Racism is a growing social issue that many in our communities are not comfortable discussing, yet it affects many people on a daily basis.
Anti-Racism Network South Africa (ARNSA) is shining a light on racism and starting discussions that aim to address racism.
March 14 to 21 was Anti-Racism Week, which is held annually in South Africa during Human Rights Month.
During this week, ARNSA aimed to create public awareness about racism and how it affects individuals and broader society.
“This week was about ensuring that there is a countrywide focus on tackling racism and that it remains on the national agenda. While Anti-Racism Week was initiated by ARNSA, it aims to get all sectors of society involved and encourages self-initiated activities. We want to educate, mobilise and act,” said Busisiwe Nkosi, ARNSA coordinator.
The network was established by the Ahmed Kathrada and Nelson Mandela foundations in 2015.
This year the network’s theme was calling on society to #UniteAgainstRacism.
On March 15 the network held a movie night with a discussion after the screening at the Apartheid Museum.
Loving was the chosen movie. It tells the story of an interracial couple, Richard and Mildred Loving. They fell in love and were married in 1958.
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They grew up in Central Point, a small town in Virginia, that was more integrated than surrounding areas in the American South.
The story focuses on the couple and how their love persevered, leading them to win the landmark 1967 Supreme Court case that overturned state bans on interracial marriage.
The speaker who led the discussion after the screening was legendary musician Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse.
He said he is lucky to have lived through apartheid and lived to talk about it.
“It was not easy, but my music protected me because as artists we are accepted because of our work,” explained Mabuse.
He said the arts have a role to play in starting conversations on the issue of racism.
“Bob Marley used music to speak against the injustice that was happening at that time. The likes of the late Hugh Masekela, Dorothy Masuka and many others used music to address issues during apartheid times. Music can be a catalyst to start racism discussions,” said Mabuse.
He expressed concern about the education system and the number of incidents that were influenced by racism.
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“We need to understand where it started and how it started. We need to redress and find ways to fix our education system. We must remember racism is not only white on black. It is also black on black. It is not only race-based. Children don’t necessarily see colour, but violence comes from hate of others. Children see this. This means there is generally something wrong with society,” said Mabuse.
ARNSA encouraged people to get involved in raising awareness.
“People can get involved in many ways. There are practical things one can do. You can host workplace discussion forums, schools can host assemblies against racism, community dialogues, sports organisation can dedicate games to anti-racism, or individual pledges,” said Nkosi.
