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Carlos Abundis III

Mr. Daniel Hill

Honors English III, Period II

3 September 2021

AMDG

The Power of Words

There is a theory amongst world historians that the location on the earth where a

civilization is born determines their ability to thrive and be successful, and the same school of

thought can be applied to individuals: Where someone is born can determine their prosperity and

ability to achieve. In Mark Mathabane’s memoir Kaffir Boy, Mathabane was born in Aparthied

South Africa, a place where Black people are treated like vermin, and as a result, Mathabane

grew up in a world where every odd is pitted against him. Because he was born in a time and

place where he and his family are destitute, inundated with the racist Aparthied laws, he has no

opportunity to better himself or improve his life in any situation, he suffers. Mathabane grows up

viewing the world through a keyhole, having his abilities hampered by institutionalized racism

and his family’s impoverishment. Kaffir Boy shows the effects of poverty and racism through its

vivid descriptions of Mathabane’s childhood experiences.

Because Aparthied government was structured to keep nonwhites poor and ultimately

low in the society, it seems apparent that the people who enforced these laws and upheld

Aparthied law would be a police force. Named the Peri-Urban, they were known for their cruel

methods and extreme brutality, Mathabane lived in fear of the police for most

of his life as a result of the racism that existed in South Africa. In

the first chapter, Mathabane tells readers that he was born, “a few
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months before sixty-nine unarmed black protesters were massacred

ㅡ many shot in the back as they fled for safety ㅡ by South African

policemen during a peaceful demonstration against the pass laws in

Sharpeville on March 21, 1960.” According to his accounts, the area

around Mathabane's home in Alexandra had been categorized as a "hot"

spot. To put it another way, the police were intended to constantly raid it. The police would

essentially look for reasons to arrest Black people. Most commonly, they would look for stamps

and permits missing from their passbooks. As a result, Mathabane and thousands of Black and

nonwhite people endured unspeakable horrors at the hands of the police force upholding the

Aparthied government. Through Mathabane’s description of police brutality in Aparthied South

Africa, the effect of racism is made clear.

Mathabane’s family plays a very important role in his life and throughout the memoir.

But perhaps the most important member of his family is not always present, a direct result of the

racism that was institutionalized in the Aparthied government. Mathabane's father's company

fired him towards the end of 1966. In order to find work, his father goes to the Bantu Affairs

Department and obtains a permission that permits him to seek for work. However, a policeman

stops him on his way there since he has a stamp on his passbook indicating that he is

unemployed and a black man's "greatest crime" is being unemployed. When his father does not

return after the expected four weeks, Mathabane and his mother go hungry. Mathabane and his

family went hungry because of the racist Aparthied government incarcerating his father and

forcing them to live on their own. Due to the family’s poverty (another result of Aparthied),

Mathabane nearly dies from hunger and has hunger-induced hallucinations. The memoir
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illustrates the devastating effects that poverty and racism have on Mathabane and his family and

the lasting effects of growing up without a father.

In the twenty-first chapter, Mark receives the news that he will begin going to school.

This begins a long battle in Mathabane’s family concerning his education. While Mathabane and

his mother are aware that their father insists that the family abide by tribal law and values, they

realize that modern education is the key to prosperity in a developing world. After Mathabane's

mother explains to him that she never had the opportunity to be educated, despite her desire, he

resolves to go to school "forever." Mathabane realizes that his life could possibly be improved if

he goes to school. Another factor is the fact that Mathabane does not want to remain ignorant

like his father. Unfortunately, Mathabane’s family struggles to pay for the school’s tuition, and

the school itself is sub-par at best. Because of the lack of funding for the areas where nonwhites

live, ths school provides an education far from the ones given in the white areas of South Africa.

The Aparthied government is structured in such a way that virtually no one could make it out or

improve themselves. Poor schools lead to poor education, and poor education leads to poor

chances of employment. Even if they find employment, the wages are scarce. All of this only

goes to show the gravity of Mathabane’s actions and, more importantly, the devastating effects

of racism.

In a day and age where racism, poverty, and police brutality are constantly in the public

eye, readers now know the toil and strife of those who are oppressed on the basis of their skin

color, and perhaps might be motivated to be the change that they seek in the world. Throughout

the course of this memoir, and through Mathabane’s authentic and moving words depicting his

development, we are given an eye-opening glimpse of the world during one of the worst periods

in human history. This memoir is valuable in more ways than one, but perhaps most importantly,
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for they now know how far Black people have come in their quest for freedom and equality, and

they can recognize the significance of the events of the last decade. A decade in which we have

seen monumental progress in the fight for racial equality. But without Mathabane's insightful and

inspirational words, and without his bravery and courage to write those words, we would not be

able to attain this insight and knowledge. And because he did have the courage to write those

words, the world is taking steps in the right direction.