Women of South Afrika, Listen to your Aunt Condi

By Derrick Z. Jackson, 11/20/2002

WASHINGTON- CONDOLEEZZA RICE was reminded of her decision to become a Republican after the 1984 Democratic National Convention. She said the Democratic Party's speeches to ''women, minorities, and the poor'' really meant ''helpless people and the poor.'' In a profile in The Washington Post, Rice said, ''I decided I'd rather be ignored than patronized.''
The national security adviser to President Bush was asked if she thinks the Democratic Party still patronizes ''women, minorities, and the poor.'' Laughing, she declined to answer the specific question last week before the Trotter Group, an organization of African-American columnists. But her answer was as riveting as if she had actually gone on to trash the Democrats.

''The fact of the matter is, race matters in America,'' Rice said. ''It has, it always has ... It is not that I mind being associated with the group. I am African-American and proud of it. I wouldn't have it any other way. And it has shaped who I am and it will continue to shape who I am.
''I do not believe it has limited who I am or what I can become. And that's because I had parents who, while telling me what it meant to be African-American and exposing me to that, also allowed me to develop as an individual to be who I wanted to be.''

Rice said the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham that killed four girls, including friend Denise McNair, shaped her views on the war on terrorism. ''If you've been through home-grown terrorism,'' Rice said, ''you recognize there isn't any cause that can be served by it ... Because what it's meant to do is end the conversation.''

In profiles, Rice talks about being hollered at as a child by a white store clerk for touching a hat. Rice's mother told the clerk ''Don't you talk to my daughter that way!'' Her mother then said, ''Now, Condoleezza, you go and touch every hat in this store.''
That reminded me of around 1965 when I was about 10. I bought comic books and ice cream in a drug store in DeKalb, Miss. Later, my grandfather informed me that was the ''white folks'' drug store. He could have berated me for breaking white folks' rules. Instead, he smiled and said, ''Good.''

For me, not accepting racial barriers would mean going on to little things like being on the first integrated child championship bowling team at a particular alley in Milwaukee, then bigger things like sportswriting when there were few African-Americans covering pro teams for major newspapers.

For Rice, it meant parents who ''didn't say to me, 'You know, it's really weird for a black girl from Birmingham, Ala., to want to be a Soviet specialist.''' Rice said that she liked Motown, the blues, and funk music like most of her friends, but her parents drove her to learn Brahms. Rice has often said bluntly that she had to master the white world better than a whole lot of white people to succeed.

''Sometimes when we say to our kids, 'You are a minority,' we don't say it in a way that says it is part of who you are, we say it as if it's an impediment that cannot be overcome by hard work and access to education and all of those things,'' Rice said. ''And I just think the messages are wrong when there is only focus on what group you happen to belong to, rather than the group is part of who you are, but also, who you are is who you are as an individual.
''We don't talk about it very much, but, yes ... it is a very good thing for the rest of the world that when Colin Powell and I walk in with the president of the United States, we are there as secretary of state and national security adviser, because I think it says to people that there aren't boundaries in which black Americans are not supposed to play ... I think it's an extremely important message to our kids. That's why I talk so much about the individual. It's not to deny the group, but I really think it's important that we appeal to each individual's worth and capability.''

Such reflections do not make Rice's political views and America's global arrogance any more appealing to me. But those who dismiss her as a hotheaded cold war queen miss a chance to dwell on her focus and drive. Unlike many black conservatives who shout louder than white ''color-blind'' conservatives that race no longer matters, Rice has no problem saying race matters, and since it is so, black folks had better work to get the most out of their individual talents.

In a Newsweek interview last year, Rice said, ''It wasn't as if someone said, 'You have to be twice as good' and 'isn't that a pity' or 'isn't that wrong.' It was just, 'You have to be twice as good.''' One does not have to like Rice's politics to appreciate how being twice as good has made her the most powerful woman in the world.

Derrick Z. Jackson's e-mail address ismailto:%20jackson@globe.com.
This story ran on page A19 of the Boston Globe on 11/20/2002. © Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.

The evolution of JZ

Originally published at PoliTrick or Treat

A few weeks ago the media was buzzing with a dumb American gimmick that is totally irrelevant to South Africa. I'm talking about that silly "100 days in office" PR stunt that was pulled. Predictably, everybody and their mamma had nothing but praise for our leader. Everybody was giving him cliche titles like "man of the people" "approchable" and so on and so forth. In the words of the great Andile Mngxitama, The same people, including the moral crusaders, who were telling up Zuma is not fit for the presidency were now dick-riding Zuma to the fullest. But has anybody asked themselves why? I mean, Zuma is still Zuma what exactly is it that he did that transformed him from Supervillain to hero? I'm gonna offer a reason for this:

The reason is simple. Unlike the likes of Malema et al, Zuma (or rather his PR team) is smart enough to practise an art I'd like to call "tip toeing around whitey", He knows well that media serves the interest of the minority because the minority have the money and money is power. The bottom line is money has to be made, one can do the honourable thing and speak the truth or they can tell everybody what they want to hear to get them to buy shit and advertise in their papers. So Zuma goes about telling people what they wanna hear and I'll point out two instances where he did this.

1. His stance on crime

Those of us who were fortunate enough to live in a society that wasn't cocooned from the real world know very well that the whole bullshit that the media is trying to sell that crime has grown out of control is....well, bullshit. The real story is that crime used to affect one section of the population, once it started affecting the other section, the wealthy and powerful section, We then got to hear about th ''crimminals that are taking over our country". What's the best way of winning over the wealthy section? Tell them that it is time to get tough on the crimminals. The asshats who lost at Polokwane used to boast by releasing crime stats, telling the country on how crime rate is declining then comes this guy who tells everybody what they wanna hear, "the crimminals have more rights than the victims, it's time we get tough on crime".

2. His stance on race issues

By now we all know the story, Julius being Julius says something sensational, Julius Malema raises the issue of minorities in the economic cluster, Defence and Military Veterans Minister Lindiwe Sisulu suggests that we need a dialogue on the race question and what did Zuma say? The smart thing: "The ANC is a non-racialist organization........Debating race is backwards" (I'm paraphrasing here). Some people where up in arms over that statement, I was disappointed as well but Zuma and his PR team are very smart people, they know very well that because of past injustices the majority were left penniless, the majority were left with the bulk of the wealth. Like I've said before, money is power. Who wants to guess which section of the population were left powerless? Anyhoo, Zuma has been a villain for almost five years he wants to feel appreciated for once, can we all give him a break. The worst thing he could do is threaten white hegemony. Let's get real we live in a country were the "minority" own almost all the wealth, some (if not most) want to keep it that way, a debate on race would include a debate on such things. Zuma has to appear as if he's the non-threatening black guy not willing to do anything worthwhile for the people who got fucked for four hundred years. If you've seen the type of comments at the times lately, you'd know that people would like to see the majority in the situation their in, they don't want change. They feel like change would mean upliftment of the previously oppressed at the expense of them by saying we shall have no debate on race Zuma is basically telling them "you can relax, things will stay exactly as they are". That's exactly what they wanna hear.

Let me leave it at that before I piss more people off. If you feel different then bad luck, we live in the age of Zuma, "there shall be no debate on such matters". Kidding, if you disagree with me. Speak on it!

Forget Caster Semenya, let's audit Women in general - especially in this August

Regardless of what hundreds of women tried to do by explicitly backing athletics gold medallist Caster Semenya in her 'struggle' against being profiled, their recent behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. We release as scorecard that does not take into cognisance cheap political point scoring at the expense of the IAAF.

“Wa thinta abafazi wa thinta imbokoto”. These six words must have sparked serious fear into the hearts of the apartheid regime back in 1956. They should have; the regime was facing a pack of women whose bravery and resolve is still legendary 53 years on.

In 2009, with the mass media behind the manifestation of the mantra, it dismally fails to ignite. It has become an empty slogan akin to ‘we shall overcome’. Women have become such a less-intimidating species that there are already fears that efforts to affirm them on all fronts are likely to be an eternal national project. Nowhere are sisters seen fighting their own battles without searching for blame or demanding to be carried on the shoulders of men. Fifty years from now men will still be compelled to have women in their businesses to fulfill a gender equality mandate. Of course men will do it even if it’s mere window-dressing.

The sisterhood has not formed a solidarity front outside of the limiting confines of politics and business. South Africa has had women-inspired arts organizations like Feel-A-Sistah which never mentored any woman outside its narrow circle even though at their peak they hyped women emancipation as the departure point for empowerment. The situation has deteriorated to the point that women are not even together in sports and civil society. The sisterhood has been divided into a few affluent clusters that don’t accommodate simplicity.

Banyana-Banyana and the women Springboks have a serious difficulty attracting women fans whenever they play. The sisterhood is good at championing issues outside this country while the girl-child here is left to her own devices. Efforts like the Take A Girl-Child to Work campaign have become mere PR exercises than real empowerment of the girl-child (the future woman). There’s still no consensus on the prostitution debate while the trade mostly victimizes them.

The vibrant township netball teams of pre-’94 have been replaced by long queues of teenage girls collecting child support grants. Gender Links which is perpetuating a Eurocentric (feminist) solution to African problems and many other like-minded organizations claim to be advocating for women while their beneficiaries continue to be businesswomen looking for infrastructure contracts from government and not the village girl whose scholar transport has been hijacked by that other woman who won the contract without owning a bus?

Where is Gender Links as that Limpopo woman holds on to the contract to the detriment of schoolchildren, mostly girls? Where are the women-teachers in unions as male teachers continue to sleep with the girl-child under their watchful eye? Why is it hard for the South African Council of Educators (SACE) to gather evidence to discipline male teachers while unionized female teachers should be members of society first before pledging solidarity with pedophiles?

Where is the sisterhood as women becry harassment in the workplace and demand for sexual favours to gain employment, tenders, drivers licenses and many other such incidences?

The silence of influencial women like Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Gracá Machel, Nosimo Balindlela, Lebogang Mashile, Bonang Matheba, Carol Manana, Ria Ledwaba etc is deafening. Where was the Commission on Gender Equality when Helen Zille, a woman was repeatedly referred to as a ‘girl’ and labeled promiscuous on the grounds of political differences? Why didn’t they speak out against such blatant patriarchy and a punch to the sisterhood?

The absence of the ANC Women’s League during the trial of Khwezi who accused Jacob Zuma of rape was very disturbing. Women in South Africa today place political party loyalty infront of gender redress. Why does Judge John Hlope have a fan club and not Judge Bess Nkabinde? Why haven’t women nominated a women for the position of Chief Justice but are out backing men candidates?

Where is the ANCWL as the Men’s Forum is taking ANC Youth League president Julius Malema to the Equality Court to demand that he apologise for defaming a women by insinuating that Khwezi enjoyed sex that is why she asked for taxi fare and left in the morning?
Today, women-owned SMMEs are forming a bulk of service providers providing catering services to government departments during functions. Immediately emphasis is put on capacitating them on that front accusations of pigeonholing fly that there is more to women than catering, hospitality and tourism.

Where is Nolitha Fakude, Monhla Hlahla, Uyanda Mbuli, Lebohang Pheko, Basetsana Khumalo, Sibongile Sambo, Lorraine Letswele to mentor these women before they are given big projects by virtue of being women?

“Wa thinta abafazi wa thinta imbokoto!”. They say 'the loudest one in the room is the weakest one'. And with the slogan sounding louder in August, it’s the more the weakness is highlighted. Malibongwe! What for?

It is a women’s month

Before the women’s month can disappear into abyss until we resurrect it in the next year, I thought it will be unfair not to write something about this month we love and cherish so much. I mean we’ve got our African mothers and sisters that we can write books and articles about their heroines. I, for one suffered the trauma of confusion when it came to this women’s month, firstly I wanted to dedicate this month and tell you about my dearest, bravest late grandma (Leria Malele), but felt the cliché. I contemplated on taking on the angle of the value of a woman, with my God-rearing mom (Miggot Malele) and SA women in general in thought, but backed out of it. In a minute, I felt a bit like a writer; keyboard in my hands, a subject at heart but confused and frustrated. Then it came to me that I should dedicate an article to the hard working young women in the world with Beyonce Knowles and Lebo Mashile in thought. The former Destiny’s child member made an impact on me, she has evolved into an epitome of a women hustler; she turned herself into a diva, a 20th century phenomenon. As for Lebo, the woman tunes me on,(Wa ng'yenza) in a good way though, she envelopes the sincerity of an African woman, with sensuality, intelligence and raw beauty. Damn I wish I could say that twice.

But all plans fell lose when the Caster Semenya’s controversial IAAF world championship story came through the media. All politicians took words out of me when they got the chance to address the issue, for god’s sake it was women’s month in Mzansi, couldn’t the organization pick another time. I got desperate, because I wanted to put a pen on paper on this one, but, while I was obsessing about this like some of the politicians are about the Semenya issue, I sat and listen to my females colleagues (Africans to be specific) converse about their personal lifestyles. I listened at how frequently and bluntly they mention the pleasures of cheating, flirting, one night stands and jokingly slandering their husbands or fiancées. It haunted me that women of such class and intelligence can fail to epitomize the respect of women of 1956. I decided to address this issie but also failed, Maybe I’m reading too much into this but I’ve checked the statistics of failed young marriages and the numbers are staggering and if women talk about their partners in a disrespectful way, where is the marriage or the relationship? I’m not leaving men as saints here but like they say ‘wa thinta mfazi wa thinta e mbokodo’, we have to give it to our African females for the hardships they endure. Although its not all glitz and glamour like Selimanthuzi suggests, I pondered on the way we lead our lives as Channel O puts it young, gifted and black, I like it, cherish the moment but we are a society that degrade itself. Young women fail to respect and pray for their partners like our mothers use too, it’s a shame but big-up to all those chicks who put us on the map. This year, this month I thought about the women in my life, the women in Mzansi and the women of the world and I thought about Leria Malele.

Check the hardcore version of this article on www.theplatform2.blogspot.com

Lehlogonolo

Who Said These Words and To Whom were they Said?

"In the African National Congress whenever a challenge arises we look back into history to see how a similar situation was solved at some stage of our rich past. We know, that the movement is still going strong today means that the solution befitted the situation when it arose. We have only one instance where the remedy failed and the centre could no longer hold and the Charterists had to find comfort in the departure of the Pan Africanists. With the benefit of hindsight it is a situation we could have handled better.

We learnt nothing from that as last year we were once again confronted with that and we again split. In the ANC we don't seek new remedies for old ailments but old remedies for new ailments, because nothing is new excerpt for the strand - there's nothing BORSTOL can't fix that cough related. However the challenge posed by former president Thabo Mbeki to the movement was unprecedented, that's why even the pill we applied to remedy it was too bitter for most of us. I hope we learned, and the situation never arises.

If it does I hope we shall know how to handle it wisely, plus that pill is still there, already prescribed."

Aluta Continua! Aluta Continua! 'Til the Chicken Come Home to Roost

I recently heard a sad but funny story. It is sad because it’s based on poverty and funny by the way the narrator was telling it. It was the story of a family so poor that the mother works at a poultry farm. This is how it was told to me;

“The other day she quit working there because the other women who work as domestics also wanted to work at the poultry. And when we asked her why didn’t she want to work in the house given that it’s warm, cozy and the food is galore she said that she’s tired of competing for dead chicken with them. Apparently she loved working in the poultry farm because even though everyone earned R300 a month wherever they were working, at the farm she also had her way with dead chicken. On an average morning you would have eight dead chicken and sometimes thirteen and she took them all home and plucked them, then cooked them.

“So the other day we were surprised because even though that family is known for poverty we noticed that the children always chowed half-chicken each with their dinner. You would find a child struggling with half-chicken and I was like, ‘for the life of me at home we are not that poor but we eat chicken potions, not half chicken each. That’s when I realized that it is the dead chicken. There are four children and whenever the mother comes back from work she just plucks three birds, and serves each half chicken with pap”

That was sad, I thought and funny they way the two chaps went ahead and shared the story, “so we haven’t been eating chicken for some time because everytime I look at my chicken I’m thinking about the decomposing one I saw being relished”.

I shared their frustration. I remembered that I have been to a mortuary only once, and on that day that I walked in and out of that doomed house I had difficulty eating anything with gravy or flesh. And for me it was clear that no-one can serve anyone human flesh but it still gave me creeps. And for my two buddies I felt apathy, and for the family eating dead chicken I felt that those who have something little must share with those who have nothing. We need a caring society that makes sure that nobody endangers their lives (eating dead chicken) under our guard. Aluta Continua!

Three Doses of Reality a Day for Nigga Barack Obama – from the Nigga Nas

When Nasir Jones (born September 14th, 1973) went into the studio to record his album last year he didn’t envisage it ending up being the bone of contention in America with lawyers seeing the Billboard crashing and politicians failing to stop the war in Afghanistan suddenly coming out to stop him. The slain Tupac Shakur rightfully said in How Do You Like It, "Delores Tucker you's a motherfucker/ instead of trying to help a nigga you destroy a brother/ ??? Bill Clinton Mr Bob Dole/ you too old to understand the way the game goes/ you lame so i got to hit you with the hot tracks".

Nas' case was disturbing more especially since America was supposed to be focused on the impending presidential elections instead of a side-show like the release of a much-anticipated hip-hop album. I mean for all you know many people including Young Jeezy released their albums last year and didn’t even cause a stir like they way Jones had Newsweek magazine noticing his and knitting a few words about it.

Untitled, the album that was supposed to be titeld Nigger is good, actually it’s brilliant, it gives us vintage Nas, the Nas we lost when he started doing jams with En Vogue, Mariah Carey and Genuwine. The Nas who tried to make Braveheart a conscious bunch but ended up with a mob of niggas whose only obsession was sex and the good life. Those were your Fifty-Deep crew whose hobby was dropping verses on mixtapes. What do you make of Horse interplorring Biggie, 'when it comes to sex I'm similar to the thriller in Manila' and then going on to tell us about how he thinks Kelly Price is the shit.

On Untitled, which Nas is quick to announce that he changed nothing with the name and that unlike Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and others it’s his soul speaking, he sounds more raw, more in-your-face, more like Tupac at his prime and later on The Don Killuminati; Seven Day Theory. He’s actually a crossover between rugged Harlem assassin Immortal Technique and Black Pantherised Tupac.

Exploring his battles with the powers that be to be allowed to speak, he says in Hero, “But people remember this/ If Nas can't say it, think about these talented kids/ With new ideas being told what they can and can't spit/ I can't sit and watch it/ So, shit, I'ma drop it/ Like it or not/ You ain't gotta cop it” Earlier on he shares the story of the pressure put on Universal Records to dump the recording and render him a failed emcee. He's not soft on Rupert Murdock either, attacking everything from his Fox to MySpace assets.

We make the world go Round is a jam where he is featuring The Game (and not Lil Wayne, fresh air!!!) and Chris Brown (before he became an amateur boxer) and he fantasizes of booking the whole Trumps Hotel for his ghetto ‘hood. “get the whole Trump Tower top floor for the hood’ he raps before The Game takes over and tells us about how he went from robbing armoured cars to armoured stars , walking red carpets and throwing red dice at the Mirage.

The album contains tracks like Queens Get Their Money, Sly Fox, NIGGER, Louis Farrakhan, You Can’t stop us Now, Nigger Hatred, Be a Nigger too, Fried Chicken, Project Roach, Ya’ll my Niggas and We’re not Alone.

Whatever they call it I call it the Nigger album and it rocks. For a full version of this post go to www.kasiekulture.blogspot.com