RESTORING MY IDENTITY.

I was reduced to tears as I watched in disbelief children as young as 13 years old from Pretoria girls High School take to the streets to make their voices heard over segregation rules aimed at dividing them according to race thereby oppressing and humiliating them as blacks with unclean “Afros hairstyles”. I was more than moved by a young girl, wearing her green school uniform, complete with a full grown black uncombed hair, and standing up to a white male adult daring him to chastise her. One can tell from this picture that this child was defiant and ready to bear the consequences should they occur.

 

The picture of this young lady brought in a sharp contrast reminder in my mind of the acts of the 1976 generation. They were a generation so defiant and ready for the consequences. The apartheid government’s style to respond to protest with violence only served to make things worse. The 1976, whom the majority where learners from different schools in Soweto took to the streets of Soweto to protest against the inferior education the apartheid government subjected them. That Soweto uprising as it is affectionately known today, brought to this country a worldwide attention and condemnation never felt before and this signalled the fall of apartheid. And indeed that regime fell upon their own sword.

Today another generation has risen to carry the torch they (1976 generation) left, the eruption of protest thou not similar in subject or reason, bears similarities in ways we cannot explain. These learners are fighting not for the abolishment of inferior education, but for the restoration of their identity. Yes, the war here is over the protection of the black child’s identity. The identity which they carry in part through their black “afro” hair. The school’s draconian “Hair policy” forces these kids to do away with their hair, a shame to our hard fought democracy. These girls in my opinion are brave and bold to take on such a well established institution over such a derogatory policy. It is important that apartheid era institution learn that our democracy will not tolerate backwardness and segregation let alone racism. This protest is a lesson to the school white leaders that they will never be allowed to prosper at the expense of our freedom and that they will never get away with inferior policies.

 

A hair in my “Sepedi” culture is a very important symbol that distinguishes and renders my identity unique. But for a woman it means more than that, a woman in my culture is not suppose to cut nor shave her hair to a bald, it’s even important for her hair to remain natural, black with no additives which makes her uniquely beautiful and authentic. This hair as “afro” and black as it is is my identity that I hold dear. So trying to separate it from me will result in a backlash which is exactly what transpired at this prestigious school. It is unacceptable to draft “code of conducts” that infringe on the rights of human, codes that are not inclusive and at best aiming to divide our society. It’s amazing how fast things change, that today, we are going to have to come up with “Hair policies” this was unheard of till now. Pretoria girl’s high school and any other schools build from the era of apartheid are experiencing revolt from their own learners (Blacks) because they failed to realise that South Africa is moving forward not backward.

 

While it is appluadable for what this young generation of shakers did today, however society needs to take a bold step to address this issue. Our government alone cannot succeed, they can do so much, so it needs the broader society to confront this issue and come up with a solution. I’m sure it took many by surprise and I must admit that South Africa could have never foreseen such. But it has happened and now we need to take decisive decision that will deal with it once and for all as a society.