Black & White

- 07 -

C H A P T E R  S E V E N

March 15 1976
Soweto

"Have you read the news?" Khumo asked, emerging into our house, with a newspaper in his hands.

"Good morning to you too." I smiled, getting up from my seat to take the newspaper from him.

RHODESIAN PRIME MINISTER IAN SMITH AND SENIOR MINISTERS VISIT SOUTH AFRICA FOR TALKS.

"Why are you showing me this?" I questioned, turning to Khumo, who had started chewing on the peanut butter sandwich I had prepared for myself.

"I thought you loved politics. Do you know who this Ian Smith guy is?" He asked, taking another bite.

"He is the 8th Prime Minister of Rhodesia."

"Why do you think he's here?"

"I don't know Khumo."

"Can you tell me more about this Ian Smith guy."

Walking over to our small kitchen table, I collected my books and neatly placed them inside my school bag. "Well Khumo, I'm not a politician but all I know is that Ian is a prime minister in Rhodesia and he claims to be the master of Rhodesia thus no African will rule in his lifetime. Apparently no black African is ready for self-government."

"Wow. What did black people ever do?" Khumo asked, clenching his jaw.

"As much as I hate to say it, he is kind of right." I admitted.

Khumo's head snapped towards me, "What?", he stopping eating and narrowed his eyes at me, his posture was stiff.

"Our people are too emotional, too insecure to be put in power." I spoke.

Before Khumo could speak, I continued, "I mean, think about it Khumo. When we protest against apartheid and oppression, we end up looting black businesses, causing the black youth to lose jobs in the process. We destroy our own property and businesses all in the name of fighting for our people."

"That's because our people are hungry. Our people are living in poverty because of them. For Christ's sake, we are not even allowed to be in the same room as them. When they take a shit, we smell it. We can't even own our own land. Even this Bantu Education system is aimed to direct our people to unskilled labor. If we don't fight and protest, our people will never be free."

"Trust me, I understand everything that you are saying and I agree with you. But if we are all fighting for freedom, then why do we have to kill each other in the process? Sometimes violence is not the answer. We just have to prove to white people that we are not as barbaric as they think we are."

"But at the same time Khumo, I fear that our people are too insecure to run  this country. The oppression and discrimination we constantly experience has made us insecure of ourselves and skin colour. What if in the future Khumo, our people are finally able to run this country, but our insecurities cause us to be vulnerable to evil and corruption? What then?"

~*~