JONATHAN JANSEN | Yes, white genocide is not real, but there’s a time and place for everything

It is hard to imagine a transformation effort going so horribly wrong. A teacher allegedly uses the K-word. Whether to warn against its use or as casual racism, is not clear. Either way, the teacher resigns before the disciplinary process concludes. At this point the education department appoints a trainer to do diversity education at the school. So far, so good.

The trainer starts with a school assembly of young people (grades 8-11), excludes the teachers, prohibits the use of cellphones or anyone from leaving the hall. At this point, alarm bells should have sounded. Then the trainer makes a series of bizarre pronouncements that include: black people cannot be racist; farm genocide does not exist; nor does reverse racism because if it did exist, white people would not be able to open a bank account. Then, bizarrely, the trainer reads a poem that contains these lines: “For all we know, the disciples could have been queer ... and the Holy Ghost transgender.”

On the facts. Black people can be racist precisely because we too have power. Farm murders are real (I have witnessed the emotional wreck of these killings on families) and inviting definitional disputes about whether this constitutes “genocide” (it is not) is not a conversation you have as an opening gambit with grade 8s in the room.

The link between reverse racism and the ability of whites to open bank accounts defies logic. And provoking those of the Christian faith with speculation about the possible gayness of the disciples and the gender identity of the Holy Spirit will instantly alienate the very people you’re trying to reach; this kind of senselessness would, for such an audience, border on blasphemy.

I have done hundreds of workshops on race, diversity and education in SA and other parts of the world. It always involves talking openly and directly about race and racism. Not once was there any revolt. Why not? Because teaching about race or racism is all about pedagogy, a word that means much more than teaching techniques. It is, first of all, about knowing your audience. To let loose these complex and disputed questions (like blacks can’t be racist) on the heads of young teens is highly irresponsible. It is also about the most important principle of good teaching — start with where the pupils are and build the new knowledge from there. Starting with assertions about genocide (or its absence) and queer disciples cannot possibly be mindful of children and their states of learning. And it is about the artful use of questions to lead the conversation on racism rather than pushing your opinions down young throats.

Imagine the activists from the Freedom Front Plus had the same level of angst about black children who routinely suffered these racial humiliations over the course of centuries.

Sitting at the crossroads of Ocean View (so-called coloured area), Masiphumelele (African township) and White Fish Hoek, this school has made huge strides in its transformation over the decades. Black and white students protested against racism at the school under the banner, Enough is Enough. I have recruited some of my best students into higher education from this institution. The school deserves applause for firmly dealing with the teacher and engaging in conversations about racism. But as with all things transformation, how you deal with these questions is as important as good intentions.

I would like to believe most Fish Hoek High School parents, black and white, would welcome candid conversations on racism in the new year. Unfortunately, the missteps at the school bring the white right out of the closet. Imagine the activists from the Freedom Front Plus had the same level of angst about black children who routinely suffered these racial humiliations over the course of centuries.

Then, right on cue, a faction of white South Africans condemned the events at Fish Hoek as “critical race theory” (CRT for short) and “wokeness” combined. Seriously? This is what happens when you unthinkingly join the charge of the American right against any teaching about race, slavery, oppression and inequality. CRT is, in essence, about the systemic effects of the past that linger in the present, like why you still have clearly delineated white, African and coloured residential areas around Fish Hoek. If that is too much for your child to learn, you are the problem.