Rising counter-narratives shift reality

A WEEK or so ago a group of Afrikaners in a public statement challenged what they termed, “the narrative that casts Afrikaners as victims of racial persecution’, and its role in the Trump administration's position on farmer genocide and refugee status.

- RUDI BUYS

They distanced themselves from the efforts of particular Afrikaner interest groups that they claim authored and continue to drive this narrative for political gain. Their goal? To establish a counter-narrative that describes a different reality, namely that Afrikaners are engaged citizens who actively contribute to building a new society with and alongside diverse other groups .

The public response was a mix of public statements by commentators and organisations that hold similar views to appreciate the stance, and vitriol by those against it to discredit the signatories and the initiative as a whole. What made it significant, however, was that this was a first coordinated and nonpartisan initiative by individuals outside of political organisations to publicly deny the merits of a recognised political and cultural narrative and offer a narrative to replace it - a local instance of an emerging counter-narrative.

On the international stage a similar instance took place when Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim American politician, was elected as the mayor of New York, with more than half of the votes. Commentators have termed his victory as a significant one for progressives and a challenge to the politics of the Trumpera. Mamdani is a known social democrat and has been outspoken against Trumpian politics.