#cape coloured

[amaandla]

[yourdailyqueer]

Richard Rive (deceased)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Gay

DOB: 1 March 1931  

RIP: 4 June 1989

Ethnicity: African - Black South African, Cape Coloured

Occupation: Writer, academic, activist, teacher

[facedisclaimer]

Lesley-Ann Brandt

[amaandla]

6 Books You Should Read About South Africa's Cape Coloured Identity — written by Cape Coloured women, for Cape Coloured women and girls who are often dismissed and overlooked in stories, research, and literature on gender, race, and class issues in South Africa.

Understandably, many Coloured people feel "invisible" — during apartheid, they were made visibly Coloured through laws and pass systems, yet were often excluded in terms of cultural identity, self-perception, and upbringing. As a result, some choose to identify with other terms instead of "Coloured."

Still, many families have proudly identified as Coloured for generations, passing down knowledge and teachings through the centuries. Both perspectives have played equally important roles in shaping our community’s history and collective identity. These books explore these complex sides and beyond through detailing personal journeys, family histories, and oral stories.

All books are a must read -- and we want to hear from YOU! Those who are just learning about this sub genre... Those who purchased them for their never-ending book stacks but have not had a chance to read them... Those who feel reflected through these books and gain a sense of validation... and of course, those who read them and despise them!

[amaandla]

The Absence of Our Shared Afro-Futures: DNA Testing

In South Africa, DNA testing has a complex and contested history, particularly given the eugenic underpinnings of the apartheid regime, which manipulated scientific research to justify white supremacy (Turner, 2024). In the post-apartheid era, narratives celebrating the benefits of DNA testing have proliferated, particularly with the rise of capitalist-driven initiatives such as AncestryDNA. These services offer possibilities for family reunification, contribute to the dismantling of bias, and inform research and narratives about marginalized groups historically excluded from official archives and other historical sources. For many, access to DNA testing has led to ambiguous and sometimes contradictory messages about belonging, communal identity, and origins. These tensions deeply affect key components of identity formation—such as ethnicity and race—and have, paradoxically, led to feelings of exclusion for some individuals.

Although this sense of exclusion can be profoundly damaging, it is often dismissed until it manifests in tangible societal outcomes, such as adverse mental health effects, social unrest, or the rise of nationalism and extremism (Macron, Rachuel, and Caulfield, 2020).

When I began my fieldwork in January 2024, DNA-related narratives were already prevalent online. One striking example included the claim: “Our Khoikhoi women, the carriers of the world’s most ancient DNA, have been the most beautiful on this land.” Such narratives have real offline impacts, particularly on the ethnic and racial constructions surrounding Coloured identities and communities. Since then, I have encountered a proliferation of similar narratives. Statements such as, “Many Coloured individuals can trace their lineage and history to the Khoekhoe/San tribes and are their ancestors,” initially seem to offer solidarity. However, these are often accompanied by conflicting or unresolved ideas about the legacy of slavery, colonialism, and apartheid, reinforcing rigid boundaries around the meanings of Colouredness and indigeneity.

While many individuals may now be able to trace their DNA, there is still a prevailing sentiment that “our youth are still left behind” because Coloured communities “refuse to acknowledge” or are “negligent in understanding” their complex “shared historical roots as Khoi people.” These online narratives not only increased in volume but also became flashpoints for tension, generating sharp conflicts between South Africans and their diasporic descendants over questions of Coloured identity.

In my own family, AncestryDNA testing confirmed long-held suspicions about several ancestors who, according to archival records, were frequently racially reclassified by state officials at different points in their lives, often between baptism and marriage. These ancestors were all born at least a century before the official start of apartheid, which meant that much of our familial history was preserved through oral storytelling, often fragmented by various forms of migration and the erasure of records.

When I discovered that my family’s roots also extend to Turtle Island, it took me over two decades to begin understanding decolonization. Although the term has become a buzzword among many Canadians, it remains a critical reminder to me, as a South African, that blame should not be placed solely on individuals. Rather, it is important to recognize that colonial systems have long adapted and persisted, actively enforcing structures of oppression through the erasure of knowledge, identity, and entire communities. South Africa is not immune to such manipulations. However, it appears that Turtle Island is, in some respects, further along in co-creating and preserving knowledge across communities to resist such erasures.

Erasure, often employed as a survival strategy during slavery and colonialism, has led many Coloured individuals to deny or remain unaware of their ancestral and genealogical heritage. Whether this erasure is deliberate or incidental, the enduring legacies of forced adoption, systemic violence, death, shame, and intergenerational guilt have been deeply embedded within Coloured communities and remain insufficiently examined. Addressing this legacy requires the creation of inclusive and affirming spaces that support Coloured individuals at all stages of their identity formation. Such efforts must navigate the tension between historical invisibility and contemporary hypervisibility, while promoting multifaceted and contextually grounded understandings of Coloured identity.

[errydaysleepy]

shfkdksks

Tiktok: romanthaofficial_

[amaandla]

There is always lots of chatter about Afrikaans amongst those in the diasporas in Canada and the United States, yet not much is available for those part of these spaces as often there are challenges with locating resources. This series works to create conversations amongst girls and women in both diasporas and homelands who seek to inform and engage with knowledge about Afrikaans. With the new mural revealed in Bo Kaap this May 2025, this resource not only is timely but a reminder that language while often has considerable importance with identity and belonging, is co-created through communities, generations and more thereby never being solely owned by anyone. Coloured communities, and our cousins beyond benefit equally from engaging in collective resources and conversations. Yet Coloured communities (and others) may also benefit more from accessing similar types of resources, created by coloured people for coloured people as they often feel represented, reducing a sense of marginalization and erasure. It's not about division, it's about empowering and uplifting valuable perspectives and diversity and creating community without restrictions - anyone can access and benefit from these resources.

[amaandla]

A key goal of this page is to encourage Coloured people and our kin communities to explore and engage with their family and personal histories as valuable parts of the broader historical record—worthy of preservation and sharing for future generations. However, many of us struggle to access our histories, making it difficult to determine what to preserve, when, and how.

It’s essential to know where to find information about Coloured history across Southern Africa. By following these resources that teach you information about Coloured Communities across Southern Africa, gathered from community members in countries like South Africa and Zimbabwe we can strengthen the connection between personal and public archives, as well as between family, community, and national history. 1) Camissa People, Cape Slavery and Indigene Heritage Blog  https://camissapeople.wordpress.com 2) Camissa Museum, a Camissa African Centre for restorative memory https://camissamuseum.co.za/index.php 3) The Coloured South Africa Form https://www.facebook.com/groups/131713060255239/ 4) Coloured South African History database on Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/@courtney_joshua/lists/1/coloured-south-african-history-