Living in a South African was hell for black people and lonely for a white child. During the apartheid period, it was a crime for black people to associate with white people, and it was difficult for people who were neither black nor white (Noah, 2016). The brown-skinned people were not considered white or black and had difficulty surviving in the country. Harlan was a child born into a black family; her mother died she gave birth, and he never met his father. He lived with his uncle, who was more affluent than most of his black fellows. No one knew his father, and thus no one could understand if Harlan was black or white. He was pretty brown as a child and never had difficulties associating with his cousins, Kalivyu and Jabulani. However, life became complicated when Harlan grew older. He would notice people staring at him and some avoiding him. He never let the scenario stress him, and he moved on with his life. His cousins loved him, and he felt included. They used to tell him he was handsomely brown, just like his mother.
Things turned south when they all joined a black primary school. The day Harlan was admitted to the school, the principal was reluctant. He said that the school does not accept white children. Harlan was present when the principal made the remarks, and he felt terrible. He felt pissed and abused and hated being brown. He hated being the center of attention. Luckily, his uncle used his influential state in society to secure him a position. When he was in school, no one could talk to him, and no one wanted to spend time with him or be seen associating with him. He wondered why; he cried about it on the first day. Jabulani also joined the same academy but he managed making friends and somehow forgot about Harlan.
The worst thing was his uncle was a little rich. The other brown kids associated well because their parents were poor. “Should all black people be poor? Should I stay in the street to be accepted? Should I wear old and ragged clothes?” Harlan wondered. Days went by, and he never talked with anyone in the school. His cousin could only speak with him during lunch, and the conversation was brief and straightforward. Before they joined the school, Jabilani used to consider him his brother, but he started calling him by his name. He felt cold; he was left out and lonely.
Harlan later came to understand that wealthy black person were considered to have links with the Boers and Afrikaans, who perpetrated racism. According to Harlan’s friends, Harlan’s complexion and the uncle’s slight richness were key features of his traitors. While he wondered why his cousin made friends easily, he realized that the dark skin colour of Jabulani was more acknowledgeable than his. Whenever Harlan went to school, he could see wall engravings written, “We don’t recognize Whites.” Additionally, the school perimeter wall had graffiti that read, “Whites, go back to your continent.” These writings gave Harlan chills as he sat quietly behind his desk. Luckily, a white student was admitted and befriended Harlan. However, due to the pressure from the surrounding society, Harlan deemed the friendship unfit and illegal and attracted more hatred.
In conclusion, Harlan was met with a dilemma of whether to befriend the white ally or to strive and end the enmity between him and the other black students. This dilemma emanated from the apartheid pressures that created population disparity based on race and treatment. Blacks believed that whites were the only ones with the right to own various resources, and any black with the same wealth was considered a traitor. Generally, the apartheid regime created a retrogressive society of both the Boers and Africans.
Reference
Noah, T. (2016). Born a crime: Stories from a South African childhood. Doubleday Canada.