Black & White

-25-

C H A P T E R  T W E N T Y  - F I V E

When we arrived in the suburban town of Northcliff, where the debate was held we couldn't help but gawk at the beauty that this small town provided. Our taxi passed a father and son taking a stroll on the sidewalk. They walked hand in hand, as the sun and clear skies smiled down at them. They seemed happy. And free. I wish the sun could smile down on us too. When we reached Northcliff Hoerskool, the school were the debate would be held, we were in awe. The school was very different from ours. This school was beautifully painted on the outside. The grass was neatly trimmed, with a variety of flowers lining the sidewalks. Not a single piece of paper could be found on the ground. They had a swimming pool. The water was as blue and clear as the sky above us. They also had a library and a science labatory. As we entered the school gates, a large board written Welkom welcomed us but we didn't feel very welcomed. We could tell by the stares we received that we were not wanted here. The stares were followed by whispers. I was not the only one who noticed how different this school was. I could see it on my classmates' faces that they noticed the differences too. Differences that caused doubt and insecurities.

"Maybe Mrs Breytanbach was right." One of my classmates said out loud as Mrs Dlamini and Mr Mthethwa led us to the hall.
"I mean, look at them." My classmate, Nana continued. I followed her gaze to see two white girls, probably our age walking to the same direction as us. However, they walked further away from us, like we were walking contagious diseases. They occasionally stole glances at us and whispered amongst themselves.
"Look at their uniform and look at ours." Nana said, her eyes still on the two girls ahead of us. She was right. Our uniform stood out. Not in a good way. The girls wore bright navy blue skirts and blazers with pure white cotton shirts. Their polished black shoes shined under the hot sun. They wore smiles and confidence on their faces. We walked behind them, in our dull yellow shirts and brown skirts. Some of my classmates had little holes on their shirts from the many years of wearing them. We looked dull, compared to them. And just like that, the excitement we had in the morning vanished into thin air.
"I don't want to do this anymore." Nana said as she suddenly stopped walked. We all turned back to look at her.
"What?" Mrs Dlamini and Mr Mthethwa asked in unison.
"I don't want to take part in the debate anymore. It's obvious that we are going to lose." She said as she folded her arms across her chest. I could see the tears brimming in her eyes. Tears of pain and hurt. Why can't we have the same life as them? What did we ever do to them? Why do they hate us so much? Why must we constantly live our lives in fear? Why did we have to lose our parents to the struggle? Nana's tears held so many unanswered questions.
"Nana, you can't give up now. You can't give up without trying." Mr Mthethwa said. Nana continued to glance nervously around us, at the white kids that passed us and gave us curious stares. Mrs Dlamini followed Nana's gaze and walked towards her, placing her hands on her shoulders so she was looking straight at her. "You are not the first nor the last black person to be in the presence of white people. I know they look intimidating but don't let it get to you. Did Walter Rubusana give up when he was the only black Provinicial Council Representative at Cape Parliament? In 1906, did the representatives of the African Political Organisation who travelled to London give up when the British Parliament refused to block the white dominated union in South Africa? No they did not, because they travelled again in 1909 and they still got rejected by the British who did not want to cause conflict with the Afrikaners. Are you telling me that all these balck political activits fought so hard for our rights just for you to come here and be scared. No one here is giving up. I have made so many sacrifices to get us here. I almost lost my job. Don't let my blood, sweat and tears go down the drain."
Nana nodded her head. As much as Mrs Dlamini was looking at Nana when she spoke, but those words were directed to all of us. And suddenly there was light at the end of the tunnel. Mrs Dlamini was our light. Once we were inside the hall, our faces were the only black ones. But we were no longer intimidated nor scared.

We walked to our seats with our heads help high and ignored the stares that trailed behind us. The hall was much bigger inside. It had plain white walls and a brown wooden floor. Instead of benches, they had black plastic chairs. The stage had two wooden podiums that faced each other. The walls had the names of the top achievers in various categories such as academics, student council, sports, etc. Our seats were all in the way back. Once we were seated, a white middle aged woman took to the stage and began speaking in one of the microphones. We did not expect her to speak in Afrikaans. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the annual Gauteng Schools Provincial Debate Tournament. Today is the first round of the tournament, meaning that we have a total of 10 schools in attendance where each school will have 5 motions to discuss with other schools. Only 8 schools will make it to the next round which will take place on the 26th of April in this very same hall. I would like to welcome the following schools in attendance, Northcliff Hoerskool, who are our hosts for this year. John Vorster Hoerskool, Hendrik Verwoerd Hoerskool, Jan Smuts Hoerskool, Suid Wes Hoerskool, Victoria Akademie, Hertzog Hoerskool, Afrikaner Broederband Hoerskool, Parktown Akademie and..." She paused as she brought the paper she was reading from closer to her squinted eyes. "Ama-Amandlaethu High School." As soon as my classmates heard the mention of our school name they erupted into cheers and clapped loudly, while the rest of the audience remained silent.

"Before we begin the tournament, it is important for our contentsants to remember the following rules and procedures. For each motion, two schools will go head to head and argue their points. Each school will have three speakers per motion. All the speakers will be given 3 minutes to share their points. The use of any vernacular languge is strictly prohibited. Speakers are not allowed to interrupt each other. You can only ask questions after a speaker is finished talking. Schools that will be going to the next round will be announced after all 5 motions have been discussed. The winning school will represent the Gauteng province on a national level. I wish all our fellow contentsants the best of luck. Let the debate begin."

The audience clapped after the lady, who I assume is the programme director, finished speaking. My classmates looked at each other confused. "Did anyone of you understand what she was saying?" Mbuyisa whispered. Everyone shook their heads."It was written in the program they sent us that English will be the language of medium in the debate so I don't understand why she read the rules in Afrikaans." Mrs Dlamini said with confusion on her face. It was clear why the rules were read in Afrikaans. They didn't want us to understand. One wrong move and we will be disqualified from the debate.

"I understood everything she said." I announced, surprising my classmates and the school that was seated infront of us. They turned to look at me before averting their attention to the empty stage. I explained what was said to my classmates, making sure that everyone understood.

"How did you understand all of that?" Mrs Dlamini asked me "I don't know. I just find Afrikaans very easy to understand." I replied. Before I could explain further, one of the judges stood up to make an announcement. "The first motion wil be discussed between Jan Smuts Hoerskool and Amandlaethu High School." My classmates and I turned to Mrs Dlamini in confusion. "You didn't tell us we were going first." I said
"I also was not aware that you guys were going first. It's okay, you guys got this. Ayize, Lesedi and Antoinette, you guys are up. Rememeber everything that I taught you." The three of us hesistantly stood up from our seats and walked towards the stage. All eyes were on us. Our opponents were already standing behind their podium, waiting for us to take our place. As I stood on there on the stage, I realized that they would do anything to see us fail. From reading the rules in Afrikaans so that we do not understand, to making us go first. They patiently waited for us to make a mockery out of ourselves. But unfortunately for them, that was not going to happen. It was time to show them how great we are.