The Coloured People of Southern Africa
The Coloured people are a racial grouping found mainly in South Africa and Namibia who are of mixed race origin. They descend primarily from interracial mixing between Dutch colonizers and Khoisan women but they also have Bantu, Indian, Malay, Malagasy, and Chinese ancestry. As a result, genetic studies suggest that they have the highest levels of mixed ancestry in the world. They fall into three broad groupings: the Griqua, the Cape Coloureds, and the Cape Malay.
The Coloured racial identity was imposed on them by the social attitudes of the English and Afrikaners who considered non-white people to be inferior. Their political rights varied over time. In the 19th century they essentially had the same rights as Whites in the Cape Colonies. The establishment of the Union of South Africa gave them the right to vote, however they were still restricted to voting for whites. They subsequently lost their voting rights when the National Party came into power in 1948. They were officially classified as a distinct and separate racial group under Apartheid. However, Coloured people could apply to “Pass for white” which would mean that, if they looked white enough, they could be reclassified as white and be entitled to the same rights and benefits that white South Africans had. Doing this meant that they could never see or contact their Coloured friends and family again.
Coloured people were also subjected to the forced relocations of the time. The most notable Coloured community was District 6 which became a vibrant cultural area and the heart of the Coloured community. Because it was multiracial, the Apartheid government bulldozed the area and forcibly relocated the residents to the Cape Flats. Coloured people played an important role in the fight against Apartheid and since 1994, many have entered politics and commerce.
Coloured people largely speak Afrikaans and comprise half of all Afrikaans speakers in the world. Their dialect contains Khoisan vocabulary and they are largely responsible for turning Afrikaans into a distinct language. Coloured people are also credited with having created a number of South African cuisines such as bobotie, snoek based dishes, koeksisters, and Malay rotis. The community is also responsible for the annual Cape Coon Carnival (Kaapse Klopse) which is an integral part of South African culture.
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