(synchronistically the current focus on the first fruits bull slaying has had a profound effect on my psyche. i have sworn myself to vegetarianism!) were it not for the fact that i recently taught at a school which is 97% black south african, my views on zulu chauvinism may have been a little more tempered, a little more sympathetic, possibly even empathetic. i had a huge wake-up call. we are fifteen years into our democracy with the best constitution in the world, but it makes not the slightest difference to the average zulu in the street. the elders, the church leaders, the teachers, the politicians, the parents have failed our children miserably.
i am left to conclude that zulu chauvinism is very much alive and very much unwell, in durban, south africa.
democracy, if it is to be worthy of its standing, has to be effective.
democracy has never sat well with nationalism, and the west has been through decades of adjustments and criticisms. with chauvinism rests xenophobia, homophobia, rape, condom refusal, battery, sexism, bullying, intimidation. it is this that AIDS workers are up against in the rural communities. from this the ramifications become obvious: it is ‘unzulu’ to be gay etc.
when apartheid came crumbling down, this dam wall of obstructionism, double speak and human rights violations opened the floodgates for the entry of a world which was hardly standing-by holding its breath! the world had continued with its momentum, and it all came rushing in. educated/uneducated alike, who had resisted, fought, lost blood and suffered (regardless of race) began to adjust and to celebrate.
i am the first to tell any racist in my conversation group (i personally have no racist friends!) to go packing and find it extremely rich of the afrikaner (they are always afrikaners) who complain about ‘moving on from apartheid’ yet are still fighting the boer war - and they weren’t even alive then!
but apartheid had bred, and is still breeding an alarming anti settler (their term for whites) mentality. now i have never claimed that whites are worthy of sympathy. given the shocking blueprint handed down by the apartheid regime, it is little wonder that there is so much anti white sentiment. yet, the entire world was amazed at the evidence of ‘ubuntu’ that characterised our transition, where Nelson Mandela symbolised and gave guidance to the enlightenment of a nation.
and now with emotions running high regarding the perceived ‘threat’ to ‘their culture’ by the ‘settlers’ (human rights activists) one must be truly alarmed at the degree at which this sentiment is entrenched, blinded and informed by hatred.
the mere notion of developing or negotiating a SYMBOLIC adjustment of this ritual (e.g. as horrendous as i find the christian ritual of drinking the blood and eating the body of christ - wine and wafer - is, it is still effective as their ritual) falls on regrettably deaf ears. sadly, rather than welcoming an opportunity to enhance this custom within this global context, the issue stands as a sad indictment to the extent of the damage perpetuated by apartheid (unenlightenment) and hardly as an inspiring component of zulu ‘culture’.
intransigence should never be confused with steadfastness. the former resists and refuses change, the latter maintains focus while attuning to change. it is after all the ability of a culture to adapt and grow that is ultimately its measure of strength. this is ‘a’ law of survival, not ‘my’ law of survival. but this concept is way out of reach at this particular time, of our rural zulu population. it also sad that those zulu experts on zulu culture have not researched ways in which this terrible torture (for this is what it is in a modern context) could be metamorphosed into a meaningful ritual.
and yet, at possibly a more disturbing level, i was astonished to encounter these ‘settler’ sentiments within a government school in the city! this has translated into a refusal to be disciplined, an inability to acknowledge wrong doing, entitlement to chew or eat in class, entitlement to enter or leave a class at will and for any reason, howling with laughter at extremely childish antics, development of thug mentality (allegiance) across grades and age groups, interfering with my right to teach with impunity. Homework a completely outmoded concept. the list goes on. is this seen as a resistance to ‘settler’ education? i was utterly baffled. and to experience this level of zulu nationalism so closely and so blindly within an educated environment in 2009 has been traumatic. what i also found deeply disturbing was the fact that the brilliant students held no influence what-so-ever! the ‘culture’ of intimidation had silenced them!
and then of course with malema shooting off his mouth without a second thought, the effect has had deep ramifications, not only within the immature, impressionable youth who think they can do the same, but with educators as well.
its a mess, it is shocking and (in this school) it was out of control. is this the tip of the iceberg (a portent of what is to come) or just a silly bizarre experience within an unfortunate developmental phase?
either way, it is an outrage, and should never have been allowed to happen!
