Unapologetically Myself

This piece is about me, myself and I, broken into four parts: 'Blurred Lines, Dark is Exotic, What Kind of Indian Are You & A New Era of Mission'.

I. Blurred Lines

Aaaarrrgghhhh??!! I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked, “Where are you from?” because apparently, I look exotic (yes, exotic!) - you’re kidding me, right?

And I answer, ‘I’m South African’ … calmly awaiting the most common response that I’m now accustomed to: ‘Really, but you don’t look or sound South African’ (whatever that means?!). And then smiling through gritted teeth, I tell my story for the umpteenth time:

Indians arrived in South Africa as indentured labourers in 1860 to work on the sugar cane, tea and coffee plantations and now Durban, where I was born and brought up, has the largest Indian population on the African continent with over one million people of Indian descent.

And if you’re wondering - no, I have never been to India nor do I know anyone in India. Although, admittedly my curiosity has intensified over the last few years, having discovered that my surname ‘Nair’ (pronounced ‘Ni-er’ and not ‘N-air’ like the hair removal cream) hails from the southern state of Kerala.

‘South African Indian’ is a unique cross-cultural mix yet not without its many similarities to our colourful Indian/Bollywood heritage, but it’s our vibrant and eclectic Western/African traits that truly set us apart.

II. Dark is Exotic

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