Where I know from

We all have our own worldview, own unique way in which we perceive the world around us. These perceptions shape our realities. Stemming from the fact that each individual has their own individual rich and diverse background that moulds them.  In this blog, I will be touching on my own ethnic background, namely  Coloured and Cape Malay, giving some endogenous insights that has not only shaped my worldview but also holds the place from which I know from!

Coloured

Coloured, one of the most diverse ethic grouping on earth. Consisting of a mix or African,  European and Asian ancestry, making up a beautiful multiracial ethic group of people that is so individually unique. Different in their own way, although what stands out to me the most is how lively and a vibrant people they are as well as how creatively expressive they are. We can see this from their traditions such as the Kaapse Klopse held yearly in Cape town to their foods such as Bobotie and Koeksisters.  As colourful and interesting as their culture is, the people are no different. All this to say, being Coloured is coming from a lineage of being unique and having a colourful vibrancy about them, that is visibly seen within them, passing on from generation to generation and for me this liveliness and vibrancy definitely has shaped me and the place from which I know from.

Cape Malay

Cape Malay aka Cape Muslims, a ethnic group consisting of Muslim descendants from Asia with its culture deeply rooted in Asian, African and Dutch influences. Being a group of people, primarily following the Islamic faith, a lot of the religion has influenced their beliefs and way of being. My dad being Cape Malay and the vast majority of his life being a follower of the Islam faith, it has heavily influenced me and my sisters, especially due to the fact that we are women. Within the Cape Malay community a lot of emphasis is placed on conservativism and modesty, as well as making yourself small especially if you’re a women. There are roles and power Dynamics, men being the head of the household have more say, leaving women in a position of silence.

In conclusion I would say being Coloured is about being more expressive and Cape Malaysian more about bring conservative and being more minute and not to say it a negative thing, a lot can be learned from both groups and I would say they have immensely shaped me and where I know from.

Placing myself at the center of my life, moving outward in circular layers, we can find various group of people outside and that are connected to myself. Shaped by exchanges and by our relationship to one another these have constructed a network around me, with each person playing a significant role within my life. Now the first group or layered outside of myself, consisting of people such as mom, dad, sisters and my cousin. For myself this closely knitted group of people all happen to be my family and these are the people I have strong and trusting relationships, as well as they have remained constant within my life. Also in trusting them the most, I go to them the most whether it be good or bad news  or just for support and visa versa. Now in exchanges, such as for e.g. communication, these people I have mostly brief text messages but long phone calls for hours on end sometimes because of the close bond I have with them. Now beyond this my Network extends further into acquaintances and friends, these are the people that I see often on a regular/daily basis. On the far right of the scale we might just greet each other or on the other hand we might hang out or do something that require some sort of planning on both ends. In terms or communication throughout the day with this group of people, it is typically a text, conversation walking to class or home, or something more intentional like getting a coffee and having a chat. Now in terms of what we discuss, baring in mind it could be different for others but for myself I myself talking about more superficial, vain and vapid things. From how school is stressing is out, to boys or what we’re wearing out. Now different from the first layer of people, I won’t ever find myself really talk about my personal struggles or things of the past with acquaintances or a friend. Finally we get the more outer group of people, such as my classmates, people living in my building, people from church etc. . These people are more distant in the sense that within our daily lives, we tend to keep it brief as the aim of our meets ups typically don’t revolve in us interacting but consist around for e.g. concentrating in class and listening to the lecturer. This therefore in terms of exchange of communication, we hardly ever have conversations, typically it’s a hi and goodbye or even just a question in regards to the work or quick how are you doing. This group of people is primarily helping each other when interacting. Therefore in essence each group plays a different role within my life that results in  this network of relationships and exchanges we have with one another, whether it be to love, support, listen to or help each other.

If I don't get waken up by the sunshine sneaking in through my window, I'm woken up by my roommate's alarm. If you can't already tell she is a typical morning person, but me? I have to defrost- translation lazing around until I get the energy to properly wake up. Within that time I always say a little prayer, typically of gratitude and when I'm done I just check my socials and e-fundi, making sure I haven't missed anything. Making my way to the kitchen I make some coffee and breakfast whilst listening to music or my favorite podcast "Brown Ratz podcast". But because I had class all day today, I had to rush, translation- it was absolute chaos. In between picking out an outfit, actually getting ready and making up my bed I thought I would be done in time and I was. Until I realized on my way out the door, where is my student card? For the next 10 minutes looking frantically for it I finally found it.

Passing the foyer, the security guard always greets everyone and asks how we doing, with the occasional, what boy is stressing us out? if we look a little down. On duty today was Ous Masego, who was yelling at whoever was screaming in the building, so I just waved, in a hurry out.

On my way to campus, there's this patch  filled with flowers that attracts all these beautiful butterflies, I couldn't resist to stop and stare. Remembering that I'm late, I rushed to my first class on my way I walked by the Amphi-threathre which was fuller than normal today, walking through lover's lane I bumped into a friend Morgan from high school, so we catched up because we were headed to the same building, although when we got there we saw a guy who we both know from our town, so naturally we walked over to him yet he pretended to not see us and walk the other way. Typical at this point. This is truly a phenomena that needs to be studied, people who get to university and all of a sudden they don't have manners,  although I must say it's not everyone nevertheless,  NEEDS TO BE STUDIED.


Finally I reached class. Now I am not going to lie my first class was pretty boring, after that I went to my next class which surprisingly I loved, never thought learning about the governorment would be this interesting.

By now it's 3 o'clock and I'm back at home. Wanting to make a meal, I noticed that food is missing from me and my roommate's freezer. Someone took food  out of our fridge. Chronicles of being a student, I guess. Irritated I went upstairs to my friends and told them what happened. Although soon after our other friend Mary walked in with bouquet of roses, so we obviously had to interrogated her, she then  proceeded to tell us it was from a stranger. Telling us the story for the 3rd time of how this stranger gave her the roses, for a third time we were wheezing.
Late afternoon we helped Mary make lasagna that took us 3 hours, which nearly burnt, twice.

At night I made some notes and finally submitted my assignment. After that I got ready for bed and finished the last 2 episodes of my series I'm watching. Read my Bible , prayed and I was lights out.



Now, having shared my day, not all days look like this one. We all have different experiences and rituals which make out our days here on University, but ultimately we have the same goal, to finish, to graduate. Which is a ritual within itself, this bring me to Arnold Van Gennep's theory, the 3 rites of passage. Separation, limenality and incorporation. When deciding to get a tertiary education we are separated from our parents and our comfort zone. Coming to Nwu we had to adapt, transition to a life that at times seems uncomfortable,  in doing so we self-discover and grow as a people-this being the limenal stage of Van Gennep's theory. The stage in which I'm currently in. This then bring us to his third stage incorporation, which as I've mentioned above our goal, to graduate from rite of passage and returning back home with the knowledge we've obtained.

"Coloured people are violent". "Coloured people are drunkards". "Coloured people are uneducated" they say. Stereotypes. Stereotypes being the crude byproduct of simply existing within a society. It is a fixed cliché way of seeing an individual or a group in a particular way and in doing so they are reducing us to a single story. "The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story." For example I once went out for coffee with a white guy and the first assumption he made of me is and I quote "I thought you were some typical rough coloured girl from Cape Town". Furthermore, he mimicked my accent and said, it's as if we speak two different languages.

Through stereotyping we find exoticization in the form of colorism, where there is a hierarchy of complexion. Both external and internal exoticism glorifies individuals that are lighter in complexion as opposed to being darker in complexion, conforming to white supremacy. Moreover, it leads to darker complexioned individuals being deemed as inferior, contributing to the alienation and othering of these said  individuals. Othering also plays a role in the "them" vs "us" mentality.


In conclusion, stereotypes within any group reduces these respective people to a single story. Showing us as one thing and one thing only negates and flattens out our experiences which ultimately makes up the building blocks that shape us. We can only be free of stereotypes once we tell our side of the story but until then we watch others create narratives for us, illuminating our differences as oppose to our oneness.

"Coloured people are violent". "Coloured people are drunkards". "Coloured people are uneducated" they say. Stereotypes. Stereotypes being the crude byproduct of simply existing within a society. It is a fixed cliché way of seeing an individual or a group in a particular way and in doing so they are reducing us to a single story. "The single story creates stereotypes. And the problem with stereotypes is not that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story." For example I once went out for coffee with a white guy and the first assumption he made of me is and I quote "I thought you were some typical rough coloured girl from Cape Town". Furthermore, he mimicked my accent and said, it's as if we speak two different languages.

Through stereotyping we find exoticization in the form of colorism, where there is a hierarchy of complexion. Both external and internal exoticism glorifies individuals that are lighter in complexion as opposed to being darker in complexion, conforming to white supremacy. Moreover, it leads to darker complexioned individuals being deemed as inferior, contributing to the alienation and othering of these said  individuals. Othering also plays a role in the "them" vs "us" mentality.


In conclusion, stereotypes within any group reduces these respective people to a single story. Showing us as one thing and one thing only negates and flattens out our experiences which ultimately makes up the building blocks that shape us. We can only be free of stereotypes once we tell our side of the story but until then we watch others create narratives for us, illuminating our differences as oppose to our oneness.