helgé janssen on the upsurge of zulu chauvinism/nationalism in the zuma period
(synchronistically the current focus on the first fruits bull slaying has had a profound effect on my psyche. i have sworn myself to vegetarianism!)
were it not for the fact that i recently taught at a school which is 97% black south african, my views on zulu chauvinism may have been a little more tempered, a little more sympathetic, possibly even empathetic.
i had a huge wake-up call.
we are fifteen years into our democracy with the best constitution in the world, but it makes not the slightest difference to the average zulu in the street. the elders, the church leaders, the teachers, the politicians, the parents have failed our children miserably.
i am left to conclude that zulu chauvinism is very much alive and very much unwell, in durban, south africa.
the focus by the human rights commission on the ‘ritual’ slaying of the bull with bare hands by zulu ‘warriors’ comes at at time when the zulu nation are beginning to feel particularly threatened with the advent of the true meaning of democracy.
democracy, if it is to be worthy of its standing, has to be effective.
democracy has never sat well with nationalism, and the west has been through decades of adjustments and criticisms. with chauvinism rests xenophobia, homophobia, rape, condom refusal, battery, sexism, bullying, intimidation. it is this that AIDS workers are up against in the rural communities. from this the ramifications become obvious: it is ‘unzulu’ to be gay etc.
when apartheid came crumbling down, this dam wall of obstructionism, double speak and human rights violations opened the floodgates for the entry of a world which was hardly standing-by holding its breath! the world had continued with its momentum, and it all came rushing in. educated/uneducated alike, who had resisted, fought, lost blood and suffered (regardless of race) began to adjust and to celebrate.
i am the first to tell any racist in my conversation group (i personally have no racist friends!) to go packing and find it extremely rich of the afrikaner (they are always afrikaners) who complain about ‘moving on from apartheid’ yet are still fighting the boer war - and they weren’t even alive then!
but apartheid had bred, and is still breeding an alarming anti settler (their term for whites) mentality. now i have never claimed that whites are worthy of sympathy. given the shocking blueprint handed down by the apartheid regime, it is little wonder that there is so much anti white sentiment. yet, the entire world was amazed at the evidence of ‘ubuntu’ that characterised our transition, where Nelson Mandela symbolised and gave guidance to the enlightenment of a nation.
and now with emotions running high regarding the perceived ‘threat’ to ‘their culture’ by the ‘settlers’ (human rights activists) one must be truly alarmed at the degree at which this sentiment is entrenched, blinded and informed by hatred.
the mere notion of developing or negotiating a SYMBOLIC adjustment of this ritual (e.g. as horrendous as i find the christian ritual of drinking the blood and eating the body of christ - wine and wafer - is, it is still effective as their ritual) falls on regrettably deaf ears. sadly, rather than welcoming an opportunity to enhance this custom within this global context, the issue stands as a sad indictment to the extent of the damage perpetuated by apartheid (unenlightenment) and hardly as an inspiring component of zulu ‘culture’.
intransigence should never be confused with steadfastness. the former resists and refuses change, the latter maintains focus while attuning to change. it is after all the ability of a culture to adapt and grow that is ultimately its measure of strength. this is ‘a’ law of survival, not ‘my’ law of survival. but this concept is way out of reach at this particular time, of our rural zulu population. it also sad that those zulu experts on zulu culture have not researched ways in which this terrible torture (for this is what it is in a modern context) could be metamorphosed into a meaningful ritual.
and yet, at possibly a more disturbing level, i was astonished to encounter these ‘settler’ sentiments within a government school in the city! this has translated into a refusal to be disciplined, an inability to acknowledge wrong doing, entitlement to chew or eat in class, entitlement to enter or leave a class at will and for any reason, howling with laughter at extremely childish antics, development of thug mentality (allegiance) across grades and age groups, interfering with my right to teach with impunity. Homework a completely outmoded concept. the list goes on. is this seen as a resistance to ‘settler’ education? i was utterly baffled. and to experience this level of zulu nationalism so closely and so blindly within an educated environment in 2009 has been traumatic. what i also found deeply disturbing was the fact that the brilliant students held no influence what-so-ever! the ‘culture’ of intimidation had silenced them!
and then of course with malema shooting off his mouth without a second thought, the effect has had deep ramifications, not only within the immature, impressionable youth who think they can do the same, but with educators as well.
its a mess, it is shocking and (in this school) it was out of control. is this the tip of the iceberg (a portent of what is to come) or just a silly bizarre experience within an unfortunate developmental phase?
either way, it is an outrage, and should never have been allowed to happen!
December 3rd, 2009 at 9:29 am
“yet still fighting the boer war”,so when you have no racists friends,then you don’t need to go tell anybody to go packing.(they are always afrikaners)!wonderful generalization.everytime you go on your rant about backward rural zulus or anyone else that does not fit into your little selfrighteous world,the afrikaner always seems a good deflection from your own unbearable whiteness of being.maybe it is time that you make some peace with that germanic ghost dwelling somewhere inside your self.and that “rural” zulu man ,is way more humane and enlightened towards his cattle,than that dehorned,castrated,computerchipped etc.ones that gets slaughtered by their millions in the so called “developed” world.As for “their” treatment of pigs and chickens,there is a virus coming to a “theatre” near you soon. Your bubblegum chewing Afrikaan Nationalist
December 3rd, 2009 at 12:03 pm
i haven’t agreed with helge on many occasions (particularly the woody allen debacle earlier this year) but i think he’s right on here.
“intransigence should never be confused with steadfastness. the former resists and refuses change, the latter maintains focus while attuning to change.” - this is an excellent point.
@spookasem boerkowski - “that “rural” zulu man ,is way more humane and enlightened towards his cattle,than that dehorned,castrated,computerchipped etc.ones that gets slaughtered by their millions in the so called “developed” world.” i love the scare quotes around developed. that’s what too much time in the social sciences will do to you.
relativists! what you can do…
December 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I guess we all grab our chance to behave like assholes, and regret at leisure later - which role models provide alternatives right now?
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:10 pm
@kasem
yes, nationalists sleep very well together, don’t they?
(as long as they live in separate places)
December 3rd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Sure Helge,that is why every house on the Berea has a wonderful little gardensuite at the back.
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
and you are certainly trying your best,putting us in bed together.”grabbing money where ever possible,riding around in 4×4’s,hanging on cellphones,and looking more afrikaner than afrikaners” and as far as zulu chauvinism/nationalism is concerned,I’ve read this somewhere,”rather blacks should see ways forward within the core issues of development(@pill-who wants to develop who,and for what purpose?),rather than “deconstruction”. illegal to be black? that is a strange intepretation.”
Well,to tell the truth I’m totally confused !
December 4th, 2009 at 2:01 am
@pill
thanks for the breath of fresh air:)
phew derek - there is a plethora of role models out there……from kwaito stars, poets, writers, t.v. presenters, struggle hero’s, actors, sports stars…
December 4th, 2009 at 11:01 am
professor Simon Maphalala, in his affidavit to the pietermaritzburg high court (the mercury, december 3) states: “from ancient times it is believed that the power of the king wanes and, while in olden times the king was killed and a new king was installed, the modern practice developed of killing the king symbolically, so the king’s power may be regained and he would be revitalised.”
as it appears convenient to ‘modernise’ traditional zulu practices when they become outdated or inappropriate, i am surprised at the outcry against animal rights advocates who have the temerity to suggest a cultural ‘update’.
peter weedon
durban
letter in the natal mercury 5:12:09
December 4th, 2009 at 12:58 pm
Firstly teaching at a school does not make you the authority on the culture(even if you speak the language)especially when the majority of the people are confused and living between Christianity and British influence. I once taught students in Oslo and Molde, should I be the authority on Norwegeans too????
Helge your article or is it rant would be great as a Stasie propaganda press release. You write from an arrear of prejudice if not hate but also there is no connection with what you are trying to say. How does Umkhosi Wokweshwama relate to Zuma?
You complain of settler sentiments yet you wrote an article about your ‘Zulu’ sentiments, which to me amount to a hate speach.
Zulu culture has evolved over the years not because of ‘white’ interference but because we are a people we think we decide whats relevant (eg with AIDS some have re-introduced virginity testing and they see it as a preventative measire and instills pride in young girls for their virginity) (circumcision is by choice not forced with the Zulu’s yest it was part of the culture)
Children are rude and irresponsible all over the world not becasue they are Zulus. So how do you attribute all you bad experience to ‘Zulus’ and which school in KZN has only ‘Zulu’ students —there were Xhosa, Sotho and other nations in KZN long ago so no single school except in the rurla Zululand has only ‘Zulu’ students.
I just think you are speaking from your vegetarina anger and its sad that you feel your opinion gives you the right to such hate speach.
On the 23 of December i am slaughtering at my grandma’s to thank my ancestors for a wonderful year you need to quickly get over this fact or find a way to accept other peoples right for cultural expression.
The bull slaughtering eNyokeni is a Zulu affair and we like to keep it that way until we feel that it is against what we represent. your other idelogies about eating meat are yours and yours only. We are agianst people locking up their elders in the so called ‘old age home’ to die lonley…We believe its abuse, but we are not going to take people to court for it because their right to decide is protected.
After reading you article I had a dream that Jacob Zuma had been a president for 25 years and there was a massacre of the Zulus and your article, the novel ROOM 309(or is it 308) and other various anti-Zulu writings were used to to incite the people that the Zulus are the scum of the South! Is this your Hitler-ic goal though?
December 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Apologies for spelling..
The ANTI ZULU novel is by Kgebeti Moele and is called Room 2007.
A lot of literature and even film contribute to the anti-Zulu view…I call it the bastardization of the peace people
December 4th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
kgebetli moele - room 207
not having read it i cannot comment on it being
anti zulu
i hope you are not confusing criticism of zulu culture with being anti zulu.
but i have written a response to your comments above but the blog won’t accept them….maybe too long?
December 8th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
but helge this is not criticism - these are blown out of proportion statements you try to qualify by first telling us that you taught at a zulu school. if you must know, zulu culture itself believes in criticism and building opinion and we have sayings like ‘okuhlula amadoda kuyabikwa’, ‘ukuhlanganisa amakhanda’. Your prejudices fail you beause you seem to be speaking for ‘democracy’ and ‘human rights’ - Whose democracy??
In Zulu we call politics ‘umbangazwe’ meaning ‘the state of fighting for the land’ and we believe we don;t have to fight for the land that is rightfully ours. It is the same with democracy, we never said democracy was a good ‘ideology’ to govern the world so don’t speak as if the zulus are not falling in line, the zulu’s never drew the line in the first place, white people did.
your idea of ‘human right’ ‘animal rights’ are results of seeing the abuse for human and animals alike - gues who was doing the abuse….not the zulus
so how do you conclude your failure to gain rapport with a bunch of school kids as the disfuncionality trait in the whole zulu nation.
criticism must be based on fact, undemeaning and not so patronising…
December 8th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
if you must know, the role of a zulu family is to critisize. uncles (ma-lume) and aunts (ma-mncane) are basicaly thatere to help children understand their parent’s teachings and also help children understand their childrens level of understanding…although the present settup is dysfuncional but zulus my friend had the best setup which in todays world is seen through people like you, prejudicingg it, making sweeping statements. the human rihgts do not even feature here cos i don’t see how human beings being told to not express themselves are told it is for their own good.
People fish, eat turkeys, hunt whales, bucks, sharks, birds, own resorts, mini game reserves. to us this is the abuse of animals even in the name of preservation, why can’t the circle of life complete itself, why does the white man always have to direct the way nature needs to prograss…
December 14th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
http://www.hayibo.com/articles/view/1185
i couldn’t resist.
*lights fuse and gets away*
December 14th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
and another…
http://www.hayibo.com/articles/view/1180
December 14th, 2009 at 10:20 pm
thanks whoever….
i have not laughed so much in quite a while….
@sab
please re read what you have written…
if you think that the circle of life should just be left to complete itself then you must be opposed to the bull ritual…because this is an intervention to reinstate the kings power….who previously was put to death…according to custom…
there is an entire global summit taking place at the moment to redirect what has been happening to the world environment….are you saying nothing should be done?
when cigarettes were invented nobody realised that smoking caused cancer. a cigarette was not invented to cause cancer. nobody was aware of the consequences. it was only in hindsight that the connection was made and backed up through overwhelming medical evidence. current anti-smoking laws were arrived at precisely because smokers were so inconsiderate. are you saying nothing should be done?
nobody has claimed that democracy is perfect. but as a system of governance it allows the greatest leeway in terms of individual expression and respect for cultures, religions and creeds. it is precisely this system that allows this form of debate (i.e. the kagablog) to be aired without fear of reprisal. intimidation and bullying is not part of this system and can and should be challenged!
dogs have a much wider hearing range than humans. they pick up the slightest sound below human hearing range which is why they make such good watchdogs. have you seen how dogs behave when there is thunder? they are not ’scared’ - they are disturbed by the excessive noise vibrations. so what is so funny about people throwing fire-crackers at them? why is there such an outcry over those huge firecrackers? Should nothing be done?
otherwise as pill said earlier please bring a better system! it is not about nostalgia for the past, but rather a faith in the future. south africa has the best constitution in the world. respect!