Fellow Rhodents Dominic, Brad, and Jonathan are all talking about how it feels to be the young white Africans they are. Dom started it, Brad replied, and Jonathan brought his Zimbabwean perspective. Let's see if I can kill this topic off by boring people to death.
Like all three, I am a "white" person living in South Africa. The first two, like me, were brought up in a South Africa under apartheid. Jonathan has a different perspective, as he was born into a nominally independent Zimbabwe - at the very least a Zimbabwe that supported a white majority.
Being slightly older (I think) than Dom and Brad means I spent more time alive during the apartheid era, and was older when it ended. Perhaps that should leave me with a clearer perception of what it was before. But I don't think it does.
I don't know about the others, but my truly self-aware life only began after apartheid ended, mostly when I arrived at university.
I do recall the luck I had having parents who were opposition (by this, the Democratic party, not the ANC) supporters and in favour of the ending of apartheid. And who made sure I never built up any feeling of superiority over those of different races and social and economic backgrounds.
And that I went to a school that, at least as far as I remember, was reasonably quick to move to become culturally diverse when it became legal to do so.
But there's also the recollection of peer groups that were not so open to the process. And not yet being the arrogant self-important person that I am now, I just coasted. I let a few boys who weren't part of the main group (not that I was) get picked on - for being effeminate, of a different religion, and so forth. Heck, the only times I stood up for anyone (and getting punched in the face for it) was for someone who was, at least from what he said, a bigot in so many ways.
Maybe I'll talk about it another time, but before I went to university, I wasn't really who I am - the thriving liberal metropolis (hint for foreigners - irony) of Port Elizabeth and my school were limiting factors.
I was extremely lucky (maybe? who knows?) to not end up at UCT as I had originally planned. My best friends at the time all ended up going there, which left me without any connections at Rhodes. I arrived with what was mostly a clean slate, and no-one able to report back on me. So yes, Mom, as you expected, I got drunk a lot. And I didn't think much about politics or my place in the world for quite some time.
A few months later, I met Jeremy who instantaneously became my best friend. My friends, of course, didn't have a problem (they had to go through a rigorous process to get there, after all). A philosopher like Jeremy is a vast resource on actually thinking about what you believe, and I started doing so. With the start of the solidification of my internal identity came an awareness of those who would hold this to mean they were superior. And with that awareness, I realised that all bigotry is ultimately the same.
With that awareness came my first thoughts about what it was to be a white person in South Africa (and nothing's changed since then). The first thing I threw out was any thought that I should feel guilty. I should not feel bad because of what others have done. Judging one person (including yourself) based on another person's actions due to a gender, racial, religious, or social link is not worthwhile.
But I quickly decided that I couldn't just erase the advantages I've had in my life, and that others have had during those apartheid years. Our position was not necessarily earned (although it could have been) and there was no (ethical) way to earn yourself that position if you weren't white.
This privilege difference had been in place since the formation of national government, if only formalised in the past half-century. If it were only a matter of earned privilege, we could leave it there. And if those privileges could just suddenly be granted to others in one go, we could just do that. But how does one deal with generations of people who have been deprived of education? Of any serious work experience in jobs that makes them employable? Of any social expectation and backing of their efforts to excel in academia, management, or government?
It was easy to see that we could not just try move forward without catering for the inability of people to gain access to quality education and experience. And that the quality of education and health care would obviously lower as the government expanded its interest from a tiny minority to a majority of students. And that this process and situation would take decades, not years to play out.
So, yes, that means I'm in favour of affirmative action in the workplace, and in education, and wherever necessary to make up for lost opportunity. Unfortunately, this means that some white people will not have the same opportunity they would have had without affirmative action being in place. So be it. If things had been fair before, then the person who gets the job now because of their background would have had the same potential to have the opportunities (but certainly not the same opportunities) as the one who didn't, and the outcome would probably have been the same.
So, combine my ramblings above, and it would come as no surprise to you that I think South Africa is doing absolutely brilliantly. That I think it's the best place to live in the world due to its great peoples and cultures and the wealth of opportunity for people to contribute to the building of this great country.
What does it take to be a white African and succeed as a person, and to be of value to society? Here are my thoughts:
Get rid of any guilt or shame. Even if you had many advantages from apartheid or similar inequities. Heck, even if you once entertained supporting apartheid (so long as you've seen the light now). Don't let your feelings about your own race and culture prevent you from sharing yourself fully with others.
Be aware that you have been advantaged by your race (assuming you're reading this remotely near 2005), even if you were born after 1994. That's nothing to be ashamed about, but it's something to be aware of. You have most likely had access to better education (including education from your parents and peers), health care (also because of the better education from your parents and peers), and so forth. Be willing to pass on some of this advantage, whether by donating money or your knowledge or your time to something that will help build a better country.
Be wary of any comparisons to South Africa during the apartheid years. You can't compare a government that focused on catering for 10% of the population to a government catering for 100% of the population. So, education won't be as good as it was for the 10% - it's a given. Access to excellent quality health care won't be as good as it was for he 10% - it's a given. When police coverage expands from mostly small urban areas to larger areas, of course it is going to suffer.
Actually compare South Africa now and South Africa then, but behind a veil of ignorance. If you were being born in South Africa, which would you prefer to live in, in terms of potential to opportunities? The veil of ignorance means that you have no idea who you will be born as.
Fifthly, compare South Africa to the rest of the world. Using that same veil of ignorance, where would you like to be? Which place offers the opportunities and excitement and potential?
While I've been a supporter of the ANC since university, that was an idealistic choice. It was not that I felt like I belonged to the ANC or to the country until the beginning of 2004. It was then that I really met my counterparts from other parts of South Africa and the rest of Africa, and developed a bond with them. We've had all-night-long discussions about the situation in Ghana, Zimbabwe, and also more rural areas in Free State and Gauteng, and about Soweto. Sure, they're already techies and don't have to worry about food themselves, but they have more of a connection with the rest of Africa than I have - hopefully I had...
I guess this heralds my 2005 goal, which I've been meaning to write about. Which is to move towards a point where I can help fellow Africans build a better Africa, by facilitating, training, and consulting. Don't ask me how I'm going to do it yet, beyond attending lots of conferences and giving lots of presentations and workshops on technology and on gender inequality - something that all of Africa still needs tons of effort on.