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The use of the term ‘clever black’ returned to the spotlight after Zuma used it when he addressed the National House of Traditional Leaders in 2012.
Since then, the term has been used on social media sites and used to describe black people who are educated.
The term can also be interpreted as referring to ‘brainwashed’ black people. In his address to the National House of Traditional Leaders, Zuma used the term in a way that refers to black people who have adopted a Western understanding of the world and totally dismiss tradition and culture. It's almost like he was referring to the 'enlightened black'.
This is problematic, to say the least. It 'others' those who are educated whilst simultaneously marginalising those who are not. It creates a hierarchy within the black 'race' (for purposes of this article 'race' is used in inverted commas because we feel 'race' is a social construct). This can only end badly.
Any term that ‘sows divisions’ – to use a common cadre phrase- which results in one party being perceived as superior to the other is not on.
Another factor that makes the term even more harmful is that it can also go beyond education since a person can be educated and wealthy yet still preserve their culture and heritage.
Being referred to as a "clever black" is similar to being called a “cheeseboy”. (Cheeseboy is a wealthy black person. The cheese reference is due to the fact that in the past cheese was expensive therefore only wealthier black people had cheese on a regular basis).
The term “cheeseboy” is challenging because, like ‘clever black’, it suggests that there’s a fixed definition of being black, that blackness isn’t just the shade of one’s skin or state of mind but also the environment a person lives in.
It’s what psychiatrist, philosopher and post-colonial thought leader Frantz Fanon refers to in his book Black Skin, White Masks.
In this book, which analyses the mindset of black people in colonial and post-colonial society, Fanon shows us that it can be difficult for black people to find their place in this ‘white man’s world’.
On the one hand, the black man/woman has to relate to his/her white counterparts and on the other hand with his/her own race. The subjects find themselves in a dichotomous relationship between white and black.
Although Black Skin, White Masks was published in 1952 its contents can still be applied in contemporary society. When you, as a black person, live in the suburbs, are educated and speak English fluently and not so much your mother tongue black people from the township and rural areas will make fun of you and say uzenza umlungu (you are acting like a white person).
Conversely, black people who live in the suburbs may call their more rural and township counterparts backwards, tribal or ghetto. For instance, there was a time during our high school years' when the model C students would make fun of students who came from the rural areas and spoke a 'different' English to theirs.
Another instance would be black people who stop doing certain traditional practices such as slaughtering animals for ancestral rituals because they have converted to Christianity. In some cases, these people are seen as not having pride in their culture, and in essence their blackness.
When it comes to integrating into white circles, there is also dissonance that occurs. Often, you have to be the ‘other’ kind of black person who is an exception (i.e suburban, private school) to fully be accepted into a white friendship circle.
Journalist Shandukani Mulaudzi, shared why she dislikes the term: “I don't like the term Clever Black. I think it suggests that the average black person is unable to apply their mind to matters that require thinking.
Generally this would be matters of politics, business or academic discourse. It creates a space where elite blacks see themselves as "different blacks". A different black suggests that the average black is not good enough and you should therefore be proud.
Terms such as Clever Black, Coconut and Cheeseboy show us that the shaping of ones identity becomes difficult because of preconceived notions and expected behaviour. You are first black before being seen as a person. And the same can be said for other races.
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Since then, the term has been used on social media sites and used to describe black people who are educated.
The term can also be interpreted as referring to ‘brainwashed’ black people. In his address to the National House of Traditional Leaders, Zuma used the term in a way that refers to black people who have adopted a Western understanding of the world and totally dismiss tradition and culture. It's almost like he was referring to the 'enlightened black'.
This is problematic, to say the least. It 'others' those who are educated whilst simultaneously marginalising those who are not. It creates a hierarchy within the black 'race' (for purposes of this article 'race' is used in inverted commas because we feel 'race' is a social construct). This can only end badly.
Any term that ‘sows divisions’ – to use a common cadre phrase- which results in one party being perceived as superior to the other is not on.
Another factor that makes the term even more harmful is that it can also go beyond education since a person can be educated and wealthy yet still preserve their culture and heritage.
Being referred to as a "clever black" is similar to being called a “cheeseboy”. (Cheeseboy is a wealthy black person. The cheese reference is due to the fact that in the past cheese was expensive therefore only wealthier black people had cheese on a regular basis).
The term “cheeseboy” is challenging because, like ‘clever black’, it suggests that there’s a fixed definition of being black, that blackness isn’t just the shade of one’s skin or state of mind but also the environment a person lives in.
It’s what psychiatrist, philosopher and post-colonial thought leader Frantz Fanon refers to in his book Black Skin, White Masks.
In this book, which analyses the mindset of black people in colonial and post-colonial society, Fanon shows us that it can be difficult for black people to find their place in this ‘white man’s world’.
On the one hand, the black man/woman has to relate to his/her white counterparts and on the other hand with his/her own race. The subjects find themselves in a dichotomous relationship between white and black.
Although Black Skin, White Masks was published in 1952 its contents can still be applied in contemporary society. When you, as a black person, live in the suburbs, are educated and speak English fluently and not so much your mother tongue black people from the township and rural areas will make fun of you and say uzenza umlungu (you are acting like a white person).
Conversely, black people who live in the suburbs may call their more rural and township counterparts backwards, tribal or ghetto. For instance, there was a time during our high school years' when the model C students would make fun of students who came from the rural areas and spoke a 'different' English to theirs.
Another instance would be black people who stop doing certain traditional practices such as slaughtering animals for ancestral rituals because they have converted to Christianity. In some cases, these people are seen as not having pride in their culture, and in essence their blackness.
When it comes to integrating into white circles, there is also dissonance that occurs. Often, you have to be the ‘other’ kind of black person who is an exception (i.e suburban, private school) to fully be accepted into a white friendship circle.
Journalist Shandukani Mulaudzi, shared why she dislikes the term: “I don't like the term Clever Black. I think it suggests that the average black person is unable to apply their mind to matters that require thinking.
Generally this would be matters of politics, business or academic discourse. It creates a space where elite blacks see themselves as "different blacks". A different black suggests that the average black is not good enough and you should therefore be proud.
Terms such as Clever Black, Coconut and Cheeseboy show us that the shaping of ones identity becomes difficult because of preconceived notions and expected behaviour. You are first black before being seen as a person. And the same can be said for other races.
Follow Women24 on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
