From this title misses the mixed race, although `Black Blanc Boer' summarizes well the demographic and political situation of today in South Africa. The boers, of Dutch origins, are installed since the 17th century and now form the Afrikaans people, deeply rooted in the country. The English, as for them, arrived later in the 19th century and I regard them more as survivors of colonialism. Much of them do not speak Afrikaans, and they distinguish themselves from the boers charaterised by a stronger physical appearance and a strong spoken accent. The Black people, who account for 80% of the population, are from various tribal origins (Xhosas and Zoulous being the most represented), but have also come from remote countries (West Africa) years and years ago!
We in Europe had heard about Apartheid, or rather about the end of Apartheid. Through television programs, films or newspaper articles, but not really in detail. In the early 90's, we were around 10 years old and not involved at all in the world political matters. As for our courses of History at school, niet, South Africa was not part of it; a subject derived from colonialism surely too delicate at the time.
Before leaving home, we did read the memories of Nelson Mandela (`A long way to freedom', that we recommend strongly!), and as soon as on the spot, we decided to visit the Apartheid museum of Johannesburg.
The current segregation is surely due to the history of the country still too recent. It is to know that a series of laws, including the `Group Areas Act' voted in 1950, restricted the blacks from living in separated zones without the right to leave across. The reknown Bantustans. Only 17% of the surface of the country were allocated to 80% of the population. We can imagine the massive movements (forced) of population when the law was voted. To add to this the slavery and the economic insulation, we understand why the ghettos are still existing and struggle to open up. As for the problems of insecurity, we also understand the rage of the blacks who were persecuted - on their premises - during such a long time by the white people.
In conclusion, yes, Apartheid still exists. It is not any more a law, but just a reality. It is said that since 1994 things improve. For the little that we saw, there is still a lot of work to do… We hope that the government will gradually succeed in integrating his people, change things and especially the spirits. Because the white people, in our eyes, clearly still have the looks of colonists.
On the right, video taken in Johannesburg at the Apartheid museum.
Below, photograph of the only statue representing a black man in South Africa, put aside Mandela's. The photo shows a Zulu war leader and was taken in the centre town of Pretoria
In the big cities, we often pass from a completely black district to a completely white district. The few white people that we stumble across are those who wash, serve or do the parking meter. On our way we do not meet much of the black middle class.
In Durban, we were walking in the town centre towards the central market, around 5pm, when a tradesman abruptly stopped us. He explained us very clearly that we were unconscious and that we had to leave the area as fast as possible. The city centre is not only a district to fear, it is a district that we must avoid. A white person is likely to loose his skin, or in the best of case, the bottom of his pockets and some bruises on the face!
The History and the details are hard to hear, and it is difficult to understand how a government could go so far in his perversion during nearly half a century. Slavery, the separation of grounds, containment, the inhuman living conditions are as many horrible political concepts.
Although informed of the problems of insecurity in the country, of the inequalities and the townships without laws, we naively thought of seeing solved Apartheid and the population relatively mixed as in our European countries.
We very quickly realized that the segregation was still a current reality, and that the various ethnos groups of Southern African people did not share much of their time and values.
