How Little I Knew…
My earliest memories of apartheid came from a movie. “Because your black”….in Lethal Weapon 2, when Danny Glover and Joe Pesci had gone to the South African consulate as a distraction the idea of apartheid hit home for me. Why would a person of color want to even go somewhere they were hated? Even the South African consulate worker was shocked. To be fair, I had never even heard the word apartheid. I had never paid much attention to MTV, they never played the music I preferred, (Headbangers Ball for those who care). The songs about freedom for South Africa, the festivals held for the same, I just did not care. I guess my conscious never cared. When I started to find out about apartheid, because of this movie I was shocked. How could a relatively small group of whites control a vast indigenous people? I had never considered myself a person who cared about race. Most minorities I knew came from two places. Men who my grandfather hired to help work on the farm, Bubba Justice was the nicest man I ever have met. The second place was in sports. I could not have cared what color someone was, as long as they worked together as a team, great you were my friend. Fast forward almost thirty years and we seem to have gone backwards in this country in relations between races to the point of we have government officials, on both sides talking about how one race deserves more than the other. Whether is is the alt-right demanding a wall, or factions of the BLM demanding safe spaces where whites are not allowed, none of the lessons from the past seem to have been learned. It was for this reason I was very interested in reading The Rise And Fall Of Apartheid by David Welsh.
The beginning of the book start with the election results of 1948, and how they were brought about. The division among whites and blacks was not a surprise to me, that was the basis of apartheid. The divisions among the whites in South Africa was a surprise. The anger held against those who supported the colonial influence which “proceeded in the expectation that the subjugation of the Boer States, among other beneficial results, had also brought about uniligualism (English) for the whole of South Africa”1, seems to have lead to the National Party coming to power. The anger at feeling like one was loosing their control or power can be a powerful spur try to capture what one once was seen as a given.
The backing of apartheid by the church in South Africa reminds one of the Christian justification of slavery in the US south. Scriptures stating Abraham had slaves or from Ephesians 6:5 “slaves obey your earthly masters” or Titus 2:9 “tell slaves to be submissive to their masters” were used as justification in the US. As with anything, you can take a part of scripture and make it your argument on just about anything. There are still roots of this found today, people believe intermarriage of races is against what the bible teaches, without foundation in scripture. I did find hope in reading as South Africa started its journey out of apartheid, that churches started to take a stand against it. The Church and Society, a statement against apartheid, caused a rift in the church but it was necessary. Some of the statements are as follows, “forced division cannot be derived from the bible, apartheid could not be accepted because it conflicted with the principle of loving one’s neighbor, scriptures did not forbid racially mixed marriages, and racism was condemned” .2 You finally see a part of the church actually doing the right thing. As I watch what is happening in the U.S. now, I wonder, is the church doing the right thing. Are we standing for those who have been wronged. I don’t know how that looks either. There are too many in our churches today who would argue we should get caught up in social justice issues. I struggle with this myself. I do not know if I could do anything. There is such angst against a white male, does it really even matter what I think to those who feel wronged. The best I have been able to do at this point is to not get involved one way or the other. When I read this book, it hit me. By not doing anything, I am complicit with everything. I do not know what that means moving forward but it has to mean something.
When you look at how Nelson Mandela and F.W. De Klerk came together to begin the healing process for a nation you have to understand what guts it took. When the violent aspects of both side could have taken South Africa into turmoil from which it would never escape. From the violent reaction to uprisings courtesy of the government to the “necklacing” by young militants to those who opposed them, the country could have erupted in flames and still be burning. The ability of two leaders, to come to a bargaining table and to hammer out an agreement which could peacefully transition a society cannot be understated. F.W. De Klerk’s brother spoke about his ability to be conservative enough to be elected, but flexible enough to understand what was coming and to find a way to peace. Nelson Mandela could have continued on his way as a violent protester, but after he was released he understood what it would take to heal his country. By working together with a man who, at one time, was his enemy, he showed what true leadership can do.
I do not know how this book will affect my way of thinking years from now, but I can say with assurance, it did spur me to consider my point of view on many things. The least of which would be relations with those in my own country. It also encourages me to see what can be done when one forgives and moves forward with reconciliation.
- David Welsh, The Rise And Fall Of Apartheid, (Johannesburg & Capetown: Jonathan Ball Publishers, 2009), 4
- Ibid. 191
About the Author
Jason Turbeville
A pastor, husband and father who loves to be around others. These are the things that describe me. I was a youth minister for 15 years but God changed the calling on my life. I love to travel and see where God takes me in my life.8 responses to “How Little I Knew…”
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Jason, really great thoughts. I resonated with a lot of what you wrote, especially about not really knowing all that apartheid was. Except I was even worse because I haven’t seen Lethal Weapon 2! Looks like I got a good choice for the plane ride now!!
Your application to your situation back in the US, is similar to what I thought. Where are things like this happening today, that I need to be aware or active in. I was thinking of a more international level, although I supposed I have more power to help here.
Jason,
How is your congregation doing with the flooding to the south? Praying you are doing well as you provide pastoral care for the many effected by the hurricane.
I saw that 1989 movie too, when I was still a public safety officer. I doubt they knew then that De Klerk and Mandela would begin to dismantle the Apartheid the following year. I really appreciate your use of the Church and Society statements in your post.
Thanks for your honest and transparent question “does it really even matter what I think to those who feel wronged?” The answer is, “it depends.” For me, it depends meant that God had to call me and change me so that I could live, adapt, humble myself, and serve with and for the indigenous people of Botswana, that connected me people from South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It was nothing I did of course, but God chose to prepare me for His purposes and insert me into the midst of HIV/AIDS, racial segregation, discrimination, and poverty.
God calls some to go, some to pray, and some to send. We all have our place in the body of Christ. I look forward to our continued discussions on these matters of eternal concern. We have Glocal in Boise, ID. It is my “mission fix” when I begin to drift away from my cross-cultural lessons learned.
Stand firm,
M Webb
http://www.glocalboise.org/
Mark,
It is a movie that’s a laugh, but they inserted the racial tension from SA to make a commentary of what was happening here, to me anyway that’s how it looked. Joe Pesci’s mouth was in rare form in the movie, just an fyi.
Jason
Jason,
Your mention of how people would cite Scriptural references to back their views on slavery is a challenge to how we often read Scripture. Too often we tend to proof-text and cherry-pick verses to uphold our favoured interpretations, and fail to step back and view the broad, over-arching story of faith. As you correctly state, “You can take a part of scripture and make it your argument on just about anything.” It’s a good reminder to not take Scripture at face value in isolation but instead dig deeper and find the broader meaning at play.
I appreciate you stating, “The backing of apartheid by the church in South Africa reminds one of the Christian justification of slavery in the US south.” I have pondered the same and feel convicted.
It makes me ponder further and wonder what TODAY am I justifying with Scripture, but when I get to heaven will find out, I missed it by a mile?
See you soon new Brother.
Jay,
I still know Christians today who feel the same way and still use scripture to back themselves. When pointed out they just turn a blind eye. It really is frustrating but it has to be in God’s hand not mine.
Jason
Jason,
Thanks for your thoughts. I think many of us have grown up and lived our lives without thinking of racial tensions, I don’t know even now if that was apathy, ignorance or what.
We are all getting ready to board planes feeling like there is a lot for us to learn. I saw a shirt yesterday that said, “aeroplane of idiots” and thought for sure my airplane will have at least one going but hopefully, one less going home.
Jason, I started laughing when I read your post, because that is the same exact Lethal Weapon quote I used when teaching my congregation the other day in regards to my own previous ignorance on Apartheid. Between Welsh’s book and our trip to South Africa, though I do not really feel ashamed from any past actions I feel I have taken, I believe I do feel a little ashamed at my ignorance. I have had the opportunity to see a number of different cultures and interact with a number of different races of people, and perhaps I have spent most of my life in “tourist” mode. I think we have become very adept at looking on at things while still keeping ourselves separated. The reality is that I doubt that Welsh’s book would have moved me as much as it did had I not just returned from a trip from South Africa and experienced the many things we had.
There is something so much greater about being able to connect yourself to the story, rather than just vacationing to Cape Town. Hearing the stories we heard, visiting the locations we visited, and meeting the people we met forces a reality check when you read about Apartheid. I have a photo of the bench in the Apartheid museum and another one with our tour guide and myself sitting together on that bench. To be honest, sitting on the bench with him gave me chills, because I felt as though it was a great privilege to show that things are changing for the better. The experience was made real.
I hope that we can all move beyond the Hollywood impression of what we know and actually work to understand the struggles that still exist.