Salaam,
My name is Wazier Kariem Kara,
I am an Industrial Designer,
A masters student at the University of Johannesburg,

In the past I have struggled with conforming to a specific ethnic background, as of late I identify as ‘Cape Malay’. This is due to the fact that choosing an ethnic group is not as clear cut as it is for most. I fall within the self-proclaimed category of, ‘confused Coloured’, and this is further sub-dived into ‘Cape Malay’. Growing up my identities were always at odds and inevitably I did not truly identify as anything. I would always dread the questions, “Where are you from/born?” which would have follow up statements like “I know you’re not from here”, “It’s okay don’t tell me, where you’re really from”. I guess this is a common issue most ethnically ambiguous people face. South Africa is a multicultural society, mixed with many diverse cultures, religions and races. One would think that the Coloured population, which according to StatsSA makes up the second largest racial group in South Africa, would be a topic widely researched and spoken about however this is sadly not the case.