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- "The Population
Registration act classified the people as Bantu (black Africans),
coloured (people of mixed race), white (the descendants of the
Boers), and Asian (Indian and Pakistani immigrants)."
- "The Group Areas Act
established separate sections for each race. Members of other
races were forbidden to live, work or own land in areas
belonging to other races."
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June 18, 1991
The Population Registration Act of
1950 is repealed
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"The
Noose" - 1955
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What is the story
about?
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The short story "The Noose" written by
Beverly Naidoo deals with the impacts of the Population Registration
Act and the Group Areas Act during the 1950s. These impacts on
coloured and black people are conveyed through the eyes of a
ten-year-old coloured boy, Jacob,
whose family is forced to move to another
town where only coloureds live.
 All his life, he has been faced with the contempt on
the part of white people, yet he has never cared or felt
discriminated against. Towards his tenth birthday though, he is personally affected
since he senses jealousy of the whites for the first time; he envies a wealthy and arrogant white boy because of a
long-desired costume. It is also difficult for him to understand why
his family is to move to Coronationville. The little boy slowly
becomes aware of the glaring injustice blacks and coloureds are
victims of. His personal affection culminates when he sees
his father broken after having been classified a black. This fact is
basically going to destroy this family's life because the father
won't be able to keep his job being considered black. These
experiences let the little boy grow up fast and prevent him from
feeling like a child any longer.
| "In
1950, the Population Registration Act required that all
South Africans be racially classified into one of three
categories: white, black (African), or colored (of mixed
decent). The coloured category included major subgroups of
Indians and Asians. Classification into these categories was
based on appearance, social acceptance, and descent. For
example, a white person was defined as "in appearance
obviously a white person or generally accepted as a white
person.'' A person could not be considered white if one of
his or her parents were non-white. The determination that a
person was "obviously white'' would take into account
"his habits, education, and speech and deportment and demeanor.''
A black person would be of or accepted as a member of an
African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is
not black or white. The Department of Home Affairs (a
government bureau) was responsible for the classification of
the citizenry. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt
with harshly. All blacks were required to carry "pass books''
containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to
non-black areas."
Source |
Lena Hintz
zurück
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zuletzt geändert: 31.01.03 15:12:04
© Gymnasium Ulricianum Aurich |
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