African society where we have a small majority who controls the economy, the ruling elite and the Coloured who defines his own identity in relation to different political, religious, racial and social ideologies to such an extent that we miss the holistic sense of who we are as a group of people within the country and the continent.

Although the idea of a rainbow nation as put forth by Mr. Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu seemed like a charming idea at the beginning of democracy and somewhat today after 20 years of democracy, I personally reject it. The reason is because I feel that as a multi-racial and multi-cultural people we are tolerating each other for the sake of an ideal put forward in a time where we would have done anything to unite South Africa from a divided nation with such a bloody and unequal past to a democracy. The idea of a Rainbow nation proved to be very helpful in keeping peace thus ensuring a smooth transition into democracy, but not with regard to the equal distribution of wealth, the complete eradication of racial discrimination and economic exclusion of certain races within the country.

My questions are:

1. Can we unite all the different definitions and views of those perceived and identified as Coloured in South Africa under one umbrella, thus positioning ourselves as one nation within the greater South African society?

2. If this could be done, how would we go about doing it and sway our people in that direction?

3. If we could be united as such what should be our approach in presenting to the majority of South Africans that we can play the leading role in the politics and governance of South Africa?