WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BLACK?

The narrative of what it means to be black is a consciousness that was embedded by the Father of Consciousness, Steve Bantu Biko: In  the book, I Write What I Like “THE DEFINITION OF BLACK CONCIOUSNESS”  , in 1971, Biko defines blacks as ‘those who are by law or tradition politically, economically and socially discriminated against as a group in the South African society and identifying themselves as a unit in the struggle towards the realisation of their aspirations.’

South Africa’s social and political standing has since been transformed  into a Democratic State. However,  twenty years into our young Democracy, black people are starting to rise up against the notion of being white and treated as whites.    

Prominent  black people are starting to revolt against the notion of being white, of being taught in a Whiteman’s language, living in a Whiteman’s world.

Traditionally black people were not given a choice to assimilate their cultures with the Eurocentric and Westernise styles of living. Black people were forcefully attributed  to the Whiteman’s world as subservience to the Whiteman’s style of living, and only as  second-class-citizens – which was and still is a human rights violation.

This infringement on  black people, as dark beacons of prejudice, inequality and lesser-class-beings has been recorded through history, wide-reaching, as a gross-negligence, inhuman and racist injustice by white people upon the black population. Taking away their inborn identity, as part of the human race.   

Inside today’s South Africa, a Social Economic Transformation is needed  to restore the pride and identity, that was taken away by the white colonisers, to erase the far-reaching abuse that has clouded the black mentality for centuries.    

Steve Bantu Biko states that firstly: ‘Being black is not a matter of pigmentation – being black is a reflection of a mental attitude.’ Secondly: ‘ Merely by describing yourself as black you have started on a road towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you out as a subservient being.’    

In seeking the true black identity, we as South African black people have to be vigilant of mitigating old Whiteman’s racist tendencies with our own superfluous racist approach.

We cannot deny that our pigmentation has been a source of ridicule, to help guide the way of life for white people. Justly, we also cannot deny that black people are proud, multilingual, multi-coloured, non-racial , non-violent, non-segregating nation. Even through the extremities of neo-Nazi  racist white lefties. The black nation remains strong and connect as one.

In our connectedness many polarizing adversaries on what it means to be black: i.e. the Foreign Element in our neighbourhoods, Economic Emancipation, Land Repatriation, the true South African identity,  greedy Politians and Political parties, and our own ignorant corrupt government  - stand to degradingly pull away our democratic right, black identity and pride, that our elders stood for and fought for, for decades. 

A neo-black revolution on black mentality and black pride has commenced* 

The debate goes on!

WORD TO THE BLACK PRIDE REVOLUTION

Linda Sakazi Thwala