Koolie, boesman, coconut, grigamba or makwerekwere

Another piece I wrote for Reporter.co.za published today.

By Tsuai

Observe the golden rule and stop name calling

During the dark repressive years of apartheid whites used to call black Africans kaffirs. This name is derogatory and Africans resented it and they still do today. White racists who are not happy with transformation in the country still call blacks kaffirs.

Blacks retaliated by calling Afrikaners boers. They did this to spite the Afrikaners but the boers were not offended in any way. They are, after all, boers, which means farmer.

Seemingly the whites were the masters of bigotry. They called the Indians koelie. And to be honest, I have known Indians as koelies and it was only later that I learnt that the name was derogatory.

Then there is the boesnman. This is used to refer to the coloured people who are descendants of white and black South Africans. The word boesman in fact means bushmen but some silly people use it to the humiliate coloureds.

But it looks as if black South Africans have not learnt their lesson. They continue to call their fellow Africans from across the continent with demeaning names. These are the people we should treat with more respect than with disdain. Instead of calling them grigambas and makwerekwere because of their darker hue and language, we should embrace and welcome them as our brothers and sisters.

Lastly, there are blacks who are privileged and live in the suburbs, go to private schools, speak English with an accent and shun the townships where they were born. They would rather keep white than black company. Is it necessary for us to call them coconuts? Why can’t we live and let live?

As a nation, we must learn to treat others as we would like them to treat us.

http://www.reporter.co.za/article.aspx?ID=RP21A737789