The aftermath of Apartheid

For those of you who don't know and did not watch Invictius or Skin, South Africa has had a long and difficult struggle with race relations.  In 1950 the population registration act required all people to be classified by physical features into three categories; White, Coloured, and Bantu.  This system became more and more complex and confusing until there were over seven categories to be put into and how you were classified changed from what you looked like, to what your parents were, to what group accepted you.  It was quite a mess.  Anyway as I am sure many of you know this institution lead to extreme racism, those of Bantu or Coloured classification had to carry their passbooks around with them, in this book was their classification, police records, job history, and clearances to be in specific areas at specific times.  Inter marriage was strongly forbidden and any intermingling with another race was to be avoided at all costs.  This system also limited where people could live and what education and jobs they were allowed to have.  Apartheid policy carried on until it officially ended in 1989 which was the last year in which the South African population was classified in the register, but this did not end the long established relationships built between races. 

The aftermath of Apartheid is still very strong today.  Most lower level jobs are filled by those of color and higher positions are filled by white Afrikaners.  As you go around the city you can notice the huge disparity between the rich and the poor, and you can also see that for the majority that line follows racial lines.  Looking around it is only white people in the malls, and black people on the park benches.  In South Africa the term Black means something much different than in the US.  The term that would be equivalent of "black" in the US is "Non-white", but that is changing since there is a push to recognize that you cannot be a "non-person."  Being black in South Africa means that you were born speaking a Bantu language, since there are many other classifications for those who were not.  

I want to be clear that my observations are only representative of Cape Town.  You could walk around the city for days and never see the disparity.  You could drive all around the Cape Town area and never see a place below middle class.  The poverty is very well hidden.  Separated from the city by golf courses and freeways the Townships are where the poor are concentrated.  The Townships are shantytowns,  miles and miles of shacks.  Places run by ganges and thugs.  The largest one was recently known to have over one million people living within its ever growing borders.  Many people who live here do not work, unemployment is somewhere around 25%, and the population is almost exclusively "non-white".  

You may be thinking to yourself, "this is horrible" or "how sad" but I would ask that you remember, the recognition of equality only started some 23 years ago, they have come a long way in such a short time, even though there is much more work to be done.  I also urge you to look at the United States, 236 years ago we said that "all men are created equal."  it took 89 years for African Americans to be considered human, 94 years for them to get the right to vote, 144 years for women's suffrage, and 233 years for a non-white male to be elected to our highest office.  We are still not at a place of total equality but it has been said that the beauty of the United States is not where we are but at our constant struggle to reach the ideals set forth by our founders.  

I know that my experience in South Africa has made me take a closer look at my own country and my own life.  Let us remember that we are all alike, the differences between race are only skin deep.  I know that most people reading this already know and agree to this, but not everyone understands, so let's make it clear, all people are created equal.  Spread the word.