Bongo Mei. Picture: Supplied
By Bongo Mei
South Africa is a country with diverse social economic backgrounds and statuses.
There is the centre, affectionately referred to as the urban, and then there’s the marginal, disposed as the rural.
The country is a third world, thereby, the impoverished outskirts are God forsaken. Before the democratic rule of 1994, the rural were at an incredibly more favourable stand point, as they were half autonomous, because of two factors.
One, there was a regime status called the Bantustans, where African natives were given nominal countries, practising with their own legislature and social standards, these were incorporated in all departments that govern a country, health, education, justice, labour, etc.
The second factor was that, people in rural areas regarded themselves as national native vanguards, since the introduction of industrialisation was enforced through an atrocious colonial project of genocide and dispossession. The rural maintained the stand of keeping land in the hands of the native while the urban were fighting the legal system for retribution.
In this manner of perception and objective, the urban maintained a connection with the rural and vice versa. Colonial forces were also aware of this, hence political leaders like Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe were kept in solitary confinement, or the reason Steve Bantu Biko was killed, they wanted to make a deal with a treacherous political party like the African National Congress, and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela agreed to be part of the deal. This resulted, in the vanguards being disarmed and forced to be absorbed into the new democratic country, which still supported minority rights, that is, the protection of colonial inheritance.
This type of inheritance is invested in the psychological retardation of the ignorant, whereby, the most important form of value, is keeping up an appearance, through acquiring high remuneration from the companies owned by the colonial inheritor. It must be mentioned that, the perceptual structure of Bantu, where Bantu is an ideology of African nativity or popularly, pan Africanism, formally established through the Bantustans, was dismantled by the treacherous, mostly evidenced by the Bisho Massacre, in the former Republic of Ciskei. The coup was led by, Chris Hani, Steve Tshwete and current South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa. As it is clearly obvious, they were generously remunerated.
Bantu is an ideology that needs to be revisited, revised and reinstated. In the 21st century in Africa, we should talk of a continent that has serious public and private schools, that use indigenous languages as mediums of instruction, where there are institutions in the marginal and centre using indigenous languages as common languages for professional consultation. Presently, as it is well known and neglected to be accepted, since the country is a third world, disadvantaged public schools both centrally and marginally have a low pass rate, resulting in the study of redundant tertiary courses and a high unemployment rate. Self development is a major factor of the Bantu perceptual structure and it was taught in public schools in the Bantustans, together with psychological development, tutored by means of understanding the purpose of self ownership through sustenance farming and participation in customary rituals. Bantu here should not be confused with the misconception of Bantu Education, the word means, the people.
Talking of reincarnating the Bantustans as a new type of regime to save the country and continent, is conspicuously nostalgic and needs deep convincing in order to convert the ignoramus. In reality, the only possible convert will be the one who is not being taken care of by the regime, everyone else is a pon of the South African Estate/country. The other convert will be the privileged, the one seeking to do right by his fellow man, like a missionary with a purpose, lastly, one might also be converted for the idea of a different and better reality. In essence it doesn’t take a lot to establish a progressive community, which is the fundamental essence of a country. Any developed country is built by experts, the thrill of embarking on a venture requiring great skills and associates of the same level, can be more reason to convert. And once converted, where does one start?
There are existing NGOs that work towards the change of current corrupt tendencies.
As with everything, corruption and unfairness started small and grew wider as it received more bribes and encouragement. The change needed currently in the Republic, is almost religious, in the sense, every responsible citizen needs to be actively involved with the reconstruction of the country, for everyone’s benefit. The call should be based on an adventurous desire, not limited by familiarity or background, it should not be confined by race, creed or education but by fierce foresight, that is, what can be achieved in the end.
The most obvious lack is that of education, there needs to be more assistance in many facets of the education department, from the right employee to having enough employees. There is something called, “Professions without Professionals”, meaning, under qualified employees. Under qualification can also be determined by less experience and laziness, which all culminates in the job being poorly done or not executed at all. These are the small transformations that need to take place and everyone is responsible.
In conclusion, marginal spaces previously had a purpose and therefore an identity, presently they’re a sad imitation of a third world industrial centre, the reasons have been stipulated above. It is time for the native to be proud again of their background and that is the custom of self ownership, which previously nurtured the natural resources, before foreign influence and dispossession. In 2024, Africa needs to define clearly, in the era of globalisation, treachery and hybridism, who is the native? Previously pan Africanism was defined according to race, because it was a counter ideology against racism and colonization. It is imperative after the official release of Africa from its colonizers to re-evaluate the concept of identity as it can take a new form. Racism gave humanity a different identity from their nature, labelling people according to their complexion instead of what they can do. With the question of a new identity, will the definition be based on the meritorious or racist? It is when this definition is plainly specified that the whole of Africa can be a Bantu land, with all those who identify as Bantu, be regarded as vanguards of the mother land, from Cape to Cairo, Morocco to Madagascar!
Mei is a graduate of Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. He is an artist, curator and researcher with an experience of 14 years in the art industry.
The Star
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