Bronwen Mintoor
IN THE midst of the Penny Sparrow controversy, one tweet really grabbed my attention. It read: “South Africa’s racial dilemma is what happens when forgiveness is granted before the crime is acknowledged.”
This brought back many memories of racist encounters I witnessed and experienced as a child. One in particular was when I was seven years old. I was enrolled at a Model C primary school for the first time and was part of a small group of black pupils.
We got many stares on the first day, and I remember one day in the playground I got a stern and forceful request from a group of children to lick my face to see what “that skin colour tastes like”.
Back to my point…
Truth is, I wasn’t too bothered by it once I came to learn about the struggles my family and millions of other black South Africans faced during (and after) apartheid. I realised that their experiences were much worse than mine.
Apartheid ended 22 years ago. It has been like light years for some, but like “yesterday” for many. Yes, it has been a long stretch since 1994, but our democracy is still a young one, and while various measures have been put in place and legislation promulgated, the aftershocks of apartheid linger on. Millions are still displaced.
Yes, institutions and government are working to correct this through low-cost, subsidised and affordable, bonded housing projects, but this is but a fraction of the whole that needs to be corrected.
Ever so often, racism rears its head, but with the rise of social media, more of the trolls are being exposed and shamed for their refusal to work towards peace and reconciliation.
I often hear people say: “Surely everyone should be over apartheid by now. Can they not just get over it?”
But it’s not that simple. I have learnt that while people may experience similar pains in life, the processing of the pain that apartheid brought is entirely different – and that healing comes in stages.
Blaming others, accusing black people of having an attitude of entitlement is not fair. I see it as being dismissive. You cannot impose a timeline for forgiveness or healing, especially when you have not walked the same road or experienced the same difficulties. This is true for struggles that everyone goes through.
We live in a democratic society, but the road to healing is a long one and mindset is a powerful thing. There are many Penny Sparrows out there who don’t necessarily express themselves as freely online, but who share her sentiments.
We are all different. That’s what makes us unique. In a perfect world we would respect all these differences – be it race, skin colour, culture, gender or the like.
Someone told me something powerful the other day: “The plans can change as long as the vision stays the same.”
I believe most of us share the same long-term vision of equality. Are we there yet? Certainly not. Those Penny Sparrows who refuse to participate in the journey to a better future slow down the process. They could even force us to change course.
But in the end, they won’t stop us, as a nation, from getting to where we need to be. Look at it this way, should more trolls share their hateful sentiments online, they will always be cut back or mowed down on Twitter.
We will get there. I can’t say when, but, my fellow South Africans, we will. But as the saying goes: “What comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart – and this defines a person.”
l Mintoor works in public relations