The Bloody Miracle: South Africa’s History Of Racism And Turmoil

After watching The Bloody Miracle, I felt shocked at the extent of the violence and how near South Africa had come to having a civil war. I have been aware of the violence that came as a result of apartheid since a young age; however, I never imagined that extremity of death and hatred. The blind racism of many of the interviewees and in the documentary shocked me. Prior to watching The Bloody Miracle, I did not know about the violence between the IFP and the ANC, let alone the ‘third force’. I feel as though my eyes have been opened, as previously I thought apartheid consisted solely on white on black and black on white violence. If the third force had succeeded in their aims, South Africa would look very different today. South Africa would be in a state of chaos as the racial divisions would be extreme, the financial situation of the country would be at an all-time low, and violence would be detrimental due to lingering anger.

Discrimination has affected our country in various ways. Many people received inferior education as they were forced to be taught in a language which was not their own. Black women were affected to an extreme degree, as they were unable to become political leaders or get involved in politics; while at the same time being discriminated against due to their race. The discrimination during apartheid led to deaths and created extreme hatred. There is still post-apartheid racism today due to the racism created during apartheid. South Africa has the world’s highest Gini coefficient due to the poverty created by a large portion of a generation having restrictions on both their jobs and education. Non-whites now have an advantage when applying for tertiary education as they6 did not have equal opportunities during apartheid. My ideal South Africa would be a place in which the colour of your skin does not define you. A place in which everyone has equal opportunities and the Gini coefficient is small. I’d like to see South Africa being run by a competent government that has the people’s interests at heart. I’d like to see a country at peace.

Schools and communities need to be careful when approaching the topics of race and discrimination, as they are very sensitive topics for most people. Firstly, both children and adults in schools and in a community need to be taught from early on that discrimination on the basis of race is unacceptable. Talking openly about diversity can be useful as it teaches the students that we are all diverse; however, no one person is better than another. It is important that children learn about apartheid so that they can understand how detrimental an effect racism can have on a country. Secondly, everyone needs to understand the value of diversity. Children must learn that although we are different, we all have different skills and talents which are equally valuable. This will help them to see race as a positive thing as it creates diversity, and therefore they will be less inclined to racist attitudes. Thirdly, and most importantly, all people in schools and communities need to understand that racism, discrimination and prejudice will not be tolerated at all. If a racist comment or action is made, either a teacher or a person in charge needs to tell the child that it is wrong and help them to understand why. Watching a documentary like The Bloody Miracle helps us to be responsible citizens as it opens one’s eyes to the horrors of apartheid and what racism can lead to. With this knowledge, we are able to inform others about the past as well as helping prevent racism. It is our responsibility as South Africans to learn the history of our country which created the environment in which we live today. We must learn about the past in order to learn from it.

Jansen refers to the many South African people who immigrate in his tweet. Jansen feels that when a country is in turmoil, such as South Africa, one should not flee the country as this indicates that they never embraced their country enough to attempt to improve it. As we saw in the documentary, South Africa was in an extreme state of chaos and still has chaos; however, it slowly is improving. I agree with Jansen’s tweet to a certain extent, as although many people immigrate, it is understandable that one would want to flee to a place that has better opportunities and more peace.

Due to South Africa’s history of racism and turmoil, we still experience consequences today. By watching The Bloody Miracle, we are educating ourselves not only on the past, but also on the cause of many problems within our country today. Issues such as poverty, lack of education, political problems, lingering racism and corruption are all largely a result of apartheid. In order to finally live in a discrimination free country, we must learn from the past and recognise people for the strength of their character, and not the colour of their skin.