I had no idea
I knew the word apartheid. Well, I had seen it. Turns out I didn’t know how to pronounce it properly. And that probably is a good illustration for how much I actually knew about apartheid. Going into this study, mostly naïve, I knew of Nelson Mandela, but only in the type of sense, I know of Gandhi. I had a few highlights, but I did really know much detail, and I had no idea of how the struggle was so much bigger than can be captured in one person, even someone as a monumental as Nelson Mandela. I had no idea of all the works of the ANC nor did I know anything about FW De Klerk, who was arguably the catalyst that catapulted the ending of apartheid years ahead and possibly averted a massive and potentially bloody revolution.
Becoming aware of what happened leading up to, and during apartheid was absolutely shocking to me. It was unbelievable that something like that could have happened. I understand individuals being cruel, and groups of people abusing power, but never I had seen or heard of something that institutionalized prejudice on every level of society. On some level, racial wars and violence make more sense than apartheid. These wars and fights you explain much of it away by calling it senseless mob mentality and uncontrolled and uncivilized raged. But with apartheid, it was racism “perfected” on a massive institutional level. What was most disturbing though was how forthright the “elite” white class was about their message of white/European superiority. The quote that perhaps best captures might be from JG Strijdom who was the Prime Minister of SA in the 1950’s. Strijdom said, “in every sphere, the European must be master, the European must retain the right to rule the country and to keep it a white man’s country”.[1] This outspoken and unashamed oppression physically hurt my stomach to read. In the USA, I don’t believe we have any comparison to this. Our racism tended to be more hidden and subversive, but no one of great power would come out as say things such as this. This is ironic because slavery officially ended 31 years earlier in South Africa (1834) than it did in the USA (1865).
One aspect I have gained a greater understanding of by learning about apartheid is how an inferiority projected onto a certain type of people can have such a powerful and subconscious impact on their entire mindset. I’m reminded of a story from Nelson Mandela from when he was a wanted man in South Africa, discreetly traveling to other African countries trying to raise support for the ANC to bring freedom and equality. Mandela recalls calmly sitting on an airplane while getting ready for take off, while all the sudden a black pilot step into the airplane and walks straight into the cockpit. Mandela, who had never seen a black pilot before, thought to himself in a moment of panic “a black man can’t fly a plane!” And then in the next moment, he snapped out of it, realizing that he had himself, one of the leaders of the freedom fighters of South Africa, had succumbed to the inferiority mindset that had been prescribed to him since he was a young child.[2] Mandela writes in his autobiography that his initial reaction to this experience had shocked him and revealed to him how deep some of these cruel messages and lies had been set into his paradigm.
My biggest takeaway from learning the details of the rise and fall of Apartheid is that I’m glad I was not of adult age when these events were occurring so I could not be counted among those who did nothing. Of course, where are the other social and human rights atrocities taking place today? Am I involved in the stopping of these? There are obviously many things happening around the world, and the honest answer would be I don’t even feel I’m aware of what’s happening! And so I’m plagued by the question, what issue will those who live fifty years from now look back at us and say, “how could they have done nothing?”
To end this post, I’d like to share a joke and yet at the same time an important commentary on what apartheid did to the social framework to all colors in South Africa. Trevor Noah, the current host of The Tonight Show on Comedy Central, shares about a time he and his grandfather were walking together and passed a white police officer sitting on his horse, the very week after a picture of the South African president had been on the of major newspapers kissing a champion winning race horse.
His grandfather asked,
“Master! I just need to ask you one question. Why is it that your president can kiss a horse, but he won’t kiss my sister.”
The police officer shouted back, “I don’t know why not!”
“Because you haven’t seen my sister!”
Trevor Noah said that was the first time he had ever seen a white and black man laugh together.[3]
Bibliography
Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Paw Prints, 2014.
Noah, Trevor, and Jerry Seinfeld. “Trevor Noah – That’s the Whole Point of Apartheid, Jerry – Episode – Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee by Jerry Seinfeld.” Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee. 2015. Accessed September 11, 2017. http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/trevor-noah-thats-the-whole-point-of-apartheid-jerry.
Welsh, David. The Rise and Fall of Apartheid. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009.
[1] David Welsh, The Rise and Fall of Apartheid (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009), 24.
[2] Nelson Mandela, Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela(Paw Prints, 2014).
[3] Trevor Noah and Jerry Seinfeld, “Trevor Noah – That’s the Whole Point of Apartheid, Jerry – Episode – Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee by Jerry Seinfeld,” Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, 2015, accessed September 11, 2017, http://comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com/trevor-noah-thats-the-whole-point-of-apartheid-jerry.
8 responses to “I had no idea”
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You get points for referencing Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee for the first time in this cohort. 🙂
More seriously, I appreciated your anecdote about Mandela who was suddenly confronted with his own reaction to the black pilot. Expected patterns are ingrained into us and we instantly respond.
I would wager that all of us experience inner reactions against others from time to time. I am thinking of today, for example, of my own inner responses and how far off the mark they are for what Christ calls me to. Lord, have mercy.
Kyle,
I am glad you got a shocking narrative dose of the reality behind the Apartheid. Most of our class, me included, feel the shock and awe of the Afrikaner’s racial segregation campaign. Unfortunately, as we read, watch events, and hear stories about these appalling and unbelievable acts of hate perpetrated around the world; most of us do not even think to blame the one who is behind it all, Satan. He is the master deceiver and makes it his goal to keep us comfortable, confused, and cautious about taking a stand or becoming involved in stopping social injustices.
Satan is to blame! Paul says, the battle is not against “flesh and blood,” but against rulers, powers, and forces of darkness; in other words, it is the devil and his fallen angles who are orchestrating these horrific racial themes within our fallen world. I pray that our Cape Town advance motivates, inspires, and helps us see our leadership challenges with Christ filled eyes. May we all receive the spirit of discernment, wisdom, and use those gifts to develop into the Christian leaders He has challenged and called us to become.
Stand firm,
M Webb
Kyle
Having the courage to be vulnerable to us and admit what you know and don’t in a world where we loved to our leaders as people that have great knowledge. As I read your blog I was thinking that I might have known some of these things issues before but wasn’t actively thinking about it or I not often challenged by it.
Your question of, “how could they have done nothing?” Makes me aware of the many areas that we continue to nothing with. How do we teach our families, our church or our countries how to truly embrace the Love of Christ rather than the fear the world encourages in us? Thanks Kyle.
Thank you for sharing with us your quote, “This is ironic because slavery officially ended 31 years earlier in South Africa (1834) than it did in the USA (1865).” I did not realize that!
But certainly there are still other ways to enslave that get around the laws. I can hardly wait to discuss this with our cohort.
See you soon.
Kyle,
Your discussion of the inferiority complex being projected onto a people group was just as maddening to me. I have never understood why a people group has to be seen as inferior just because they look different. The Eurocentric practice of ensuring white domination is frustrating. My best friend from school is hispanic, I could have never thought him less. The best man I knew growing up was African American, Mr. Justus was wise and kind. I may have grown up in a predominately white setting but thankfully my parents never let me think any less of anyone because of skin color. I know I am not perfect, I have still laughed at off color jokes growing up but they never seemed harmful to me until I accepted Christ, then I was ashamed. Not sure where that leads me but should be a fun journey.
Jason
Hi Kyle!
Welcome to Cape Town! Hope your travels went well. We arrived last night and spent the day exploring…it’s so cool to actually be here!!!
Your statement “But with apartheid, it was racism “perfected” on a massive institutional level” resonated with me. Apartheid was so calculated and institutional – and existed at this level for quite a long time. What I really wonder is – was Apartheid that different from U.S. racism at its worst? Each time I’m shocked by an incident or law during Apartheid, I think back to segregation, violence, and lynchings in the U.S. I do believe the U.S. has tried to “protect” (hide and/or minimize) some of our history of racism in history text books. Hopefully we’ll learn more during our advance – and have some great discussions in person.
Jean
Thanks for your humorous and transparent post, Kyle. Like you, I am a novice student of Apartheid. It’s pretty new to me as well. I really appreciated your phrase, “racism perfected.” That’s a good phrase for Apartheid and perhaps any institutional form of racism. I wonder what would be a good phrase to describe non-institutionally sponsored, systemic racism, such as we have in the States with mass incarcerations, police brutalities, gentrification, etc.? Anyway, looking forward to meeting you in Cape Town.
Your following statement was a great challenge: “There are obviously many things happening around the world, and the honest answer would be I don’t even feel I’m aware of what’s happening! And so I’m plagued by the question, what issue will those who live fifty years from now look back at us and say, “how could they have done nothing?”. I definitely don’t want to be that person that looks the other way when atrocities like this are happening around the world. Our families’ passion is clean water because we are convinced it will have the greatest impact, and we think it is an atrocity that we flush our toilets with cleaner water than most have around the world. Excellent post, and see you soon!