Tuesday, 11 November 2008

Not black enough

It is inspiring to see that America is a mature democracy, where leaders such as Barack Obama are elected for their gravitas, instead of the colour of their skin.
Unlike here of course, where ethnic solidarity (just as Afrikaans nationalism did in the past) clouds people’s judgment to such an extent that we are saddled with a bunch of leaders who are like morticians, adding the last touches of cheap make-up to a corpse.
We should also remind ourselves that in this colour-obsessed country of ours, a man like Obama would never become president under the current regime. Why? He is not black enough, according to our Xhosa Nostra standards. He is biracial, or a coloured, in local parlance, which of course pushes him down the insular, colourobsessed hierarchy that dominates our mean spirited little world.
It is therefore ironic that our black leaders are now bending backwards to congratulate a man, who in SA would have been marginalised and pushed aside, as most coloured people are in this country.
Someone like Trevor Manuel, for example, will never become the president of our country, even though we know that he would be brilliant.
( Herman Lategan, Business Day, 07/11/08 )


NOTA:

O autor desta reflexão foca um assunto pertinente mas muito incómodo, afirmando que Barack Obama na África do Sul não teria chegado a Presidente e seria discriminado devido à sua raça. Este é um assunto demasiado vasto para ser escalpelizado em poucas linhas, mas é legítimo que certas situações sejam questionadas.
E em Moçambique, como é? Apesar de ser aparentemente uma sociedade multirracial, como estamos em racismo? Devido ao facto de ser mestiço, Obama teria chegado a Presidente? Muitos hoje dão os parabéns a Obama mas ontem falavam em moçambicanos originários!

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