"Mother City": Mothering Work, Coloured Respectability, and the Making of Contemporary Kaapse Klopse

Abstract

"Mother City"Mothering Work, Coloured Respectability, and the Making of Contemporary Kaapse Klopse Francesca Inglese (bio) francesca inglese notes on racial terminology The apartheid regime's Population Registration Act (1950) constructed four racial categories: (Black) African, Indian, white, and coloured (mixed). I maintain the South African spelling of coloured to distinguish it from the racially offensive term once used in the US to refer to African Americans. Although some scholars put "coloured" in quotation marks, I have chosen not to because it can imply that coloured racial identity is constructed, unlike purportedly authentic, stable, and primordial Black and white identities. In klopse practice, the term "coon" is often used to refer to individuals who participate in klopse. While the term stems from the American racist slur for African Americans that was circulated to Cape Town via blackface minstrelsy, in Cape Town it would come to take on quite different meanings among troupe members themselves and continues to be used colloquially to signal someone who participates in Carnival. Despite the racial violence connoted by the term, it is, in this particular context, perceived as a nonderogatory term, often even a source of pride for participants. When I, for example, joined the Fabulous Woodstock Starlites (FWS), I was affectionally referred to by my fellow troupe members as a coon. I intentionally italicize the term to distinguish it from its meanings in an American racial context. notes on language and typography Though klopse songs feature lyrics in both English and Afrikaans, Afrikaans is the home language for the majority of klopse participants. Many of my personal interviews were conducted in English, and some were conducted partially in Afrikaans. Any portions in Afrikaans have been translated into English by the author. Names that have been changed for reasons of privacy are marked with an asterisk. [End Page 1] Article Introduction scene 1: saturday music school It was the last Saturday meeting of the Fabulous Woodstock Starlites (FWS) free music school before the summer holiday, and we had just finished clearing away the remainders of our small celebration: samosas, spicy tomato-flavored crisps, neon green Sparletta cream soda, and portions of candy for each participant. Some children went in groups to use the restroom at the elderly housing unit across the street—the school's once-barely-workable upstairs bathroom had been closed ever since the toilet had been ripped out of the wall and stolen in one of a string of break-ins at the disintegrating facility by those in search of quick money for drugs, mostly tik (methamphetamine). Mogamat Ismail, who paid the school's teacher each week and provided each child with workbooks and pencils, spoke to the children in Afrikaans. "You must have fun during the summer months but also stay out of trouble." Referencing the Islamic concept that emphasizes moderation in all things, he said, "Don't stay to the right, or the left, but stay on the middle path." The school's teacher, Abraham "Abey" Swartz, then turned toward the eight mothers on the edges of the room: "You must help your children stay focused. It is your work." Shariefa "Poppie" Collins closed her eyes and nodded in agreement. Abey continued, "Disciplined practice, hard work, and staying clear of temptations and trouble." Poppie turned toward her daughter Sadia*, who had participated for a full year in the school despite not being able to afford an instrument, to ensure that the comment had registered.1 "It is your work," Mogamat repeated. scene 2: on the bus to the competition Our troupe, the FWS, was making its way to the Athlone Sports Stadium, where we would be competing that day. As was tradition, our circuitous bus route would take us through various Cape Flats townships—the extensive, flat, dry, inhospitable floodplain outside the city and lush suburbs, on which the apartheid government created segregated townships for Indian, coloured, and Black South Africans and forcibly resettled families during apartheid's Group Areas Act. We would pile out of the bus, parade through the streets in our satin gear, greet residents, maybe be offered some cool drinks, and pile back on. As we approached the stadium, already exhausted from the heat, a fight...