Western Civilization Condemned by Itself (2 vols.) · Maryam Jameelah
1 I
✎ Edit this chapter · every correction is checked before it appears
Printed pages 438
In this chapter (10 sections)
- bus and bicycle mornings to work in llic• homoR, in
- city would be har\<l put to find labour.
- has within it tho seed · of a great tra~Nly. Only like so many otl1cr crises jn om· country, it is unknown to most of tho white cit.izenR of .Tohannesburg and even when known, it is d iseoun ted by
- Tl10 fart that it affects human life is of little account; for hurnall life is as cheap as human labour if it is black anti :iH easily
- from A Jexnndra know it simJJly by name· as indeed
- which her constant defence against criticism.
- The prol,Jem is this; been U8C’ of a new regulation concerning the influx of African 11\bour into the
- dty, no Africa.it who wa.H not born in J ohann(‘sburg, no African who rather cannot prove that he was born there, is entitled to seek or to find work in the city. Now .\Iexan\<lra township is not Johannesburg. Although it exists and has always existed to serve Johannesburg, although its householders, its tenants and its suL-tonants are the labour forco of thu city and although the only reason why they live in Alexandra is because of its proximity, it is not Johannesburg. Today becau e of this new reguk .. · t.ion and the fierceness with which it is being en· forced, hundreds of youngsters who have been born there are being turned into gangsters. The boys of Alexandra are rotting away in the overcrowded yards, in the dusty treets, at. the corners and in the a.Boys l>ecnuse they cannot get out to work even if
- Absolom’s father is working at 0.K. Bazaars. He has be\<:’n there for fifteen years and in the course of that time, he has managed to buy his own property in the township. He has a large family and Absolom is the oldest boy imd has just left i;chool. He isn’t
- ren to educate, there’s no hope for him of a. boarding school where he mi~h t be able to train for tea.ch·
with itH \<’ighty to ninety tliousa.nd people i~ a unique pine\<’. To begin witJi, it is not within the municipal boundary but its rcsi\<lenl :-1 arc part. of the labour foreo of .J ohannesh11rg.
‘fh(•y come in by
bus and bicycle mornings to work in llic• homoR, in
the shop~ tind in Lhe fo\<’tori\<•. of Uw t·it.’.
\\Tithout Alexnndra, the northern suburl1H would ha.Vt’ to go . erv autlcsti an cl not a few commercial concNnR in the
city would be har\<l put to find labour.
Now, however, there ls a crisis aud ono which
has within it tho seed · of a great tra~Nly. Only like so many otl1cr crises jn om· country, it is unknown to most of tho white cit.izenR of .Tohannesburg and even when known, it is d iseoun ted by
those in authoriiy.
Tl10 fart that it affects human life is of little account; for hurnall life is as cheap as human labour if it is black anti :iH easily
replaceable. ThosC’ whose Rervants come day by day
from A Jexnndra know it simJJly by name· as indeed
do tho:-:it· whosr servants come fro111 Sophia town and Orlando and Pimvillc.
Tt is exceedingly rare for any European housewife to go nnd se\<’ lhC’ horn\<’ of her wai:;b-girl or her rook; certninly not normnlly included in the kindnNlS which is her uuast, C:Crtaiqly not included in her knowJ,·\<lgc of thr natives
which her constant defence against criticism.
The prol,Jem is this; been U8C’ of a new regulation concerning the influx of African 11\bour into the
dty, no Africa.it who wa.H not born in J ohann(‘sburg, no African who rather cannot prove that he was born there, is entitled to seek or to find work in the city. Now .\Iexan\<lra township is not Johannesburg. Although it exists and has always existed to serve Johannesburg, although its householders, its tenants and its suL-tonants are the labour forco of thu city and although the only reason why they live in Alexandra is because of its proximity, it is not Johannesburg. Today becau e of this new reguk .. · t.ion and the fierceness with which it is being en· forced, hundreds of youngsters who have been born there are being turned into gangsters. The boys of Alexandra are rotting away in the overcrowded yards, in the dusty treets, at. the corners and in the a.Boys l>ecnuse they cannot get out to work even if
they want. to.
Absolom’s father is working at 0.K. Bazaars. He has be\<:’n there for fifteen years and in the course of that time, he has managed to buy his own property in the township. He has a large family and Absolom is the oldest boy imd has just left i;chool. He isn’t
very clever.
And in any case wit.h five more child·
ren to educate, there’s no hope for him of a. boarding school where he mi~h t be able to train for tea.ch·
ing. Tho only course open to him is a. job in town