A "Typical" South African - a sense of belonging

My son ended the school term on a high since the house that he belongs to at school won the singing competition. The house system is an integral part of the set up of the school. Everything the boys do reflect on their house – earning merits or demerits accordingly. It is not something that I am familiar with. The houses which we belonged to for sport when I was at school, don’t come close to this. There is a  sense of pride and belonging that is being engendered here. If you have seen any of the Harry Potter movies, you will have an idea of what I am talking about.

I have been observing this with interest since I have been exploring the concept of tribalism and the innate need we have to belong. From the minute we are born we are received into a family, a community and a country with certain belief systems, customs and culture and language. It makes us feel safe, encourages us to be loyal and to take pride in the group. It gives us a sense of belonging.

At a later stage we then learn to move away and become independent, maybe questioning what we were taught, exploring new avenues. This concept of belonging to a tribe can have both positive and negative connotations. I find this fascinating in a country like South Africa where we have such a fragmented national tribe as a result of the divisions of apartheid. So many times I have been asked to describe a typical South African and I battle with the answer. What is a “typical” South African?

I think that we came closest to the concept of a South African tribe during the soccer world cup, when we waved our flags, sang the anthem and stood behind our national team. I have started to think about what makes us uniquely South African.

• We have fought for basic human rights for all people to be treated with respect and dignity.
• When someone dies, we turn up to support the family left behind.
• We greet our neighbours in the street.
• When someone needs it we make soup or cookies and take it around.
• We recognise that we are all one and that we need to work to make it true.
• We are proud of our natural heritage, our parks and our animals.
• We know that all God’s beaches are for all God’s children.
• When we sing the national anthem we are reminded of the struggle and compromise that brought us democracy and peace.
• We know who our heroes are.
• We are a colourful people.
•  We sing, we dance, and we laugh at ourselves.
• We soak up the sun and welcome the rain.
• We create beautiful art works.
• We are sporty and love the outdoors.
• We look after each other’s children when we need to.
• We are not afraid to howl at the government when they do something wrong.
• We know how important education is.
• We fight for good health care for all.
• We look after our old people and listen to their stories.
• We love good food.
• We have a firm handshake.

 This list needs some work and is open to suggestion.