Race Relations

One of the most revealing things that I have learned while in Zimbabwe is concerning race relations. In the States, when you are talking about African Americans and White people, there aren’t any complicated dividing lines. A person is just white or black. In Zimbabwe, and South Africa, the terms get a bit more complicated.

There are many divisions within the blacks in Africa. The differences can arise because of tribal lines, relative isolation over time, and exposure to non-african peoples (to name just a few). For example to just list three, there are the Bantu, the Nile-itic people, and the San. The Bantu are the Africans who occupy much of Sub-Saharan Africa. They have broad flat noses, and typically have darker skin. The Nile-itic people come from the Nile region, have very fine features, and have a lighter skin tone than the Bantu. The San people are bushman and are generally very short, have yellowish-dark skin, and are an endangered culture because of the loss of uninhabited bush land. When Mikaela and I flew Ethiopia Air, the Ethiopians (Nile-itic) looked very different from the Zimbabweans (Bantu). It was clearly recognizable in their features, and overall behavior. While these three peoples are not all-inclusive of Africa as a whole, it is important to note that they do constitute a significant part in the total population.

To make things even more interesting, there is another major group of society who are of mixed race. These are called (as they call themselves) Coloured. The Coloureds are any mixture of European, Indian, or South-East Asian with Blacks. I will be honest, when I first heard the term “Coloured” I was kind of offended as a result of growing up in the States. Such a term to me was derogatory, but here it is a normal part of the daily vocabulary, with no offense taken when used. In South Africa, the Coloureds make up a large segment of the population. During much of the Apartheid, Coloureds in the Cape retained the right to vote while the rest of the Blacks weren’t allowed to vote. Such a distinction is important to note as they maintained their right to vote as a result of their mixed heritage.

In Zimbabwe, the Coloureds also have a large presence. Harare has several neighborhoods, and often Mandy has said, “This is an Indian community” or “that’s where the Coloureds live mostly…” They are hilarious people and have their own unique culture.

In Africa, the divisions between these four different groups of people (Bantu, Coloured, Nile-itic, San) is clearly evident; whether by geographic, linguistic, or plain visual characteristics they are regarded as separate peoples. In the States however, they would all be considered to be just Black. On the reverse side, many Black-Americans don’t seem to identify with a specific people in Africa, but are content to be labeled with the all inclusive term “African American”. Is this a result of the disruptive nature of the slave trade, the large amount of time since they came to America and the poor records kept? I don’t know, but imagine the fury that would arise if we just said “Korean-Americans and Japanese Americans- you guys are from the same continent really- so can we just call you the same thing?”

Which brings me to my problem. After living here, and after being married to a White African, I don’t know if I can term African Americans the way I did before. To me, with all due respect, President Obama (while he is the first African-American) is not the first ”black” president, but the first Coloured President.

I used to be confused when Mikaela would point out that Halle Berry emphasizes her African American background, as opposed to her white background. “Why doesn’t she ever mention her white heritage?” To me (possibly out of ignorance), Halle Berry was black. To Mikaela, she was Coloured.

After living here, I now understand.