I was having small talk with a stranger whilst queueing for for service at a shop. When this stranger told me that they were from Langa in Cape Town my inquisitive self further probed. I realised that the issues that we were discussing were bigger than what we saw at the time. To pass time, I asked why not Stellenbosch and the innocent response was, “No ways! I can’t stay there. That’s a while man’s place. I mean, a can of coke is R17 and I can get the same for R9 in Khayelitsha or Langa”. As you may know, historically, these latter two residential areas were deemed Black people’s areas whilst Stellenbosch is a historically white area.
When I looked at this, in retrospect, I was forced to analyse what this meant in light of our everyday language about freedom, colonialism and racism. I had to agree that not everything comes in absolute terms, in fact most are relative. We always have to assess the extent to which we have what we believe we have. Have we achieved freedom? Have we defeated colonialism? Have we conquered racism? Whether the answer is yay or nay, the further question is – to what extent?
“FREEDOM IS COMING TOMORROW”
Freedom is a fundamental human desire, yet it can be understood in various ways. At its core, freedom is about autonomy, liberty and the ability to make choices that shape your lives. Our angle on this text is to assess if access to money affect the extent to which a people is free?
Freedom can be experienced in different ways including the ability to participate in the political process, exercise one’s rights and live in a democratic society. Freedom also entails the ability to pursue economic opportunities, own property and engage in voluntary exchange. It also should provide you the ability to make choices about your personal life, relationships and well-being.
So at it’s core freedom is about choice. It’s the ability to pursue your passions and choices as well as make decisions about your lives and live authentically. Whether it’s choosing a career, expressing our opinions or simply living life on our own terms, freedom is essential to human flourishing.
Freedom is not a one-size-fits-all concept. It can be understood and experienced differently by individuals and groups. As we look at the complexities of freedom, it’s essential to recognise its many facets and work towards creating a world where everyone can live with dignity, autonomy and purpose.
Capital Impacts On Freedom
My innocent discussion led me to opine. My view is that access to money can significantly impact on the extent to which one has freedom.
Limited financial resources can restrict an individual’s ability to make financial choices. Financial constraints can limit options for education, career, housing, residence and other life decisions. Insufficient funds can prevent individuals from taking advantage of opportunities, such as starting a business or traveling and can make it difficult to afford essential necessities like food, shelter and healthcare. Financial constraints can also limit your access to social activities, education and civic engagement.
When individuals or groups lack access to financial resources, they may experience economic vulnerability leading to reduced well-being and limited social mobility. Your access to money impacts on your socioeconomic status. With limited control on financial resources this can erode your sense of control.
Having access to financial resources can expand one’s freedom, enabling individuals to pursue their goals, participate as you wish in society and be yourself.
Achieving Freedom Is Not An Easy Task
Ultimately, access to money can significantly impact on an individual’s freedom, and addressing financial inequality is essential to promoting greater freedom and opportunity for all.
So achieving true freedom is a huge task. The decision makers have to consider the extent to which a free dispensation affords individuals from previously disadvantaged groups an ability to make choices. This stranger that I was talking to felt unfree to reside in the said area of Stellenbosch. Put differently, the stranger knew he was free but due to the connection between access to capital and freedom questioned the extent of his own freedom.
COLONIALISM
Colonisation is a term derived from the Latin “colere,” meaning “to cultivate” or “to settle”.
It has a far more complex and sinister meaning in the context of world history. It refers to the process of one country establishing control over another country or region, often through settlement, exploitation or coercion. This can lead to the displacement of indigenous populations, cultural suppression and economic exploitation.
Throughout history, various empires, countries and nations have engaged in colonisation, but some have been particularly notorious for their brutality and scope. The European colonial powers including Britain, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium were among the most prolific colonisers.
Dynamites Come In Small Packages
If this was an award winning act, Britain would receive a gold medal. The science behind the thirst of colonisation in its extreme sense can clearly be understood through considering the case of this small island that exists off the north of Europe and has reshaped the world. Some suggest that dynamites come in small packages. The British Empire has colonised and controlled the world in some unimaginable ways.
This tiny island country reached its peak in terms of territorial control around the 1920s, after World War I. During their peak period they controlled 26% of the world’s land which was around 30 million square kilometers of land
Does this make sense? Britain is just 968km long and 480km wide in size. That means it is 2 times smaller than Kenya, 4 times smaller than Nigeria and 5 times smaller than south Africa and 32 times smaller than Australia. The power usurped through colonialism made it have control over a quarter of the world, though.
Other Bullies
Some of the most egregious examples of colonisation include Belgium’s power over the Congo. King Leopold’s regime in the Congo Free State (1885-1908) was marked by forced labour, mass killings, and other atrocities, resulting in an estimated 10 million deaths. The Belgian Congo was no different.
The Spanish colonisation of the Americas was also massive. The Spanish conquest of the Aztec and Inca empires led to widespread destruction, enslavement and death, with estimates suggesting that the population of the Americas declined by as much as 90% in the 16th century.
My chat with my stranger friend was saying to me, hey, colonisation has left some significant and almost irreparable damages on humanity as it has affected homosapiens’ ability to live off their land. The economic, social and cultural disparities remain unblinking in their pursuit to maintain colonial standards. The exploitation of resources has drained wealth from colonised regions, leaving behind poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.
As we move forward, it’s essential to acknowledge the historical injustices perpetrated through colonisation. By understanding the complexities of this legacy, we can work towards a more equitable future. This includes recognising and addressing economic disparities. Colonialism was based on usurping economic power and therefore any solution that is shy of redefining this reality is more likely to maintain the status quo ante.
Empowering communities to take control of their own development is crucial for overcoming the legacy of colonisation. This includes supporting local populations, promoting cultural exchange and advocating for policy changes that address the root causes of inequality.
In today’s globalised world, colonialism has taken on a new form. Instead of direct territorial control, powerful nations and corporations use economic means to exert influence over weaker countries. This modern-day colonialism is characterised by unequal trade agreements, financial exploitation and resource extraction, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and inequality.
Global South countries are often forced to borrow in foreign currencies at exorbitant rates, leading to debt traps and further economic instability. This can lead to a vicious cycle of debt, where countries are unable to invest in their own development due to the burden of debt repayment. Corporations and powerful nations extract natural resources from weaker countries, often without fair compensation or benefits sharing. This can lead to environmental degradation, displacement of local communities and loss of economic opportunities.
The ultimate in all of this is the ordinary man on the street. Colonialism defined the status of cultures by creating defined capacities for coloniser and the colonised. Though in the current dispensation, the stranger was actually telling me that colonisation defined where he ought to reside as a black person and today that does not exist in the legal text but continues in the preservation of certain capacities to particular groups.
The International financial institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) impose policies that favour developed nations, making it difficult for former colonies to grow economically. These institutions often perpetuate the dominance of wealthy elites and corporations and thus encourage equivalents to colonial definition of society.
What my stranger friend was implying was that we should recognise that colonialism exists in a new format even if it’s by way of maintaining similar socio economic conditions. Considering that South Africa had been a playground for varied colonialists (Dutch and British), this was to be expected.
We must work together to create a more just and equitable world, where all nations and peoples can thrive and defeat this new form of colonialism.
RACISM
Have we defeated racism? I was left wondering.
As South Africa and other former colonies continue to grapple with the remnants of racism, one thing is clear: most of these country’s economic landscape remains a stark reflection of its past. Despite efforts to promote diversity and inclusion, the economy remains a powerful tool in perpetuating racial disparities.
For South Africa, for instance, statistics are stark. A recent report revealed that a mere 10% of the South African population holds a staggering 80% of the country’s wealth. The majority of South Africans, particularly black citizens, continue to struggle to make ends meet, trapped in a cycle of poverty that seems impossible to break. The legacy of apartheid’s spatial segregation policies can still be seen in the townships like Langa or Soweto and informal settlements that sprawl across the outskirts of the cities. As my stranger friend maintains, there are certain places that are not legislated as white areas but the behaviour of the economy dictates the resultant race based divisions. But it’s not just the individual struggles that are concerning – it’s also the systemic nature of the problem. Institutional racism continues to permeate every aspect of South African society, from education to employment, reinforcing economic disparities and limiting opportunities for black South Africans.
FORMER COLONIES’ STRUGGLE IS NOT OVER YET
As the former colonies look to the future, it’s clear that something needs to change. The question is, what? Will former colonies be able to find a way to dismantle the systemic racism or poor access to freedom that has held them back for so long, or will the countries continue to be defined by their past?
One thing is certain – the time for change is now. The question is how. With the primacy of capital between global regions, between continental regions, between countries and within countries, where do we start? What is obvious is that yesterday is gone and we cannot undo it – the only thing we can pick from yesterday is the lessons that we should never allow to recur whether they are posed in a Bluetooth or visible way.
Today is now and it still has a chance to influence tomorrow. The economy must not be allowed to perpetuate inequality and racism. The creation of a global village must not be allowed to indirectly perpetuate colonialism. The equality in various countries should not be left to the constitution but should give my stranger friend an opportunity to correctly define race relations. It’s time for action, not just words. The future of the world, colonisers and the colonised depends on honest attempts from all humanity to define.