I’m a Bruin-ou columnist
I’m excited. Charles Ash from Bruin-ou asked me whether I would like to write a column for his new-look website. I said “I do” and now I’ll write an article a week.
My column’s title is Coloured in the City, named after one of my favourite tv show, Sex and the City. And yeah, I’m bracing myself for the big ass debates — rows? — that will follow. But in a good way 
Get free updates to my blog with my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment below to get involved in the conversation.
Just read your 50 lines on what it means to be coloured…. on the bruin-ou….
Thought I’d respond just to let you know that there are coloured people out there who read, who like grammar, are fascinated by language, are thrilled by words, are enslaved by poetry and books, committed to criticism and analysis, and capable of craftily reading between the lines of subtext and subterfuge.
Do what you do…do what you enjoy….don’t crave acknowledgement, we are there…..we are out there….watching, reading, admiring……
Because…
To be coloured is to always take a backseat…
To be coloured is to always let the dogmatic, pretentious white ou hog the limelight and let him think he’s kwaai….
To be coloured is to know you’re good and then not seek affirmation
Hey, Rodney
Thanks for stopping by. Yeah, you described me to the T. And that’s the problem I have with the SA media — they seem to focus on the Manenberg or Bonteheuwel coloured with no teeth who tiks too much and who punches his ‘kind’ when she speaks too much. There are too many negative stereotypes of us.
Thanks for the words of motivation, though. But validation is so very important. And we all need it, to various degrees, don’t you agree?
I guess so, but I believe that inner, personal validation is far more important than affirmation from external sources….
I believe in me….because if I don’t believe in myself, there’s no reason for others to even bother…
Any way, that’s for another lengthy discussion… my popping in here was just to affirm your words, your thoughts, your intellect….and to say….hey, make us proud!
Joy Mari
I discovered your blog by pure “chance” and i must say your blogs are refreshing to say the least. Well on the subject of “Coloured in the City”…true that we always get those images of the Cape Flats or other poor coloured communities and that is what people tend to assosciate us with, papsak drinking, wife and kids beating no front teeth hustler. But what they don’t know is that – yes there are some of us that : cycle, surf, speak normal english or afrikaans, are into theater, drama, science, art, travel, ride harley davidsons, dine at fine resturants, But this bruin-ou according to the media does not exist and what you see on the Cape Flats is as good as it gets.(I went out with a non “coloured lady and her parents were gobsmacked to find a normal “guy”) Thanks Joy…i will be following your blog with interest.
Hi Joy-Mari
Very interesting article on Bruin-ou. We as coloured love looking down on ourselves and I hope that we can stop doing that. We need to stand together and lift it each other. Its starts with us before other races can even “go there”
@Rodney: Yes, inner validation is great. But which one came first, inner validation or external validation?
@Giselle: Yip, you’ll find internalised racism even on Twitter with the recent #thingsdarkiessay Trending Topic. I don’t blame POC for this — the powers that be taught us [too] well.