‘We need to write our own history’
The ‘K’ will always remind us of our forefathers the ‘Khoi San’ and the slave name ‘kleuring’.
Culture can be defined as one’s ideas, customs, and practices. It goes deeper when you think about history and how the culture truly began.
As a coloured person, there is much debate about this topic because there is no fixed idea or culture.
According to an identity document, coloured people are classified as ‘Cape Coloured’, ‘Malay’, or ‘Other Coloured’.
Westside Urban News asked people what made them ‘proudly coloured’ which was a bit of a difficult question to answer as many have their own opinions about what coloured culture is.
This is what they said: Channon Merricks said, “We embrace the term ‘Kullid’ because it was coined for us by our own young people. The ‘K’ will always remind us of our forefathers the ‘Khoi San’ and the slave name ‘kleuring’. Ignore Kullids at your own peril. We need to write own history.”
Carlos Radcliffe said that coloured people need to first be recognised by the democratic government so that ‘we’ do not become fence sitters.
“We are not ‘so-called coloured people,” he said.
When it comes to what coloured people wear as cultural clothing or what they eat, there is never a simple answer to those questions, just as many will argue that all Coloureds must speak Afrikaans, but in that, many speak Afrikaans interspersed with English and often this creates a new language.
“That’s what makes us coloureds so diverse-we might not have our own culture but we are surely diverse we are able to do anything.
White, Indian, Black people, we fit in with any group that is what makes us unique,” said Pamela Hendricks. Lorna Bowes added that to be coloured means that we are the rainbow nation.
The thing is, there is no correct answer to the question. Being coloured is unique, forget about the stereotypes. Coloured people do not have to conform to a specific culture, instead, everyone just adopts from the next.
Lizell Spier said, “We are Coloured by colour, not by choice. We are strong and resilient. Our culture is envied by many because we exude ubuntu.
“We know what it means to genuinely care and love our neighbours. Our kids are exotic and beyond talented. You ask me what it means to be coloured? I ask you what does it not mean to be coloured!”
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News site 1: Westside-Eldos Urban News, News site 2: Soweto Urban News
