Forthright debate on being ‘coloured’

Do not refer to yourself as coloured, kleurling or hotnot, a Khoisan chief told an astonished gathering in Helenvale at the weekend.

Khoisan chief Crawford Fraser, of the Khorana clan, was one of the keynote speakers at the event on Saturday, discussing what it meant to be a “coloured” person in South Africa.

The debate, titled “The National Question Debunked?” was hosted by the ANC.

“To you, I may look like a coloured, but to me, I’m not a coloured,” Fraser said.

“Coloured is not an identity, it’s a label, because when you go and shop you find labels on products. The label does not define you, the label just gives a price tag.”

Fraser also touched on the controversial k-word.

“Did you know the very first people to be called k******s were us, the Khoisan,” he said.

“When Jan van Riebeeck first came here, he called us k****** because we looked different.

“The word k***** comes from an Arabic word which means ‘ungodly person’. So why did they refer to us as ungodly people?

“Because when we danced at night, we danced around the fire, to give glory to the Great One.

“So, in the Europeans’ minds, we were ungodly because they perceived us as being ‘moon worshippers.’ But we never worship the moon, we worship God. We give thanks to God for the moon.”

Fraser also took exception to being called a kleurling.

“In Afrikaans, it means, ‘gemeng van blanke met nie-blanke’ [Caucasian mixed with non-Caucasion]. Now, you must check what the definition of Caucasian and non-Caucasian is. That is why I do not refer to myself or my people as coloured, ‘hotnot’, or kleurling.”

Special guest, author Oscar van Heerden, said the event was not a once-off.

“As the ANC, we have a principle of non-racialism, so its only fair members who feel marginalised or excluded, discuss it, and this is the start of the process.

“I think the objective is to begin the debate and come up with practical solutions.

“If we address the national question, the way to resolve that is through class contradictions.

“It’s about the socioeconomic emancipation of our people, regardless of race, colour, creed and religion. If we don’t address the socioeconomic conditions of our people, then race is always going to be a problem.”

Event organiser Samuel Davids said: “The national question is the ANC’s concerns, policy-wise, that everybody is treated fairly.”