Local kids are into fashion, music — and are as racially divided as ever, writes Maria McCloy
The 1999 election is nearly here, and someone had better start figuring out a way to get into the hearts and minds of young South Africans, because it’s estimated that by 2000 the under-25s will form the majority of voters eligible to make their mark in this country.
Instead, they’re into fashion, music and hanging out — at least the variety of Gauteng teenagers the Mail & Guardian spoke to. But this doesn’t mean they’re into the same music, clothes or fashion as each other — kids today are as racially divided as ever.
The 1997 update on Soweto youth by the Alternative Consultancy (the previous surveys were held in 1992 and 1995) was commissioned by advertisers keen to get at the growing black youth market. Soweto was chosen because it’s seen to be the trend-setting area for the rest of South Africa: it offers insight into South African youth.
For instance, more than half do not support any political party, and while a similar poll in 1994 did not see teenagers mentioning crime as an issue facing the government, this year it topped the list of priorities, with 63% expressing their concern.
Other issues at the forefront of youthful debate this year were child abuse, illegal immigrants, poverty and the death penalty — all mentioned for the first time. Death was cited as the greatest fear of young people in Soweto.
Politics
Kitu, a pupil at Sacred Heart College in Observatory, Johannesburg, reflects a feeling that politicians are not achieving much: “We’re like, yeah, whatever, about politicians — although we do give them hard questions when they speak in assembly.”
Phindi from Thoko Thaba High School in Thokoza says she hates politics, and her classmate Thadekile says she doesn’t “understand what’s going on”. A teenager at Vector College in downtown Johannesburg feels that “people are not interested, they don’t read papers, they’re living for today”.
None of the above is necessarily indicative of ignorance about our society. Vusi from Thokoza remembers how Thokoza was a war zone, Amos said the never-ending gunshots of the past have been replaced by soldiers on patrol. But Bongani, another Thokoza teenager, says the soldiers are “not doing their jobs, they’re just chasing after young girls”.
Crime
Crime is a concern for young people from Soweto, Johannesburg’s eastern suburbs, Thokoza and Sandton.
Many young Sowetans polled by the Alternative Consultancy believe the police are involved in crime, 71% say crime cannot be solved in the short term, 59% say they know someone involved in criminal activities like housebreaking and 28% have been the victims of crime.
Our M&G vox pops are disturbing in that they seem to show that boys don’t necessarily put rape and women-bashing in the same category as other crime. Some boys display an astonishingly reactionary attitude to rape, declaring that the way women dress encourages sexual violence. Girls at Thoko Thaba and Vector College retort by admonishing the boys for beating up their girlfriends.
Both sexes admit the teenage sexual arena is fraught — some don’t hesitate to add that even safe-sex messages have failed to penetrate.
Education
All teenagers polled by the M&G said they regard education as important. Kids at Thoko Thaba valued education, though they said aspects of the school system weren’t running smoothly, and they do not have computers. There was a particular interest in studying computers after school.
Phindi says she hopes to become a mechanical engineer because “in their eyes girls can’t do it, I’d like to prove them wrong”. Vector College pupils noted: “More jobs need to be created. Look at the matrics of last year — they’re unemployed, and can’t afford to go to tertiary institutions.” Claire at Sacred Heart said: “My education is important to me as a white girl, so I can at least secure a job after school, because I know black people are getting preference for jobs.”
Racism
Most kids, apart from those at Sacred Heart — who tend to mix regardless of race, said that although there weren’t altercations between the races, most people still “kept to themselves”. Mohamed from Sacred Heart said he was shocked at the racism between pupils at Model C schools like King Edward VII. He said: “The whites look down on everyone.”
Imran, a boy who studies at predominantly white private school Crawford College, says there is a lot of racism at his school. He described being called a “wannabe white” by other Indian guys because he had a multi-racial group of friends.
Malvern teenager Monica — who matriculated from Jeppe Girls High School in Kensington this year — says relationships between girls of different races developed well at her school. She reckons her generation is much less racist than the older generation, but “there needs to be more talking and getting to know each other”.
Pop
Although kids at Sacred Heart College, Vector College and Thoko Thaba all said they liked local stars Abashante, Arthur, Skeem, Bongo Maffin, Mdu and Trompies, they felt that local music lost its flavour very fast and was not as high quality as international R&B and hip-hop artists. Said Matthew, a teenager who’s into trip-hop: “The local rock scene is so dead — I’m still trying to find a locally produced CD I like enough to buy.” Girls, meanwhile, expressed their distaste at vulgar and sexist lyrics, such as those of Thebe and Brothers of Peace.
The Alternative Consultancy’s research shows that 78% of respondents prefer kwaito over all other genres, but Soweto teenagers’ favourite music personality was dead rapper Tupac followed by the likes of R&B acts Mariah Carey and Toni Braxton. Local stars like Boom Shaka and Arthur made it on to the list of favourite music personalities in 1997.
Hanging out
Without a doubt music is an important part of a teenager’s life — and tastes, clubbing and parties are still divided along racial lines. Kitu and Claire, who are both in Grade 11 at Sacred Heart College, say that when DJs play rock and techno, the blacks go off the floor and the whites come on — and when the DJ plays hip-hop, the opposite happens.
And where do teenagers play in Johannesburg?
Vector College kids, who are mostly from Soweto, say they hang out at Sandton Square and Rockey Street when they’re not at street bashes, parties, movies or watching soccer. Thoko Thaba pupils said bashes were organised for the holidays, but complained of a shortage of leisure facilities in Thokoza.
Sacred Heart College kids said Yeoville used to be the place to be last year, but is more violent this year and listed out-of-town clubs like the house/techno club Bump in Midrand and Mataz Connection and Insomnia in Rosebank and Illovo. Those into trip-hop and jungle liked 206 in Orange Grove.
Fourteen-year-old Taryn from Edenvale said her friends liked rave clubs and the big Mother rave events.
Style
One Thoko Thaba pupil said you can tell what music kids are into by looking at their clothes: “Styles and music go hand in hand — if you’re into local you’ll be wearing All Stars and Madiba shirts, and if you’re into rap you’ll be wearing baggy jeans and sneakers.”
Mohamed from Fordsburg says most kids in that area are into Cerrutti, CK, Levi and Tommy Hilfiger, and aspire to cars, while Taryn from Edenvale High says her friends dig platforms, buffalo shoes, belly rings, layered hair, hot pants and the Mother raves. Catherine from Risana said she is alternately into the platform look, the dressed-in-black and Doc Martens look and the hippy flower-child style.
The girls at Vector College said the Macarena look is in: tight jeans, platforms and miniskirts. Top five hairstyles for girls are: layered, bob cuts, dreads, blonde dye and braids. Boys dig dreadlocks, S-Curls and chiskop on their heads, and they’re wearing the “Italian look” — labels like Byblos, Giorgio Armani and Paccini with Nike, Reebok, Cavello, Ross Moda and All Stars.
Amos from Thokoza says he finds the label thing worrying, because “clothes are very expensive and if you wear clothes that are cheap, people discriminate against you”.
Kitu and Claire say it’s only Grade Eight kids who slavishly follow rave fashion and there is a positive move towards people developing an original style rather than aping each other.
One 16-year-old (Indian) girl from Homestead Park who goes to Roosevelt High said that at school black, coloured and Indian kids mostly stick with each other, and there are no problems except that “the whites are a bit racist to blacks”. She said some kids in her neighbourhood are “Indian, but they carry on as if they’re coloured. They like the gangsta look and they like labelled clothes that are 10 times their actual size.”
America
South African kids are influenced by American fashion and music. The Alternative Consultancy did find that although the teenagers they surveyed acknowledged this influence, they denied they themselves were influenced. This year’s fashions looked like kids were fusing American hip-hop style with African. Which makes one wonder whether the turban-and-beads look was inspired at home or by American music stars like Erykah Badu.
The research also showed a breaking down of subcultures as kids now pull an identity from different influences.