Rhoda Kadalie Having her Say about White Privelege

Their commitment makes nonsense of this notion of ‘white privilege’ and ‘whiteness’ in our racist discourse today.
Let me put my cards on the table. I hate the rhetoric from protesting students about “black pain”, “white privilege” and “whiteness”.
They are hellbent on stirring up violence, division and disruption to their education just because they have to work. Yes, they need to work like all of us black students had to under apartheid.
There was no national student fund for us, accommodation was scarce and we did menial tasks to get through higher education. It is time the protesters admit their rage is about the battle for the hearts and minds of the student vote since the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation is unexpectedly taking over student representative councils, not least because of the dishevelment of many of them.
Of course, students struggle and there are accommodation issues. And yes, universities are alienating. But that is part of becoming an adult.
Our protesting students avoid adulthood and are poor role models for kids at school, who are keen to succeed.
What do they see? Students burning art, smashing pianos and burning down libraries and labs. This week, I spent an entire day evaluating a rural music and arts project with my team in the farmlands of Grabouw.
I discovered four white women who, in my estimation, should receive an international award for doing national development work government should be doing. Their commitment makes nonsense of this notion of “white privilege” and “whiteness” in our racist discourse today.
These Mother Teresas share with a dedication unmatched their music and arts expertise with local children. The first stop was Pineview Primary.
In a small prefab classroom, about 60 kids sang in a choir that could rate with some of the best in SA. The pupils sang passionately while radiating smiles as broad as the ocean.
The relationship between teacher and children was one of trust. They moved from one rendition to the next, showing off their prowess.
Thereafter, we visited another school to witness a teacher instructing kids to reproduce different art forms. As we walked around watching the kids drawing pictures, the range of quality was astounding.
We picked up immediately which kids had perceptual difficulties and which ones excelled. This helped teachers with referrals to social workers.
The next stop was another arts project where the teacher and pupils adorned the art room with mosaic tiles into an aesthetically pleasing space.
There, the teacher demonstrated to young kids how to reproduce a stillewe by showing them a real “still life” painting and one recreated on the table with vases filled with flowers, surrounded by onions.
The piece de resistance came at the end of our fieldwork. A visit to a marimba class showed beginners emulating older students with finesse.
Later, five older pupils joined them, hungry and tired from having walked some distance in the heat. They gave a splendid performance, justifying the prize won last year in a national competition.
Betsie, Melissa, Salome and headmistress Mrs Du Plooy may be white, but their place in the pantheon of SA’s national treasures is etched in the heavens