by ATIYYAH KHAN
The results of South Africa’s seventh democratic election on May 29 revealed a stark reality. Out of 42 million eligible South African voters, only 16 million voted. This is significant because until 1994, many in the country were not allowed to vote. The election results shocked many and unveiled a massive fracture in public opinion: as South Africa reaches its 30th year of democracy, for the first time since independence, the African National Congress (ANC) failed to win the majority of the votes needed to form a government.
This is something to consider deeply while listening to the new album by bassist and composer Benjamin Jephta. Born Coloured, Not Born-Free was released a year ago, but it is even more relevant now. It is Jephta’s fourth album in an ongoing project. Earlier this year, he presented a version of this project at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. At the performance, Jephta spent time introducing the ideas he interrogates on the album to the audience, many of whom were from the community the album addresses.
To break down the title: the word “coloured” is a racial classification created by the apartheid government under the Population Registration Act of 1950 to describe the Creole population of South Africa. It was a classification forced on a people who are one of the most racially diverse populations in the world, and who endured much violence under apartheid rule. This community has been plagued by negative racial stereotypes of gangsterism, drugs, violence, and more.
The term “coloured” is still in use today and has been adopted by many as an identity, but is also contested and rejected by others as a vestige of apartheid and colonization. The term “born-free” refers to those born after apartheid ended, which includes Jephta’s generation. He explains that these are all terms he inherited, and not by choice.
Jephta is adamant that this album offers no answers. He is merely suggesting something to consider, a way to begin conversations, and process his personal experiences.
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