A Voice in the Wilderness - Blog
Black History Month: Overcoming Apartheid
Coming to Shawnigan from South Africa, where his family lived through the apartheid era, Grade 9 student Hluma Vezile has a unique perspective on Black history. In a speech he delivered in Chapel to help mark Black History Month, Hluma discussed the connections between apartheid, Nelson Mandela, rugby, and his family.
Today I’ll be talking about apartheid. Before I start, let me tell you what it is. Apartheid in South Africa happened between 1948 and 1994. It was racial segregation under the all-white Government, and they mandated that non-white citizens live in separate areas from white citizens and use separate public facilities. They would limit the contact between the two groups. Black people didn’t have rights in South Africa. Because of the racist policies, Black people started protesting about not having land and rights. Black people protested in the streets and when white policemen saw the Black people protesting, they would kill them or send them to prison. My father was one of the people who were sent to jail for protesting. He was 15 at the time. I’m 14 now. Almost the same age. Another man who was sent to prison for protesting apartheid was Nelson Mandela, who became the first Black president of South Africa in 1994. He eliminated the policy of apartheid and encouraged people of all races to forgive each other.
Mandela spent 27 years in prison, most of that time on Robben Island near Cape Town. I went there as a little kid and was a little scared because I had the fear of being in jail. I saw the cell where Mandela was imprisoned, and there was a frame with his jail clothes in it. As a little kid I almost felt like he was there. At home we call him Madiba and see him as the father of our nation. He is an icon of democracy and social justice, receiving more than 250 honours, including the Nobel Peace Prize. When Madiba died in 2015, our country had 10 days of mourning.
Did you know that he was a big fan of rugby and was there when the Springboks first won the World Cup in 1995 against the All Blacks? Mandela was the first president to lift the World Cup, and it was a show of unity with the slogan “One Team, One Country.” There were Black and white players on the same team.
My grandfather and father both played rugby, and my grandfather played for the Golden Lions, which is a professional team in South Africa. The first Black player to captain the South African national team was Siya Kolisi. He grew up in a tough household with a mom who passed away when he was two years old and a dad who was still in high school. He was raised by his grandma. I look up to him because he showed me that anything is possible, even if you come from a poor household and have to fight against discrimination. He was noticed at a rugby club and went to the best rugby school in South Africa.
My grandpa, my dad, Kolisi and Mandela are role models I look up to. I feel lucky that when I play rugby I don’t feel discrimination but feel pride and am happy to play for the team I play for – Shawnigan Lake School.
Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it's done.” Thank you, everyone, for treating me like this is my home and I belong here.
Hluma Vezile is a Grade 9 student at Shawnigan Lake School.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
