Kaffir Boy Commotion
Books like Kaffir Boy are usually banned for the "explicit content" they provide. But great non-fiction books like these cannot be just left behind. Mark Mathabane’s astounding narrative book tells of an experience that many african americans have faced.
Kaffir Boy Commotion
A man’s dignity is very important, but in apartheid-ridden South Africa, the law is given more value; Kaffir Boy, an appalling autobiography by Mark Mathabane clearly exemplifies the physically and psychologically battered life of a passionate young child, Johannes. Johannes grows up knowing that all the whites make the laws while the inferior blacks follow these laws with no objection. However, he soon realizes that the rebellious spirit of his parents’ generation has already given in to the whites and now it is up to his generation to fight the apartheid. On his quest to revolutionize South Africa, Johannes stumbles upon tennis and through this “white” sport he realizes that not all of South Africa’s 4.5 million whites are racist. Most importantly, he learns that fighting violence with violence won’t prove successful, and that he must acquire the power of his pen to educate the world about the horrific truths of the apartheid. Johannes’s struggle to inform the world about apartheid South Africa through his own words starts and he decides that the only way he can accomplish this goal is by traveling to the “land of the free”, America. Mark Mathabane’s spell-bounding autobiography has obtained many awards and attained a lot of praises, is one of the most commonly challenged books, and the mere excuse of its censorship is very unreasonable.
The Kaffir Boy is occasionally praised because of the unique experience it provides to readers. For example, the last two sentences of Mark’s autobiography, “I wanted to tell the man to turn back, but I didn’t. I followed destiny”, are very moving (Mathabane 350). Mark’s determination to further educate himself is very astonishing. Also, because of this will-power; he has successfully accomplished his goal, to tell the world about the horrors of apartheid. In addition, Mark is one of the recipients of the 1986 Christopher Awards, which are only given to people who “remind audiences and readers of their worth, individuality, and power to positively impact and change our world” (The New York Times). This shows that Mark’s true story has the power to reach people who have given up, and it teaches them to stay strong. Also, this award proves that Mark Mathabane is an excellent writer and that he knows what he is writing about. Mark Mathabane has achieved numerous awards and praises for this unlikely, but true, book.
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