Author Jesmane Boggenpoel is a builder of bridges between people

Jesmane Boggenpoel is running parallel missions to form bridges between divided communities in the corporate world and that of the population at large with a shared history of shame and triumph.

Through the process of writing her book, My Blood Divides and Unites, Boggenpoel has woven a tapestry which has taken her around the globe, speaking to different people about their traumas, almost as an attempt to understand her own.

She is referring to the kind of trauma that travels through the DNA of past generations, across continents and racial lines, and which South Africans, Americans, Australians and many other nationalities are often hard-pressed to discuss in earnest. It all culminated in a 23andMe DNA test which transformed her outlook on identity, a painful subject for her and her twin, Dr Julie-Ann Usher, who were both pleasantly surprised to see their heritage expressed in scientific terms.

“There were a few surprises in the DNA results, like that I did not know I had any Jewish blood and am 6% Ashkenazi Jewish and that my African blood spans the African continent,” said Boggenpoel.

“My genetic heritage is 38% European, 28% sub-Saharan African, while a quarter is South Asian (Indian) and 7% East Asian.”

Jesmane Boggenpoel, Deputy Chairperson of BMF Investments at Melrose Arch, 15 July 2020. Picture: Neil McCartney

In South Africa, someone who looks like her and has these traits is referred to as coloured. A painful term for many descendants of Khoi and San aboriginal tribes and Cape Malay slaves. They were often referred to as mixed race. Boggenpoel does not mind this term, although she is aware of its derogatory connotations, but her sister is entirely against its use.

It is a term of erasure which denies people of a tribal identity and a true sense of belonging. The history of this term is loaded with trauma. Much like a psychiatrist seeks to retrace the roots of a patient’s trauma, Boggenpoel’s journey of self-discovery gave birth to her idea of addressing society’s historical trauma.

“Apartheid was an unjust and traumatic event in our past and we are still very much triggered by some of the trauma of it. And sometimes when you go through trauma, it’s difficult to move forward,” she mused.

“We don’t ask people to look into their stories from a place of vulnerability and pain and we need to move the conversation towards that vulnerability and pain. Also for white South Africans, we need to move from a place of defensiveness to empathy so we can come together and solve our social problems.”

Jesmane Boggenpoel, Deputy Chairperson of BMF Investments at Melrose Arch, 15 July 2020. Picture: Neil McCartney

A passage from chapter six in part one of her book describes the difficulty she faced convincing white people to discuss their racial trauma and how black people may have caused them harm as well. “While my heart and actions are directed to bridging for authentic connections across race, I admit that residual pain remains, much of it stemming from what I perceive to be an ongoing lack of empathy from some white South Africans who, it seems, wish to wash their hands of the past.

“These people want nothing to do with the history that shaped me, despite the fact that it is our common history,” Boggenpoel says in her book.

“I had hoped for a mirror statement from a white South African, one speaking to the difficulty even as a progressive white person eager for reconciliation might have with blacks. But I was unable to obtain such a statement for, as it became apparent, many whites are reluctant to speak of this openly.”

As deputy chair of the board at BMF Investments, she hopes to be part of creating an inclusive environment in the financial sector in SA.

“Our history, that includes structural impediments to finance, still creates challenges of financial inclusion for BMF members, many of whom are small business owners. Acquiring a financial services portfolio company with innovative ways of assessing credit could improve financial inclusion for BMF members.

“As a reference, Rodney Hood, in his role as the first African-American chairman of the US federal banking regulatory agency, has improved financial inclusion for African-Americans using an alternative credit assessment based on consistent payments of the cellphone account, Netflix etc.”

In her book, Boggenpoel points out that studies have looked at the benefits of diversity and found that when women are added to previously all-male leadership teams in firms whose strategy is based on innovation, the firm’s performance improves. And when people of different races, political affiliations and other markers of difference are brought together, for instance, they tend to work harder, prepare better, listen to each other more carefully, and treat contributions from racial or opinion minorities as novel information.

“Having said this, today there is still room for more diversity. I’d like to see an uptick of investments in businesses with black founders.”

– simnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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