‘It’s important to know your roots and where you’re coming from before you try to step forward — otherwise, how will you know which direction to go in? Chinese is what I am, and how I define myself — how can I be a good South African if I can’t be a good Chinese?”
The words are those of third- generation Chinese Eddie Jardine, who ran one of the South Africa’s first non-racial dojos in Actonville in the 1960s and now has a dojo at Queens High School in Kensington, Johannesburg.
As the first dizzy flush of post-1994 rainbow nationism wears off in South Africa, ethnic minorities like the Chinese and the Portuguese are reaching deeper into their cultures for their identity. Lessons for the children of minorities, where they are taught their own traditions in their own languages, are burgeoning.
It is a shift reinforced by globalisation. People are renewing their interest in their roots and foundations as consumer brands replace religious and cultural icons, sparking fears of being subsumed in the soulless soup of the Republic of Nike and the United States of MacDonald’s.
Jardine still thinks of himself as South African: ”It has given me great satisfaction to see what has happened in the new South Africa, when all are free to mix and be together. Human beings want the same things: peace, harmony and respect.”
After travelling and teaching all over the world, Jardine is concerned by how people are losing their culture and traditions: ”How can you expect anyone to respect you when you turn your back on your own culture so easily, when you are so quick to adopt the dominant culture?”
Every Saturday, 14-year-old Wang Xiao Ming* is one of dozens of children who attend Jardine’s kobujitsu training before crossing the quad for their weekly Chinese lessons, in an integration of academic, cultural and physical studies. ”In the West, they say the pen is mightier than the sword. In Chinese, we say the pen and the sword are one,” says Jardine. Born in Guangzhou, China, Xiao Ming came to South Africa aged three. ”I feel like I’m South African and Chinese,” she says. ”I enjoy my Chinese lessons, we learn to read and write as well as study the history of China. At kobujitsu, Sensei teaches us about cultures and traditions, and I feel proud when kids from other cultures learn about mine.”
She has friends of all races and cultures, but doesn’t necessarily mix her different social groups. ”With my South African friends, I go to movies and shopping at the mall; with my Chinese friends, I play basketball, learn Chinese dancing and go to karaoke and Chinese restaurants.”
This social dichotomy has increased as they have got older and interests have diverged. She idolises Chinese pop stars like Leehom Wang and Will Pan, while her school friends are more into Gwen Stefani and Snoop Dogg.
For Ricardo Mesquita (16), extra Portuguese lessons are a way of staying connected to his culture and keeping his options open.
His parents emigrated from Mozambique before he was born, and while his family do speak Portuguese to him, he finds a more academic framework helpful. Ricardo has studied Portuguese since primary school and feels it will give him more choices. Like many young South Africans, he sees the world as one of opportunity, with global prospects. ”It’s always good to know another language, isn’t it?” he says thoughtfully.
He plans to study architecture in Portugal, travel Europe and then come back to set up his own company, marry and raise children.
He says he is proudly South African first and foremost, but also proud to be Portuguese. It’s important to him to stay in touch with his Portuguese heritage because ”you become lost if you don’t know who you really are”.
Jaabir Moonda (11) of Troyeville attends madressa each afternoon, putting in several hours of study of Arabic, the Koran and Islamic history after his school day is done.
While his schedule gets heavy when school exams, madressa and his sporting activities clash, Jaabir says he understands why it is important. ”I do get tired, but it’s important for me to learn about my religion and why I follow it. I like being Muslim and I’ve never had any rude comments or teasing about it — the kids at school respect my religion.”
His father, Ahmed, who was politically active in the anti-apartheid struggle, says there is no contradiction between non-racialism and cultural pride. ”Our children need to experience the rest of the world, they can’t be insular.” But, he says, it is also vital to foster a sense of identity and heritage. ”I still speak to my mother in Gujarati — my father and my father-in-law come from the same village, and my mother and mother-in-law come from the same city in India.”
Jaabir’s mother, Parvin, says that while she likes to follow cultural and religious traditions, ”we are not the typical South African Muslim family — our kids have many different and often unusual interests.”
Their 18-year-old daughter, Firdose, is a serious cricket fan who scores cricket games at Jeppe and the Wanderers. ”Not many Muslim parents would allow a girl to do that,” says Firdose. ”It’s a very male environment.”
She says that, compared to other Muslim girls, her parents give her more choices — though she is not allowed to go to clubs or stay out late. Her social circle is mixed but she says her parents know and approve of all her friends. ”They know that good people are good people,” she says. ”Firdose has black, white and Chinese friends,” says Parvin. ”They’re all well-mannered and well brought-up girls –I trust her choices.”
Firdose doesn’t adhere to a strict Muslim dress code or cover her head, although her mother would be happier if she did. ”I’m a good Muslim; I pray at least twice a day and I fast, but essentially religion is a private issue,” says Firdose. ”If I’m a good person, I don’t need to prove it to the world by wearing a scarf.”
Nonetheless, Parvin hopes that when her daughter is older she will become a little more traditional. ”Culture is important because it contains all the values we were raised in, and our children will raise their children like that, too.”
* Names have been changed.