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Why Tyla’s racial identity has rallied South Africans behind Coloured communities
Many young people are exploring what it means to embrace a label entrenched by apartheid that has evolved into a unique culture
South Africa’s apartheid policies corralled people into Coloured-only townships who had been assigned the identity at the stroke of a bureaucrat’s pen, after demeaning assessments of their skin colour, facial features, hair, language and cultural practices. Photograph: Natasha Moustache/GettyFrom that displacement, which tore apart countless families, a culture has developed, from unique music and humour to food such as koe’sisters – syrup-drenched dough balls served warm, infused with spices and rolled in coconut – and huge Gatsby sandwiches stuffed with chips and meat. Photograph: Reuters/AlamySince apartheid ended, disillusionment has festered in historically Coloured communities such as the Cape Flats townships, according to the jazz musician Benjamin Jephta, noting the high rates of gang crime, incarceration and school dropouts.
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