elephant in the room...

(showyourhope.com)

I am proudly South African.  One of the main reasons being, our peaceful transition from the horrors of apartheid to a new South Africa. We have a constitution which is second to none.  However, eighteen years into our democracy, race is still the elephant in the room. We try to make as if it doesn’t matter but it’s there, we put people in boxes which they don’t belong because of a way of thinking which was entrenched during apartheid.

 People were desensitized by apartheid and are not fully aware of its true effect on majority of South Africans as pointed out by Alistair McKay’s article  in the City Press (www.citypress.co.za/columnists/How-whites-can-reconcile-20120630).  What is required to remove this elephant is for everyone to understand our history and to put things and people into context.

This requires a bit of work on our part as citizens, (government cannot change our mind sets). Instead of stereotyping we need to get to know our fellow South Africans, their stories and their journeys. In understanding and sharing we really become the rainbow nation celebrating our differences, embracing the spirit of ubuntu and all that is beautiful about South African people.