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Mduduzi Mbiza and Kerry Dimmer
The Collaborators |
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Freelance journalists Mduduzi Mbiza and Kerry Dimmer have the difficult conversations about opposing views,
confront awkward situations, and expose uncomfortable truths.
This collaboration is not about BEE, but balance. It is also not purely about black and white, its about perspectives.
Our compelling concept is to use our unique cultural backgrounds to help individuals and organisations to better
understand that it is only through respectful but truthful engagement can we overcome our
biases and misinterpretations, and understand from whence they come.
Please note that we will not accept commentary or reactions to our published conversations.
The Black and White Collaboration © November 2022
This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owners and do not represent those of people, institutions, or organisations that the owners may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organisation, company, political party or individual.
©No part of the materials on this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from
The Black and White Collaborators©, Mduduzi Mbiza or Kerry Dimmer. Email: [email protected]
confront awkward situations, and expose uncomfortable truths.
This collaboration is not about BEE, but balance. It is also not purely about black and white, its about perspectives.
Our compelling concept is to use our unique cultural backgrounds to help individuals and organisations to better
understand that it is only through respectful but truthful engagement can we overcome our
biases and misinterpretations, and understand from whence they come.
Please note that we will not accept commentary or reactions to our published conversations.
The Black and White Collaboration © November 2022
This is a personal blog. Any views or opinions represented in this blog are personal and belong solely to the blog owners and do not represent those of people, institutions, or organisations that the owners may or may not be associated with in a professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organisation, company, political party or individual.
©No part of the materials on this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from
The Black and White Collaborators©, Mduduzi Mbiza or Kerry Dimmer. Email: [email protected]
Let the conversations begin .....
Contents:
2022:
White Silence - 10 November
Nigga versus Nigger - 07 November
Contents:
2022:
White Silence - 10 November
Nigga versus Nigger - 07 November
“White Silence” : 11 November 2022
Mduduzi: Someone wrote about white South Africans' ongoing silence on racism. Is it because they believe and support racism, or do they choose to remain silent because past acts, such as apartheid, were committed in their name? Why do many of them remain silent when exposed to racial situations?
Kerry: I hear the silence, and agree. Purely from my perspective, I don’t think it defines a person as racist when they don’t react. I think one reason may be because the divide was so great before democracy and we weren’t sure of how to ‘fix’ things … and we still don’t. In some respects how many times can we say ‘sorry’?
You were too young in 1994 to see the celebrations between whites and blacks in the queues to vote. The camaraderie was extraordinary. That said, it did not play out in the years that followed because, perhaps, white people had to carry the guilt of apartheid, regardless of whether they played a role in its perpetuation or not. I understand why, of course, for after years of white’s silencing black’s, black people needed to show their voice, express their pain, and make real the consequences of apartheid. There is still much of that in play, so we are stuck. I think white people remain silent for many reasons, not least of which is we don’t know how to handle some situations without offending someone. This is why conversations such as we are having are crucial … let’s get all the dirty washing out in the open so we can deal with it honestly but with respect, and move on. Once we all understand how to behave with one another, hopefully whites will be silent no more.
Mduduzi: In the meantime, let me try to understand why white people do not come to the rescue of their black colleagues or peers, especially those who claim they are not ‘racists’. Among black people, this silence is often interpreted as white people don’t care. Or maybe it’s “not your fight”?
Kerry: I think this is a very sensitive area, and obviously circumstantial, because we do see on social media platforms that white and black people agree on many things. When there is a racial injustice, the fight is everyones, for race discrimination is not exclusive against black people, as we saw recently with the DisChem fiasco.
What might explain the ‘silence’ that some white people maintain, is likely contained within the relatively new term ‘white fragility’, which refers to the discomfort that white people feel when talking about racism and prejudices.
White people are fragile in that they tend to fear the potential anger and conflict that might emerge when they speak out in case it is misinterpreted as racism. White people have been accused of being racist by black people even when they are not, simply because we may have chosen the wrong words, which could even simply be a matter of cultural difference; or we are told that certain behaviour we exhibit is racist - again perhaps cultural? We quite honestly don’t know where the sensitivities lie that will trigger a negative reaction.
Mduduzi: I think one of the challenges around this topic is experience; the fact that white people rarely experience racism often makes it impossible for them to see, feel, or understand it, which is possibly an answer to their silence. I read something along these lines: because most white people live in segregated areas, they receive scant information or education about racism and that can lead to an inability to consider the perspectives of people of colour. With this in mind, one question stands out to me. Do white people want to be educated more about racism? If so, which areas are more of a concern for them?
Kerry: I agree with your first statement but not the second. Yes, white people in general don’t have a ‘deeper’ comprehension of the ‘experience’ of racism. But no, I don’t agree regarding white people living in segregated areas. We don’t, and haven’t for at least a decade, and in my experience white people have welcomed mixed race environments. This does help white people to be less ‘silent’ because neighbourliness improves communication and understanding of cultural differences.
And yes, I do believe that white people want to be educated (and need to be) about racism. We want to understand how we can change our language so as not to be labelled a racist when we aren’t; we want to know what behaviours we exhibit that suggest we are racist; and we want to stop feeling guilty about apartheid, for we have said sorry and shown remorse. It has become stressful choosing our words, our actions and behaviours so as not to offend or incite negative reactions.
I choose not to be silent in the face of blatant racism.
“Nigga versus Nigger” : 07 November 2022
Kerry: When I first heard the word 'nigger' in South Africa it was used amongst a group of mixed race university students. I was horrified but when I asked my daughter, who was in the same age group, she explained that it meant something different to my understanding of the word, and was spelt differently. Apparently it is a colloquial term among younger people, who use it affectionately to recognise a ‘friend’ who shares similar views and experiences. Is this how you see it?
Mduduzi: I don't remember when I first heard the 'nigger' word, but I can attest that it is used among young black people. Many people disagree about the difference between ‘nigga’ and ‘nigger’ as spoken terms. I believe that replacing the 'er' with an 'a' changes nothing other than the pronunciation; I know this may sound cliche, but it’s true.
Kerry: You make a good point about pronunciation, and verbalisation for that matter. It’s not a word that rolls off my tongue easily as a white person; even typing both words gives me some discomfort.
Mduduzi: A lot depends on the context in which the term is used and understood. In general, the word ‘nigger’ is taboo due to its implicit racism.
Kerry: In light of the semantics, when spoken the word could be easily viewed as a slur, which would/could open up a massive can of worms, especially in South Africa where sensitivities about race prevail. I view the word, regardless of how it is spelt, as an Americanism. Its equivalent in our country is the ‘k-word’, which we know is profoundly offensive and its use is considered a hate crime. Therefore, do you not think that ‘nigga’ or ‘nigger’ should be similarly judged to be derogatory?
Mduduzi: The ‘k-word’ and the ‘n-word’ are racist but different. I also think that the history of the word(s) is crucial to understand because each has its own ‘reputation’. The usage of ‘nigga’ was popularised by the hip-hop music culture in America as part of an in-group language, often used to mean friend. However, we can’t say the same with the ‘k-word’. It puzzles me how a word (Kaffir) derived from the Arabs caused so much chaos in South Africa, especially looking at its meaning. Americans took the ‘n-word’ and did something positive about it; we (black South Africans) did nothing with the ‘k-word’ except stop white people from using it.
Kerry: It seems, therefore, acceptable for the youth - let’s say all born-free’s regardless of race - to use ‘nigga’, given as you say, the origin stems from current music culture. It almost takes the negative power away from its traditional roots, and in that respect it’s a good thing.
But is it acceptable for whites to use it within mixed race circles? Consider, for example, if I referred to you as my ‘nigga’. Given you and I understand one another and therefore in a friendship, would you be offended?
Mduduzi: For me, context matters. I wouldn’t be offended because I would know that it doesn’t come from a place of disrespect. I read about a white male who was given a ‘pass’ by his black male friend to use the word ‘nigga’ on him. It goes back to the idea that the black community seems to own the copyright to the word.
Anyway, why would white people want to use it? If I ever overhear whites addressing one another as ‘nigga’s’, it would catch my attention, but I would first try to assess the intention of the conversation. One could argue that black people always get away with these slurs.
Kerry: So if black people can get away with it, and white people can’t, isn’t that the essence of racism?
Mduduzi: It’s a tricky one. Think about it; how many times have you been exposed to the word ‘nigger’ in South Africa? I recall reading about a situation between students and Professor Adam Habib at SOAS University in London when a student asked how Soas could issue statements about Black Lives Matter while allowing lecturers to say the N-word in class? Habib, in his response, used the full word. Two students reacted, one saying it was not acceptable for Habib to use the word; the other commented: “I’m sorry, but you are not a black man. You can’t use that word.”
Kerry: That suggests that a white person, wanting to use the N-word, even just repeating an overheard conversation in which it was used, would first need permission from the black people in the new conversation, to use it.
I think you are right, it IS tricky. Consent to use it would still make me uncomfortable, because for me it is associated with the repression of black people, regardless that it is more of an Americanism.
Mduduzi: I understand what you are saying. There is a strong opinion among the black community that white people, or any other ethnic group, should not use the N-word. It is fascinating that it is ubiquitous in African-American culture because it can be spoken lovingly, politically, or disparagingly.
In the end, I believe that context is crucial for language to function. This idea is something I think the human race as a whole must understand and accept.
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