A triumph for all South Africans
perceptions around and begin a new chapter, which is more positive. And coloured people in South Africa are ready for a new story.
JASON GOLIATH Comedian
APARTHEID was one of the worst attacks on humanity, but its construct was very clever. For a minority to rule you, (to) cause segregation and infighting within the majority, creating minorities. These minorities were forced to live together, creating their own cultures. Because coloured South Africans were mixed race, we are technically the newest race group and don’t have a long history of culture like the Zulus, for example. That, however, doesn’t mean we don’t have our own distinct culture.
I was born in 1980 to parents who did their best to shield me from the effects of apartheid while growing up in Eldorado Park. I remember asking my mom why they allowed it, to which she replied “we were told it was the norm, we believed at some level that we were naturally inferior”. This broke my heart but also explained the inferiority complex the majority of her generation suffered. Imagine being told you were weaker, less intelligent and ultimately less capable. Confidence is the key ingredient to success and coloured people were robbed of this confidence.
Now imagine the feeling coloured people have when we see heroes like Wayde van Niekerk and Trevor Noah proving that not only are we equal but if we work hard and believe in ourselves anything is possible.
Our democracy is 22 years old. However, if you visit any of the locations you will realise that this “inferiority complex” and lack of belief is something that still plagues our communities, but the achievements of individuals like Wayde and Trevor are wonderful catalysts to speed up the healing.
Personally being a coloured comedian gives me a great advantage because making South African audiences laugh is easier when you understand their culture.
Because I’m mixed, I understand white, black, Indian and obviously coloured as well as the subcultures created by the different languages in between.
I love being coloured but mostly I love being South African.