Unpacking the complexities of 'coloured' identity

Heritage Day is a significant celebration in South Africa, where diverse traditions, languages and customs come together in vibrant harmony.

This includes the complexities of the coloured community, seen in preserving their unique cultural heritage and confronting the painful legacies of apartheid, racism and identity crises.

According to Larry Varrie of the Greater Aboriginal Community Council of Southern Africa and the First Nation Liberation Alliance, the word “coloured” is an imposed terminology that was assigned to the Khoisan people during the apartheid era.

He said the word does not represent who they are but rather a colonial created identity intended to erase ties with their heritage and history, which has caused an identity crisis for many coloured people.

“The government intentionally boxed us for the purpose of controlling and stripping us of the rights that come with being first on the land. That's why most coloured people don't know who they are. It's not their fault — this is a result of a system that deliberately erased who we are as the first inhabitants of Southern Africa: the Khoisan,” he said. 

Some in the coloured community identify as white because they perceive it as “better”, said Varrie, despite being rejected by that community. 

“It's important for my community to know where their fathers and forefathers come from. Other cultures — such as Zulu, Tswana and Sesotho — don't hesitate to embrace their heritage because they know who they are. Their forefathers gave them an identity and they stuck with it.”

Award-winning writer, columnist and screenwriter Chase Rhys said though the coloured community is not rooted in ancient traditions as other South African cultures, they have traditions of their own that define them, such as:

• the gatsby sandwiches they make and enjoy;
• the koesisters they buy from the auntie around the corner;
• music;
• coloured slang; and
• activities they enjoy that incorporate a cultural experience.

“I’d like to think that if we had a better understanding of who our ancestors were, cultural identification would be easy. Some people identify as Khoi, Nama or Cape Malay — for them it's easy to track their origin. For [other] coloured people it's tricky — we could just be survivors. We are survivors."

A bittersweet celebration that has become part of celebrating Heritage Day for some coloured people is marching the streets of Redhill in Cape Town — something Rhys said is to commemorate the forced removal of citizens to Ocean View during the apartheid era.

“We take to the streets and march, remembering how coloured people had a place to call home. They were not supposed to be chased out of that place as it belonged to them. So instead of jubilating, we braai and honour how far they've come.”

Singer and songwriter Vicky Sampson said being coloured is a heritage and people should celebrate it as Africans, not as an ethnic group, because it perpetuates narrow-minded narratives and causes the divide to become greater. 

“As we continue to celebrate our heritage, people should forget colour and focus on embracing each other's ethnicity and belonging,” she said.