social ineqaulity

Racial segregation has not been the only issue people have come across in Durban; a tendency of people dividing themselves according to culture has become dominant. Zulu people in particular have at some stage made me feel inferior because I speak a different language. To them there is no other black local language that can be compared to Zulu therefore making all other languages inferior to them, but not everyone has that mindset.
Well every place has its own positive and negative aspects. Experiences such as being made to feel inferior because of the language you speak .The majority are quit friendly people like they say “it takes a good person to know a good person. Not so long ago I made friends with a person I attend a lecture with who is very aggressive friendless (doesn’t believe in having friends) as he has always said in his arguments.

Another experience I had was when I went for a shopping in town (Durban) from residence to by certain things. I went passing through a bunch of street traders all selling the same thing fruits apples, oranges, pears etc. they were pointing fingers at of the vendor accusing him of talking all the customers saying “ usebenzisa umutsi lo” meaning he’s using traditional medicine to take the customers. What was fascinating is that they had most of their fruits spoiled (partly rotten) and they were not clean. Because he was originally from another country they were forcing him to cease selling or to find an alternative site calling him a “likwerekwere” meaning foreigner.

My point is that social inequality exist within Durban with the previous experience I had, it’s a fact. With these I can say it’s a reflection of South Africa as whole. It was no first time I had of such issues recently early this year there were reports about xenophobia near Johannesburg in a township called Alexandra- were people were attracted because they were foreigners (accused of stilling jobs for South Africans).

Oral and literate societies

Literacy I’ve once thought about it, how the world has altered from what it was to what it is contemporary. Certainly almost everyone has such thoughts now and then in their mind but what has come to my significant vitality, the consciousness of the literacy how is has become the ultimate way of communication across the globe as hole especially when it comes to formality (business, states) etc. this happened after I attendant a lecture. The lecturer had a presentation with the title “technology and historical change” from the course internet studies in University of KwaZulu Natal.

Centuries ago or as early as human existence on earth according to history or should I say scientists have declared that the first humans to live were communicating orally, and as time went they developed certain skills to communicate in a different way. They altered to communicate in writing; literacy was then born but not every society changed. The advantages of being within a society that is “illiterate” or “pre literate” as mentioned in the lecture meaning society without writing you’ll have high ability of memorizing. Plato a Greece philosopher was not happy with the development of writing; he felt that you’ll lose the ability to remember. True; imagine you are in an environment where you have to memorize anything anyone says to you that will definitely improve your memory to its ultimate best. Another advantage to this that illiterate societies they won’t have any “outsiders” informed about their lives, how they live in case they have enemies (war) etc.

However contemporary literacy has become one of the most things we use in our everyday life especially for those in the informal sector. Basically literacy forms the base of the modern society we live in today. The advantages of being in certain societies is that everything is written down thus in future it will be used by the upcoming generation to develop new notions from those previously developed. The public benefit from this being informed about what is going in their lives within their environment e.g. the media.

DIGNITY

Human dignity that is one of those words having different meanings to different people around the world, depending were you from. South Africa is one the world countries with a diverse number of people inheriting in it. Thus have a diverse cultures and different ways in which people defines certain words. As a patriotic South African and within the culture I come from, “human dignity” is something that a person grow up maintaining until their ultimate or current age. This is attained in different ways.

Human dignity as I mentioned is accomplished in variety several ways. From were I come from you will have to respect every person you meet regardless of their age, gender, race or culture hence you will gain their respect in return. In so doing you’ll automatically have a sense of pride and it also boost your self- esteem. In doing so and not disrespecting other people in anyway, not have a mistake in these conditions of gaining dignity, then you have “human dignity” what we call in my vernacular Swazi “isithunzi”. Human dignity is determined by the environment (nature), culture you’re within.

The South African constitutional law protecting the rights of the indigenous people I think it is the best thing in shielding human dignity. In fact to make an example I once so a stand up comedy by one of our South African comedian making a joke about someone like Nelson Mandela, I couldn’t believe someone will do such a thing, after the freedom fighter having so much respect for everyone in this world. That is one example of violated human dignity. In this way even those who don’t care of being disrespected will have to respect those who do want to or deserve to be respected thus dignity will be protected, if the government restrict such things to people then it will avoid the violation of inherent human dignity.