Multi-Racial Friendship

So, it’s the new South Africa, the old South Africa is behind us and we are all one big happy nation. Well supposedly, it’s very hard to feel like one part of a ‘big happy family’ when at every turn you get stares that reek of judgement and disapproval.

In this new South Africa we have freedoms that were denied to a lot of South Africans in the old Apartheid regime. For example the freedom to live where ever your heart desires and your bank balance permits. The Group Areas Act of 1950 ensured that this was not possible. We have the right to marry whomever we love; the Immorality and Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Acts, 1949 made it difficult, although not impossible, to be in a relationship with someone of another race for most of the Apartheid years. There were many laws that promoted segregation, mistrust and hate between the inhabitants of this country. (Apartheid legislation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Segregated benches during Apartheid (freeearl.glogster.com)

These laws have now been abolished yet racial prejudice is alive and thriving in our Rainbow nation.  How can we say such? Well because we see it almost everywhere we go in subtle looks and stares that cannot seem to fathom how people of different races can hang out and be friends. It’s in the group conversations were eye contact with all the Bellas just seems a mole hill too hard. It’s in the astonished looks when others realise that we also live together. 'How is it possible?!' Tis so coz we have immense love for each other. We have also noticed that this prejudice is quite a bit more prominent in Johannesburg than in Durban where two thirds of the Bellas are originally from.

This has caused us to wonder why this is so twenty years into the new South Africa? To be honest there could be many varied justifications for such behaviour. Others may even be understandable as we all face different circumstances in our lives which make us prone to believe certain stereotypes. However stereotypes are not good and they cannot be used to make judgements about people you don’t know. We are not coconuts , inverted oreo’s, white girls who are soul sisters on the inside or black girls who want to be white. 

We are the Barefoot Bellas, we are friends because we chose each other. Our backgrounds and upbringings are different but its these differences and similarities that makes us an awesome trio.

The Bellas

The people who are in our lives are there because we want them in our lives, solely based on their personalities and hotness :p I guess the day will come when this nation becomes a true unified Rainbow nation til then we are just happy that we live in a time where we can be friends without breaking any laws. So please take your looks of judgement elsewhere.

Much love and light

The Barefoot Bellas