Author Zoe Wicomb gave this rare interview to David Robinson of the Scotsman and gives us a glimpse of life as a mixed-race person under apartheid. Zoe Wicomb, South Africa-born but living in Glasgow for the last 11 years, is a writer of rare brilliance. On the cover of her latest book, Nobel laureate Toni [...]
Category Archives: Naissance
Understanding ‘How to make one hell of a prophet and still get to heaven’
How to make one hell of a prophet and still get to heaven by Dr. John F. DeMartini What the hell is heaven? Payment is due when service is rendered. Profits are a by product of having services rendered. ‘Work is love made visible’ – Khalil Gibran Everything is light. The inherent nature of divinity [...]
Next Time Call Me Mixed-Race!
I have both white and black cousins, but best of all I have two places that I can call home. How do you categorise someone who is not 100% white nor 100% black, without offending that person? This is the debate that I walked into the other day, when a woman pointed at me and [...]
The Explosion In Mixed Race Studies
A new generation of academics is pushing the boundaries of ethnic studies, compelling people to look beyond the traditional minority groups, to the experiences of mixed race individuals in America.By Erica Schlaikjer. April 2003 Just five years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find a college course that addressed mixed race issues. But ever [...]
We are the World
Another year has come and gone, yet we are no step closer to the ‘I have a dream’ reverence worded by Martin Luther King. It seems that our fears are holding us hostage to the beauty that ebbs and leaps inside and sadly the voices of our ancestors have been forgotten in the ebonics of [...]
The Bushmen
The origins of the Bushmen, also called the San, go so far back that they are lost in the mists of time. There have been a great many theories put forward about the beginnings of these mysterious little men whose remarkable way of life has gone on virtually unchanged for since the Stone Age. These [...]
What is a Coloured?
To a biologist, “race” means a very specific thing. It’s essentially a synonym for “variety”, or “sub-species”, and applies, as the name implies, to a portion of a species. Now, defining species is a massively problematic affair, and one that’s never really been settled. Nevertheless, most biologists agree that species are “real” categories, whereas other [...]
Biko’s message of consciousness goes beyond race
In 10 days time, it will be the 30th anniversary of Steve Biko‘s death. What is remarkable when one reads his writings and trial testimony is the lucidity of his thoughts. He uttered these thoughts with such courage and fearlessness it is no wonder the apartheid government felt intense twinges of fear when dealing with him. [...]
Smiling my silence
A little more than a year ago I had to deal with the most trying time in my life. Firstly, I have to concede that in all probability I deserved what I got, retribution for naughty and guilty pleasures, I guess. Betraying the trust that a brother or a friend afford you is not worth [...]
The black woman – with white parents
Sandra Laing was born black, but to white parents. It would have been strange anywhere – but in apartheid South Africa it was disastrous. Long before science learned to meddle with genes, there was Sandra Laing. She entered the world in 1955, a beautiful baby by all accounts, who could be expected to grow up [...]
Also posted in History, Identity, Inspiration Tagged Heritage, History, Identity, Sandra Laing, Skin 1 Comment