MARY ANN - UNNATURAL NAMES
“Izwi.” reports that in its December 1850 edition, the newspaper, “Isithunywa senyanga”, published a letter by one Mary Ann, an African woman who had been baptised by the Rev John Brownlee in 1823. Having understood that colonialism would destroy traditional African society, May Ann argued that the Africans must reject all notions of racial superiority and inferiority, and strive to build an egalitarian, non-racial society.
Given a “Christian” name to deprive her of her identity, and turn her into a pliable and dehumanised object subservient to colonial domination, like Saartjie Baartmann, Mary Ann was gifted with a prescience far ahead of its time.
She wrote: (a free English translation follows immediately after): “Ubumhlophe, nobumnyama, nobuntsundu asi nto yanto. Asililo ibala elibanga ukuba izizwe zahluke. Into ebanga ukuba izizwe zahluke yingqitano yobulumko, nesihalo esihle, siti esinye isizwe sibe nobulumko obukulu, nesihlalo saso sibe sihle, nezivato zaso.Kokupina okukuhle kwawenu amehlo; nokokuba umntu abe nendlu entle, netafile, nezitulo, nezivato ezimfaneleyo?…Nisiti nje anilithandi elogama lokuba ngu-Kafire (nam andilitandi), lahlani ke obubu-Kafire nitukwa ngabo; nize namkele ubulumko bama-Ngesi.nokufunda kwabo.nendawana zonke ezibonwayo okokuba zilungile, nokokuba zintle emehlweni.”
“The fact that one is white, or black, or brown, amounts to nothing. It is not skin colour that distinguishes nations. What distinguishes nations is the difference in knowledge, wisdom and maturity, and whether they live well, in peace.You, my people, say you hate being called Kaffirs, as I do. Let us therefore advance out of the conditions of life that are cited to denigrate us. Let us have decent and well furnished houses, adequate clothing and food, proper education and access to all the knowledge that the English have.”
thabo mbeki
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