What do you call the thing you picked and where does it go?
It’s called a display cabinet and it’s usually found in the lounge area
Why did you pick this furniture piece?
I picked this furniture piece because it has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It initially used to be at my paternal grandparents house where it displayed their old TV with the bunny antenna, a few books, a radio cassette recorder and lots of cassettes. The display cabinet was then moved to my parents house (where I lived) and stayed there for many years. I eventually then forgot it was my grandparents furniture piece! At our house it displayed our TV, radio and a few ornaments my mom had. The cabinet was then returned to my grandparents new house about 3 years ago. It has a tv where my grandpa usually watches his rugby and also has a few memorabilia from various countries I’m the world.
Explain what this furniture piece means to you or your family/friends?
This furniture piece represents something that is constant throughout our lives. It was usually in the background of our rooms, photos and memories, but the fact is that it was ALWAYS there. When it stood at my grandparents house initially I vividly remember how my grandpa used to play certain songs aloud on the radio just to get us all cheerfully dancing. The song “Gimme hope Joanna” by Eddy Grant is one of the jams I loved to hear. I included a photo of me as a toddler with the cabinet clearly in the periphery – that shows just how old it is, and I’m currently 23! When the cabinet was moved to my parents house it was initially put in my room where I put every single one of my dolls and stuffed animals on. According to my mom, I was about 3 years old when I decided to climb on the cabinet using the shelves as steps (she tells this story to everyone!). She mentions not hearing me from my room and by the time she walked in to see where I was, the entire cabinet was falling forward! She then stopped the cabinet with one hand and caught me with the other. Thereafter I received a “hiding”. Oops, sorry mom.
Tell me a story around this furniture piece? A memory, a thought or something that happened recently.
I remember that this cabinet always had a TV on it, everywhere it went. The TVs changed and became more modern but the cabinet itself was always steady and remained the same. If I think about, everyone who came into my grandparents house or my parents house in the last 25 years would have looked at this cabinet. That’s a lot of people especially if you count those unknown aunties and uncles who come greet every Labarang/Eid.
How does this piece of furniture make you feel?
This cabinet definitely makes me feel old. I didn’t realise how long it was in the family until I saw it in an old photo. It makes me realise how fast the time goes by. I remember barely being able to reach the lowest shelf and now I can touch the top of the cabinet without having to stand on my toes.
Do you think this piece of furniture represents us as Coloureds? Why?
Yes the furniture piece definitely represents us as Coloureds because we always have a display cabinet! It comes in all sizes but if you ask any Coloured person if they have a big cabinet in the lounge either filled with ornaments and photos or a TV, the chances that they will say yes is very high. There’s just something very normal about having a display cabinet with lots of shelves to put things on.
How would you describe your interpretation of Colouredness?
As a child, Colouredness for me was only the colour of my skin. In fact, I always wondered why we were never called “Browns” since that is the colour of our skin. Now though, I see Colouredness as a part of the diverse country we live in. It represents more the just skin, it is associated with the way we speak, what we eat, how we carry ourselves and the traditions of our forefathers. Coloured people have different religions and we grow up in different areas of South Africa, yet when we have to tick the little box on the official forms declaring our race, we will tick the same one. I think being Coloured is something you have to decide for yourself, but it depends heavily on the way you were brought up and the things that influenced you for your entire life.
What other things strongly represent Colouredness?
Things that strongly represent Colouredness includes wearing skinny jeans to the beach and spending more than 2 hours in Gatesville (Cape Town) and then ending the trip off with a Gatsby. Other things include listening to Whitney Houston loud and singing karaoke on New Years Eve.
What does it mean to be Coloured in South Africa now?
I guess it represents a lot more than the actual colour of our skin. We have a thriving Coloured community in SA from all walks of life, so it is difficult to actually be specific with regards to what Colouredness means to people in this country. For me it still means that my family will always be known as “previously disadvantaged” due to the Apartheid era. A lot of the time filling in forms to declare my race I thought about the reason as to why I was doing so. Most of the time it was because the country was trying to undo certain wrongs of the past by giving us Coloured people more opportunities than before.
What is your relationship with your Colouredness?
It’s something that I will always live with and that I’m now comfortable with. I do become self conscious of my Colouredness when I am in a group with other races but it isnt something bad.
