Colour TV

Written: Sat. 3 September 2011

A bit hindered by technology, but decided to go ahead anyway. My laptop has a virus problem, so, until it’s sorted, I’m not inserting my memory stick – it corrupted two of our memory sticks, last week, before we realised what the problem was. Like so many other things in life, sorting this out requires spending money, but, like just as many other things in life, there’s always Plan B: finding a friend who’ll do it as a favour.

I’ve realised that I enjoy sitting and typing as much as I do writing (with a pen). Whatever I type now can’t be saved on my memory stick until the virus problem is fixed, so I won’t have the gratification of posting my new article on my blog within a day or two. My recent blog posts have been relatively short, because I’ve been typing them at the internet café. I’ve thought of writing them out and then typing them at the café later, but that somehow defeats the spontaneity (a friend of mine says “spontanuity”) of blogging.

I heard something funny on tv last night – watched “Colour TV” for the first time – which was a performer saying she had an assistant updating her blog regularly. The interviewer asked her, “With your ideas or hers?” (Funny how he assumed the assistant was a woman.) She replied that the assistant posted her ideas (the artist’s). I suppose this is fairly common, as I’m sure there many different applications of the blog concept, but I somehow like the idea of someone, no matter how busy or famous, taking the time to sit down and record, in his/her own words, things on a blog. I don’t doubt that this perspective might change as I encounter more blogs and see the diverse ways in which they’re used. I suppose they’ve come to replace websites, to a large extent.

So, how do I feel about “Colour TV”? As I said, I’ve watched it once only, and that was simply because I was busy doing something in the lounge, the tv was on, I looked up and there it was – a newish South African television programme specifically showcasing “Coloured” people. When I first saw it advertised, a few weeks ago, I did not find it interesting - or important – in any way, and simply forgot about it. The repeated ads kept bringing it to my attention, but again, I didn’t diarise it nor make a mental note to catch it when it came on, unlike my reaction to another new tv programme, “Hello Doctor”, which I thoroughly enjoy and make a point of watching every Sunday at 5pm.

“Colour TV”, from what I gather, attempts to show the funny side of Coloured people, as well as showcase individuals who’ve achieved success in their fields of specialization. My reaction to the humour ranged from a reluctant grimace to a spontaneous guffaw, the latter confined to the ad lib-type comments by the two characters who’re supposed to be the behind-the-scenes studio engineers. They’re quite funny, and their lines sound authentic.

What I do have a problem with, and I might as well be bold enough to just say it, is the perpetuation of the Coloured stereotype – I really don’t need yet another display of the same thing. Yes, many Coloured people talk in a sing-song accent; yes, many Coloured people mix their languages and often can’t speak even one of them fluently; yes, music and performance play a huge role in the lives of many Coloured people (show me a culture where this is not so); yes, the comedic element is rife……… but why is the focus once again on the ridiculous?

What exactly is the goal, here? If this is in response to the hugely successful tv programme, Eastern Mosaic, which focuses on the Indian community in South Africa, I think it’s seriously missed the point. Eastern Mosaic doesn’t caricature its target audience and perpetuate embarrassing stereotypes. It celebrates the history and culture of South Africans of Indian descent, and does so very successfully, in a way that entertains and educates viewers (from diverse backgrounds).

I’ve been wondering about something: the guest who was interviewed towards the end of the programme (by Terrence somebody) – Shimmy – spent so much time doing the raucous Coloured laugh that she looked like she was faking it. Are the guests given the brief as to how to behave, so that you come across as a real Coloured? And what is a real Coloured, anyway?

I won’t deny that the apartheid system, in forcing people to live as separate nationalities within one country, created pockets of culture within the nation, and yes, we did end up developing separate identities. I’m all for celebrating diversity, but I’m afraid this kind of thing doesn’t resonate with me. It’s like those District 6 plays – someone described the genre as “the heart without the head”, and I agree that many of those plays are slanted in a direction that focuses on the soap-opera aspect, rather than whatever else was happening at the same time in history, to people from that same community.

Yes, show South Africans and what they’re all about. Yes, educate the different communities about each other’s peculiarities. Yes, be proudly whoever you want to be. But please don’t portray these differences in ways that over-simplify and ridicule. Do we really want the first thing that comes into someone’s mind when they hear the word “Coloured” to be a picture of someone speaking bad English with a couple of missing teeth and a laugh that hints at some kind of chemical imbalance?! The stand-up comedians have milked that stereotype to death – enough already!

I’ve learnt to trust my instincts. If I spent most of the time cringing while watching “Colour TV”, then I honestly can’t say I found it enjoyable, educational or in any way entertaining.

I won’t be watching it again.

I look forward to a more current and relevant take on the topic.