A question of identity

Kim Karabo Makin, 'the doors of culture shall be opened', 2022, Installation view at Linnaeus, Gaborone
Kim Karabo Makin, 'the doors of culture shall be opened', 2022, Installation view at Linnaeus, Gaborone

You could say I have kind of struggled with my own identity for as long as I can remember.

I became acutely aware of the complexities when I was in Cape Town, with its racialised environment.

I was often asked, “what are you?” At first I’d say, “I’m coloured”, but the inquisitor would often deprecate with a “no, you are mixed”. In South Africa, this is a racial question.

Editor's Comment
Depression is real; let's take care of our mental health

It is not uncommon in this part of the world for parents to actually punish their children when they show signs of depression associating it with issues of indiscipline, and as a result, the poor child will be lashed or given some kind of punishment. We have had many suicide cases in the country and sadly some of the cases included children and young adults. We need to start looking into issues of mental health with the seriousness it...

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