“People are like chocolate; you can have white chocolate, you can have dark chocolate, and then you can have milk chocolate, but it’s all Nestle,” – Trevor Noah.
Grammy award-winning South African musician Tyla has been trending over the last few weeks because of her identity as a coloured person in the US and the countless debates surrounding her identity.
Quickly rising to fame in the US with her hit and Grammy-winning song, Water, many African Americans on social media classified her as a black woman.
Many South Africans on TikTok were quick to come to Tyla’s defence, describing why she is classified as coloured and that the confusion of many African Americans stems from a cultural clash.
In a recent interview, moreover, on the popular American radio show, The Breakfast Club, Tyla did not answer a question posed by Charlamagne The God, “School me on these debates that they be having about your identity as a South African coloured person, what does that even mean?”
Her refusal to answer the question further sparked debates on her identity which prompted her to put out a typed-out message on X:
“Never denied my blackness, idk [I don’t know] where that came from…I’m mixed with black/Zulu, Irish, Mauritian/Indian and Coloured… Race is classified differently in different parts of the world.”
Here is the full message:
Tyla’s statement begs the question, how is race classified in Africa as opposed to the United States?
In the US the term ‘coloured’ is a racial slur used to describe African Americans during the Jim Crow Era in the 19th and early 20th century in the United States.
The Jim Crow Era was characterised by discrimination against African Americans. This included but was not limited to mandated racial segregation of public facilities shown in the image below:
In South Africa, on the other hand, the term ‘coloured’ is a racial descriptor for a mixed-race person.
As having risen to fame in America, most African Americans believe that categorising Tyla as a black woman is an easy classification because of the systematic structures of race in America, but it is much different in Africa, as Tyla notes.
Race classification in Africa varies significantly by region and is influenced by historical, cultural, and social factors. Here’s a brief overview of how race is generally understood and classified in different parts of the continent:
North Africa
In North Africa, race is often classified based on a combination of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic criteria. The major racial and ethnic groups include:
- Berbers (Amazigh): Indigenous people of North Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mali. Generally, they have a range of skin tones, from light to olive or tan.
- Arabs: Predominantly Arabic-speaking populations, heavily influenced by the Arab conquests starting in the 7th century. Typically have medium to olive skin tones.
- Nubians: Indigenous people found mainly in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Usually, they have dark to very dark skin tones.
- Tuaregs: A Berber-speaking nomadic people in the Sahara. Often have medium to dark skin tones, with some variation.
East Africa
East Africa’s racial classification is diverse due to its migration, trade, and colonialism history. Major groups include:
- Bantu-speaking peoples: Most are in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. Usually, they have medium to dark skin tones.
- Nilotic peoples: Including the Maasai, Luo, and Turkana in Kenya, Uganda, and South Sudan. Typically, they have very dark skin tones.
- Cushitic peoples: Found mainly in Ethiopia, Somalia, and parts of Kenya. Generally, they have medium to dark skin tones.
- Indian and Arab descendants: Present due to historic trade routes and colonial-era labour migration, especially in coastal regions. Skin tones range from light to medium for Indian descendants and medium to olive for Arab descendants.
West Africa
West Africa is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the world. Key groups include:
- Mandé peoples: Found in Mali, Guinea, and parts of Senegal. Generally, they have dark skin tones.
- Hausa: Predominantly in Nigeria and Niger. Usually, they have dark skin tones.
- Yoruba and Igbo: Major ethnic groups in Nigeria. Typically, they have dark skin tones.
- Fulani: Spread across many West African countries as a historically nomadic people. They often have medium to dark skin tones, with some lighter variations due to their historical movements and interactions.
Southern Africa
Southern Africa has a complex racial history due to colonization and apartheid, especially in South Africa. Key classifications include:
- Bantu-speaking peoples: Including Zulu, Xhosa, and Shona. Groups like Zulu, Xhosa, and Shona generally have medium to dark skin tones.
- White Africans: Descendants of Dutch, British, Portuguese, and other European settlers. Skin tones vary from very light to light, similar to European populations.
- Coloureds: A mixed-race group with ancestry from Khoisan, Bantu, and European populations. A mixed-race group with a wide range of skin tones from light to medium brown.
- Indian and South Asian descendants: Particularly in South Africa, due to colonial-era labour migrations. Typically, they have light brown to medium brown skin tones.
In a world where racial classifications vary vastly across borders, Tyla’s journey highlights the complexities of identity in our interconnected age.
Her experience as a ‘Coloured’ South African navigating a predominantly Black-and-White American racial landscape underscores the need for broader understanding and acceptance of diverse identities.
As Tyla continues to rise as a global star, her story challenges us to rethink our perceptions and embrace the rich tapestry of racial and cultural identities that make up our world.
Tyla not only bridges cultural divides but also opens a dialogue on the fluidity and multifaceted nature of identity.
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