The recent display of "grey" mannequins in ropes by Woolworths SA has been a subject of many a discussion on social media with black people expressing disgust while a large number of white people and some myopic black people seem indifferent.
The problem of race and representation is one of ages and to those unaffected by certain representations it may even seem unreasonable to speak out against them. Black people are constantly redefining themselves as a people from generation to generation and the race challenges for each generation call for different assertions and convictions. One would not need to define who they are unless their identity and origin is questioned or misrepresented. Black people are not denying their history of slavery but they are not proud of it either. At a time just after Apartheid in South Africa, a period that forced black South Africans to reassert their identity as humans, a time that forced black South Africans to define and explain to their children who and what they are...to reaffirm their place in the world and in this land of their forefathers as equal humans deserving of human dignity and respect.
It is true that Apartheid has been over for 21 years but that does not mean that people's identities and human statuses are not questioned on a daily. Apartheid is over but the mentality of bigots has not been wipedclean nor changed. Resistance in the minds of those who grew up under different conditions still prevail and for a big corporation like WoolWorths SA to propagate such mentality either in the name of fashion or "accidental Christmas decorations" is regressive in nature and insulting to the black race in effect.
There are people who have not been impacted by these display who are too quick to excuse woollies and expect that the matter be brushed under the carpet . Those people, who are mostly white (as their names and profile pictures suggest) accuse black people of having an inferiority complex by blowing this matter too far out of proportion. This accusation is a reflection of the journey that South Africa needs to take in achieving a society of social and racial understanding between black and white. Such comments point to the gaps that need to be covered as white people still feel black people have nothing to be angry about. This shows that the pain of the black person in the eyes of the white youth(and perhaps adults too) is unreasonable as some are quick to point that Apartheid is over. (Yes we burnt in the fire, it has been put out now, but does that mean the burning pain and scars vanish with the flames?) Yes discrimination, slavery and all other abuses is over but how about the prejudices that led to slavery and Apartheid in the first place?
If we are to move forward as a country and as a people, it is these prejudices that need to be dealt with. South Africans cannot be divided in denouncing the deplorable slavery depictions that Woolworths has displayed. This takes a generation of a people in the process of self understanding, self discovering and self defining back to confusion. Of course defining yourself means taking to account your history, dealing with it through understanding and overstanding to carry yourself forth; Not having it thrown at your face unexpectedly while you shop as if to convince you that you cannot amount to anything more than this (as woollies may be stating).
It is true that most black people are slaves, as woollies reminds, the poor working conditions most of them are subjected to and the lowest of wages they are paid attest to that. The treatment they suffer from their bosses and customers in service industries is similar to the whips on the back of the olden days slaves. Debt to accounts like the one from woolworths and other white owned big corporations that are paid monthly without fail for fear of repercussions. The lack of freewill and self expressions in most working environment and the dreams that remain unrealised. We do not live for ourselves as black people as our prime time is bought and paid for on a weekly, monthly or annual basis. We do not own our time, energies, our creativity and talents. We lack self determination as our whole life is determined by employers whose dreams we are helping bring to life.
This is a wake up call to say for as long as things stay the same, we will still remain where we are. As the song says "They never loved us" and yet we will continue being slaves for them in more ways than one, "they never loved us" and yet we will accept a meager "sorry" from them and convince ourselves that they meant well?!?
Respect is earned but dignity is claimed and fought for. This depiction is an insult to our dignity as a people and aims to push us down in the pit where we come from. (Maybe they do this so they can get cheaper labor as some claim Apartheid was for that purpose?)
Whatever their reasons, we as black people cannot allow anyone to take us back because we know, young or old we know, back then was never nice. If this was a test from big corporates to see if we are still sensitive about such issues as South Africans, they must get the message that we are and we resent them for testing our feelings and our conscience in such a manner. Black history is for us black people to deal with at our own pace, so they must stop telling us to get over it...We will in our own time but we will never forget
Holy crap. I must've missed this. When was this,
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