MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI

910911-06-5255
READER RESPONSE: AFRICA EMERGENT

The short story Africa Emergent is one of the literary works done by Nadine
Gordimer. She implements the theories of racism and inequality throughout her
works. In Africa Emergent, it is a short story that describes the situation in South
Africa during Apartheid regime where the majority blacks are inferior with the
minority whites. Apartheid is a legal system of law that has been implemented in
South Africa during 1940s until 1990s.

1. SEGREGATION

Throughout this short story, there are some theories shows the present of racism
and also segregation. Kirszner, L.G and Mandell, S.R (2007), page 505, states that
black population living in this poor and undeveloped region are having difficult
economic conditions were made worse by the system of segregation that prevented
them from voting, receiving a good education or enjoying the same rights and
privileges as their white counterparts.
In the short story, there are many events that show the segregation happens to
the black community. For example, He came by train to the black people's section of
Johannesburg central station, carrying a bulky object wrapped in that morning's
newspaper. (page 39, paragraph 2, line 8-10). The line shows the segregation
happens towards the blacks in a matter of public facilities. As the whites have the
authority in the apartheid era in South Africa, they use the law to refuse the rights of
the majority black people. As the result, the blacks are given unequal right in their
own land.
The other example is, blacks are meant to stay put, in their own ethnically-
apportioned streets in their own segregated areas, in those parts of South Africa
where the government says they belong. (page 43, paragraph 1, line 12-15)The line
shows that blacks are not allowed to get outside from their segregated area that has
been firmed by the government.
MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI
910911-06-5255

Citation from Kirszner and Mandell above also shows that the blacks are not
given the opportunity to receive a good education during this Apartheid regime. From
the lines He wanted to go because he felt he needed some kind of general
education, general cultural background that hed missed, in his six years at the
location school. Since Ive been at your place, Ive been reading a lot of your books.
And man, I know nothing. Im as ignorant as that kid of yours there in the pram,
(page 42, paragraph 4, line 3-8) it is proven that there is separation or gap of
educational standards between the whites and blacks. The whites are given finer
education scheme than the blacks. Black people are left behind in the aspect of
education. The government wants the blacks to remain as they were before; know
nothing about life and education. They are afraid that the blacks might offence them
if they receive a better education scheme.

2. Racial Prejudice

According to Robinson, A.J, he says laws prohibited most social contacts
between the races. It means during the apartheid regime, the laws forbidden the
blacks to get interact with the whites. White people are considered as superior than
the blacks so they cannot mix up together. Blacks as considered inferior should not
get interact with the whites and should stay put in their segregated areas where they
are told to be there. The whites also use the power of law to contradict the rights of
freedom to get interact from the blacks. This can be seen in the lines We had to
remember to write out passess at night, so that our actors could get home without
been arrested for being out after the curfew for blacks (page 38, paragraph 1, line 6-
9) in the short story.



MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI
910911-06-5255
Then, the government also decline to give the passport for the black people
who are living like a white man. Black people usually want the passport to get out
from South Africa and go to other country such as America or even in the other part
of Africa like North Africa. Their intention is to run away from the law of Apartheid
and even to further their study. But the government of South Africa will not let this
happen as they might get interact with other people. As the result from that, they
might get a better education and starts to against the government. This can be seen
in the lines from the short story Once his attempts to get him a passport had
failed...he was given no reason for the refusal. The official answer was the usual
onethat it was not in the public interest to reveal the reason for such things.
(page 43, paragraph 1, line 1-7)
3. Violence
According to cs-students.stanford. The History of Apartheid in South Africa, it
states that In 1953, the Public Safety Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act
were passed, which empowered the government to declare stringent states of
emergency and increased penalties for protesting against or supporting the repeal of
a law...The penalties imposed on political protest, even non-violent protest, were
severe...Thousands of individuals died... The line means that after the black people
starts to protest the governments law, the government or the whites starts to take
action to bend this situation by doing in violence way. It is proven when Elias Nkomo
is suddenly died after he gets involve with the anti-apartheid movement. The
government also says that his death should not be revealed to public. This shows
how the government takes action to restrain the problems that may disturb their rule
in South Africa. It can be seen in the lines Elias Nkomo had spoken at an anti-
apartheid rally...but within two weeks Elias was dead...It is not in the private interest
that this should be revealed. (page 44, paragraph 1, line 22-23, 39-40, page 45,
paragraph 1, line 41)
In conclusion, this story shows the difficulties that the black people are having
through during the time of Apartheid regime. Their situation can be referred as alien
in their own homeland as the whites take control the country and abandon them.

MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI
910911-06-5255

REFRENCES

BOOK
Kirszner, L.G & Mandell, S.R (2007), Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing,
Sixth Edition. United States of America: Thomson Wadsworth.

WEBSITE
cs-students. The History of Apartheid in South Africa. Retrieved on April 27,
2011 from
http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html

Robinson, A.J. Apartheid. Retrieved on April 27, 2011 from
http://www.africanaencyclopedia.com/apartheid/apartheid.html

















MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI
910911-06-5255

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I: MOHAMAD SYARQAWI B. MOHAMAD FADELI

i. have acknowledged all work and ideas in my research paper was taken from
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that if any of the above is found to be untrue, Open University Malaysia has the full right
to take any disciplinary action that the University deems fit as denoted under the latest
Student Handbook or 'Buku Panduan Pelajar terkini'.

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(signature)
Name : MOHAMAD SYARQAWI B. MOHAMAD FADELI
Matric No. : 910911-06-5255
Date : 29
th
APRIL 2011

MOHAMAD SYARQAWI BIN MOHAMAD FADELI
910911-06-5255


APPENDICES