Incidents of racism, both outright and institutional, are becoming more apparent globally and in South Africa. The ability to respond effectively to racism has become a priority for many, including those in civil society organisations.
Spearheaded by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, a group of civil society and academic institutes convened the Anti-Racism Network of South Africa (ARNSA). On 14 November 2015, after months of consultation, the network was officially launched at Museum Africa in Newtown, Johannesburg. A broad base of civil society organisations collaborated to formalise ARNSA and discuss its development.
In his address, Sello Hatang, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Foundation, contextualised the importance of tackling racism. “Racism, in its varied forms, has arguably maintained the inequality which is fast becoming the defining challenge of our generation,” he said.
A thought-provoking keynote address on non-racialism was delivered by Prof Achille Mbembe. He argued that the theory of non-racialism served as a powerful moral and political weapon against apartheid. It also became a figurative map to what would replace racial domination. This created an ideal to strive for and achieve. For Mbembe, the struggle against racism is global and victory should be premised on the morality of the struggle rather than any material gains.
Mbembe further applied the theory of non-racialism to current #mustfall movements. He said that in the current political climate there is a need to rise and replace that which has fallen. This could be a concept of non-racialism built on hope, and moral and ethical grounds. Mbembe stated that projects must have a future-orientated agenda, imagining what we want to achieve and formulating solutions.
For Mbembe, the 21st century has also made the discussion of non-racialism especially important. For example, he argued that we need to respond to threats to our existence as a species due to potential ecological disaster brought on by climate change. At the same time we must navigate our understanding of biological differences of race made possible through genome mapping and DNA sequencing. In order to do this, there needs to be a reflection of what we have in common, steeped in a deep morality.
Much of what Mbembe argued for was apparent during the debates and discussions that followed.
Delegates questioned what the ARNSA is working towards. What principles guide the ARNSA? Questions were also asked over what exactly racism is and whether we should consider intersectionality. Intersectionality engages with overlapping social identities that may discriminated against and includes issues such as gender and sexual orientation. A difficult issue to consider is also the ability of the ARNSA to respond to international incidents of racism, or whether the ARNSA remains a solely South African preserve.
The ARNSA is working on how to build a strong and strategic focus on achieving its objectives, and is reflecting on the views expressed by delegates. It was agreed that in order to combat racism, there is a need for the ARNSA to be open to all. This was stressed by Neeshan Balton, the Executive Director of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, who stated that “the network will be expected to work with all sectors, including those in government”, and that “in order to be successful the network will also have to overcome political, economic, ideological and dogmatic boundaries”.