The Social Politics of the Coloured Identity

Abstract

Every few years the internet collectively happens upon a group of South Africans calling themselves coloured. In recent memory, South African singer Tyla’s identity was thoroughly scrutinized by the chronically online Americans; sparking contentious debate once again. At its essence; a divide exists, one group sees the term as racially prejudiced due to their historical relationship with it, while coloured South Africans proudly claim it as their identity, heritage, and culture. My orientation is simple; this is who I am and I am proud of it. The context of a word determines its meaning-and neither I, nor my experiences will be erased by people unable to conceptualize the importance of context.