JC
A mixed BBC News correspondent explores the life of Happy Sidane, a South African who made headlines two years ago after going to a police station and claiming that he was white, merely abducted by a black woman in his infancy, so that he could serve as a slave (Thanks for the tip, Gui!). People were gripped with his story, and a few white couples even came out to declare that they were his true parents. When pictures were released, the author immediately saw that Happy must be mixed, but wondered “why no one seemed to have noticed it.” He was DNA tested, and it was declared that Happy was indeed not white.

This knowledge unfortunately placed Happy back where he started, in a community that of which he didn’t want to be a part. He wanted to be white. He was then moved to a youth centre to protect him from all of the media attention. Unfortunately, he was unhappy there as well, and attemped to escape. He then turned to drinking, which lead to a major accident one night — he was so drunk that he lost consciousness, was hit by one car, and then another which left him with a fractured skull, punctured lungs, etc. He had to have plastic surgery to rebuild his face. After the accident, he decided to go back to his family, the Sidanes. The author argues that he has felt out of place not only because he is mixed, but because he was abandoned at an early age by both biological parents:

In many instances, to be of mixed blood origin is to have the wrong skin colour. Without the support of his mother or his father, Happy failed to forge a well-defined sense of identity for himself. He became like a leaf, blown around by the wind. At the same time, Happy was well aware that whites seemed to lead a much better life than the majority of blacks. Not feeling fulfilled in his community, he started thinking about leaving. He finally came to the conclusion that all his problems would be solved if he could be accepted in the white man’s world. Sadly, Happy cried out for help but wasn’t heard. And this is very much what a fair number of mixed-blood children go through when they can’t find answers to the question of knowing to which community they belong.

Clearly he has a desire to be accepted into both worlds and to be able to identify as mixed, but that doesn’t seem a viable option for him in present day South Africa.

“I only drink when I want to forget my past,” he told the newspaper. “It haunts me no matter how much I try to forget.” The truth is, Happy would like to be recognised by the black and white communities. He has understood that, since he cannot become white, if he marries a white woman she would introduce him to the white world and to the Western way of life. At the same time, his wish to belong to Ndebele culture shows that he values its traditions and beliefs and that he wants to be fully integrated. His decision to go back to the Sindane family proves that he has finally realised that they were the ones who gave him support and offered some stability in his life.

At times, I want to go and see Happy to tell him that everything will be all right and that he will find some peace of mind in the end. But I know all too well that his future and that of many other mixed blood children like him, will be filled with uncertainty and contradictions until the day race relations become more harmonious.

And one more interesting fact! In South Africa, there was a parallel to the U.S.’ “paper bag test“…the comb test!

It is true that during apartheid, there was the famous “test of the comb”. When somebody’s origin was in doubt, a comb with fine teeth would be used to comb his or her hair. If the comb ran through it easily, then that person could be classified as white. Sometimes, in the same family, a child would be declared white while his brother or sister was not.

That’s accuracy for you!