/ 12 August 2011

The empire riots back

It is not difficult to understand the outpouring of smug schadenfreude that has greeted the news of riots in Britain. For every soutpiel with one foot in Africa and one in Europe, and his or her dual passport dangling limply in the ocean, there is someone who finds it hugely irritating being constantly defined as the riotous other to the United Kingdom’s civilised norm.

At the same time, even the most ardent postcolonial patriot can see a substantive difference between a majority poverty class and the minorities that endure a ­substandard existence in the UK. Mainly, that is because of the standard applicable. Comedian Rob van Vuuren commented on Twitter: “I have always been afraid of the less affluent youth in London — very intimidating, brimming with latent violence.”

It is a telling terminology — “less affluent”. When asked why he did not just say “poor”, Van Vuuren tweeted: “As a South African, I find it hard to refer to someone who is not living in a shack without running water as poor.”

It is difficult for some of us to understand how people can feel they are poor when they are co-ordinating their riots on BlackBerrys and running away on the wings of Nike. That would be a mistake. It is precisely the poor who desperately need the symbols of capitalist success, sold to them as being necessary for a definition of yourself as human. In fact, you could see this as part of the catalyst. After all, no revolutionary ever fought so they could be poor.

And over here in South Africa we are all feigning bemusement at the targets hit in the “poverty-stricken” areas of London. Like an organic foods store or a Michelin-starred ­restaurant. So they did not burn down the shacks, then?

But apparently there is more to poverty than no food, no water and nowhere to live. Like no hope, no creative outlets and no sense that you are in control of your own life. So, as much fun as it is for fans of karma to talk gleefully about moving the Olympics to Australia to avoid the bloody race wars of London, we would be wise to be a little cautious.

Are our own young people being given space to grow as human beings, or at least what passes for human among the youth? No, you would have to say they are not, in general. We are already providing an appallingly poor level of education to them, and we are doing almost as poor a job of giving them opportunities and role models in arts and culture.

But let us not do a reversal of the Eurocentric trick and use the riots in Britain to construct a little homily for ourselves about how the world should work. I doubt that a little more Shakespeare on the streets would really be the solution to ­disaffected youth in Croydon. But still, if we do not allow young ­people to be entirely human, we should expect trouble. London is calling to our faraway towns.

Chris Roper is the editor of M&G online. Follow him on Twitter @chrisroperza