SHADES OF COLOURED
The label I cannot accept. It’s not an issue of not being proud of who I am or how I was raised but it’s the notion of being aware what this label has meant and why it was forced on a group of people of
colour in this country. A group that had “no” place on the “race scale”. Not dark enough to be black and not light enough to be white. This label has always been a difficult issue for me, always told you’re not enough to fit in anywhere but the “northern areas”. I guess what I did and do not want is the
connotation of confusion. Many in our “coloured’ communities frequently label their own as
confused, people who do not know who they are, people who do not have traditions and customs, even people who do not have a “native tongue”.
It’s much more frustrating for me when I see our young women not having direction or any identity and not see their value, the value in their caramel brown skin. The golden brown shimmer that so wonderfully dresses their body goes unnoticed and unappreciated. Our women in our communities do not see their worth because of the patriarchy that is such an epidemic within households. Our men are raised on principles that they are entitled to our bodies, hearts and minds. As soon as they are able to they take and discard of it as they need to. Our young men are raised to believe that is the way it has been for years and so it must continue because it has always “worked”. You look and once you have found what you wanted, you can have it and if you get refused or rejected, you apply force. Become more aggressive in approach because obviously your female interest is playing hard to get and she is just being cheeky. Because we all know that “coloured” women are born with stank attitudes. This then makes us believe that we need to behave, let go a bit, allow some disrespect because it shows that we are “chilled” and approachable. Now do not get me wrong, I am not saying all fault lies with men and I am definitely not apologizing for any misogynistic behaviour. I do not know the resolution to these societal ills. Perhaps letting go of labels attached to us that none of us really participated in designing in the beginning and create a new identity can be a start. Perhaps?