Is South Africa really a rainbow nation?

How many times have we not heard the word Rainbow Nation?  What does it even mean? Although especially used to describe South Africa in the post-apartheid era, naming it a ‘Rainbow Nation’ is an oxymoron… Originally coined metaphorically by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and later used extensively by late President Nelson Mandela, it was meant to stand for the union of all cultures, religions, races and politics.  This being in contrast to only white or black viewpoints.

South African poet/politician/academic, Jeremy Cronin, summed it up perfectly: ‘… true reconciliation has been foregone in place of a simplified and somewhat candy-coated myth of peace that has served to reconcile those on the inside whilst pitting them against those on the outside.  Allowing ourselves to sink into a smug rainbow-ism, will prove to be a terrible betrayal of the possibilities for real transformation, real reconciliation, and real national unity, that are still at play in our contemporary South African reality.’

So let us consider a different metaphorical viewpoint on colour.

The colour white is obtained by combining all the visible colours of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.

The colour black is obtained by combining magenta/red, yellow and cyan/blue.

In holistic terms colours have the following meanings:

White – Is a colour associated with purity, innocence, understanding, humility and new beginnings.

Black – Is a formal, elegant colour that represents seriousness, power, authority, rebellion and strong emotions.

Red – Commonly symbolises confidence, courage, love, passion, sensitivity and leadership.

Orange – Symbolises joy, passion, enthusiasm, creativity, change, determination and fun.

Yellow – Is a colour of warmth, communication, confidence and cheerfulness.

Green – Is the colour of life, nature, harmony, freshness and safety.

Blue – Is a colour that represents faith, loyalty, trust, wisdom and stability.

Indigo – A colour that symbolises wealth, devotion, peace, mystery, independence and magic.

Violet – Is a colour that represents the future, imagination, enlightenment and humility.

Instead of whites blaming blacks and blacks blaming whites in regards to racism, why don’t we think of each other in the colours that contribute to our individual make up?

Only then, will we see that neither whites nor blacks reign supreme in the visual spectrum…

None of us chose what colour we where born into.  Instead, we should embrace our differences and look at each other through a kaleidoscope of colourful similarities.

According to the above colour meanings:

As a white you should see blacks as being confident, passionate, joyful, sensitive, loyal and trusting.

As a black you should see whites as being confident, passionate, joyful, sensitive, loyal and humble.

No matter which colour you think you are, the similarities can be seen by analysing the colour spectrums’ holistic meanings.

Like it or not, we are all ‘Homo Sapiens’ and various studies have shown that all human DNA are 99.9% the same, whether you are African, American, Asian or European.  The last 0.1% being responsible for skin colour and skull shapes.

Personally I think the whole race issue has become ridiculous.  Growing up in the old South Africa, I wasn’t raised a racist, but it was frowned upon to mix with other races. Today we have the opportunity to mix with all races without prejudice.

Whenever people ask me what I am, I always say:  “I am not a racist, I am a realist!”  I judge people on their capabilities and mutual respect, not their colour.

It is true, you get your 'bad apples' in every culture.  For example, I know better mannered and educated black people than some white people and vice versa.

How can we judge the capabilities of a race in accordance with the actions of those 'bad' individuals, who make their culture seem unworthy?  We should rather look into our own cultures to teach respect in our children, especially for our fellow human beings.

Children are not born racist, they learn that from society...

My kids asked me one day when they were still in primary school: ‘Why do some of our friends at school, have Black/Coloured/Indian fathers and mothers…?’  It sounded funny at first, until I realised the innocence with which they said it, and that they hadn’t even noticed that their friends were of colour.

Why does society respect sexual choice and religion, but not differences in colour and culture?

We are NOT a Rainbow Nation!!!  We are a hypocritical nation full of self-importance, greed and emptiness!!!

Shame on you!!!

I beg of you, if you can’t change your attitude, at least stop teaching your vile thoughts to your children.

They have the right to decide for themselves and don’t need your coaxing. They might actually have a future then.

So forget about the Rainbow Nation.  In order to move forward we need to see the similarities we share.

For goodness sake, embrace your heritage, colour and culture!

Our goal should be ONE NATION!

Follow me on twitter: Neil Holtshausen@HoltshausenNeil