In an interesting interview the UK Guardian South African sociologist Deborah Posel proposes that the obscene materialism visible in ANC ranks can be explained by the racism espoused by the apartheid state.
“Race was linked to the notion of ‘civilisation’ and so, at the bottom of the heap, socially and economically, were people who were considered racially inferior. Whiteness was a judgment that you belonged to the apex of that society; blackness was, in part, a judgment about being unworthy of certain modes of consumption,” she explains. “Surely there is a logic to the position which finds freedom in the power to acquire?”
The article does not mention whether Posal makes any reference to ‘black bling’ culture found in countries in the west and whether she references other African countries – like Angola – where rampant materialism blights a country.
Because while her explanation might cover for ANC grandee Smuts Ngoyama’s “I did not joing the struggle to be poor.” It does a bad job of explaining the other forms of anti-social behaviour – like driving over red lights – that blight the new South Africa.
Other academics – like Bayart – have argued that contrary to popular belief African culture is more individualistic. A broader idea of a greater society and the greater good is absent and this too could drive materialism.
There are other interesting bits Posal mentions:
“She fears we will see more of the violence that shook the nation last year, when impoverished black South Africans attacked and killed many black Africans from other parts of the continent. The issue then was employment, and how foreigners were taking jobs from the locals. “That was a demonstration of some of the anger that attaches to a large number of people who feel that their lives haven’t substantially changed since 1994.”
But while apartheid looks likely to remain a deep scar on the face of South African society for a long time to come, it failed to fully estrange the “races”. Black people were the labour supply for white people, and that produced a racial proximity. And in this, Posel sees some hope for the future.
“Apartheid did not succeed in turning races into complete unknowns to each other, although if there had been more of that mixing it would have been better.” The system also threw up some strange paradoxes, Posel adds. “Things like domestic service were always strange to me because while black women were allegedly repositories of lust, and dirty, it was exactly these people whom white mothers entrusted their children to.
“The psychology of that … ” Posel begins, but she can’t seem to round off the sentence in her signature precise way. Instead, she concludes, somewhat lamely: “It’s all so complex”, reducing us both to fits of laughter. It is as if in 90 minutes, the only one-size-fits-all answer we’ve discovered to the question “What is race in modern-day South Africa?” is not only undeniably true, but also utterly banal.”
Related deployments:
Could you give us a link for the Bayart research you mention?