A Review of Peter Abrahams' "Mine Boy" by Uchenna Emelife
I just concluded my reading of Peter Abrahams' "Mine Boy". A book that tells the story of a young black South African who leaves his family and moves to the city in search of greener pastures. He would later meet racism, get hurt by love and must unlearn his philosophy to face life head on. This was one of the first books which drew attention to the lives of black South Africans in a white dominated country.
My personal highlight of the book is the heart-to-heart between Xuma and his boss, Paddy at the latter pages of the book. An excerpt of the conversation is what I have attached to this post and what I've been triggered to rant on. (See below)
Xuma refuses to agree that Paddy who is white can understand what it means to be black and suffer many losses. He bases his refusal on account of Paddy's skin colour which he opines has never been a disadvantage to him. Xuma had in a little amount of time lost everything that made the city home for him. His girl, Eliza; Leah, a woman who took him in her arms when almost all doors were shut at his face, someone he was growing fond of and was slowly assuming the role of mother in his life.
Paddy takes in all of these and doesn't attempt to invalidate Xuma's stance. What he does instead is question whether Xuma would react the same way if it were a black man that claimed they understood. Xuma says he won't and adds that the reason is because he is black like him.
"I am a man first..." is what Paddy says in his defense. "I am a man first", which goes to say 'that notwithstanding my skin color, I can understand what you’re going through because I am a man first. Just like you are.
Paddy isn't concerned about the difference in their colour. From the book's onset, his hands of friendship have been extended to Xuma but Xuma wouldn't take it, because "Whites and Blacks cannot be friends". Xuma doesn't admit that he is a man first before being black. "I am a black man" he goes on saying.
"The white people in this country think only as white people and that is why they do this harm to your people."
Paddy says to him.
We must look beyond our skin color, look beyond those cultural, social attachments and find common ground to co-exist. Everyone must. Peter uses Paddy to show us the man we can be. A man who cares less about differences with his neighbors, and treats them as equals. A man who would stand with justice even if it means being tried for what isn't a crime and with people that should be his supposed 'inferiors'.
"You must think as a man first," Paddy says. "When you understand that you will be a man with freedom inside your breast. It is only those who are free inside who can help free those around them."
Xuma learns this the hard way. It is the loss of his friend that triggers him to think as a man first. To challenge the status quo in the industry and demand for change. Xuma doesn't care for the first time that the manager is white. He doesn't care that he himself is black and so should be servile. "Build up the place and we will go down" he says and remains on it.
It is this freedom that Paddy talks about.
When we can look beyond what others see as our weaknesses and see them as our strengths, we've taken a giant step toward liberation. Xuma at the close of the book pledges to speak up against white superiority. He could only do that because he stopped looking at himself as only black, but as a man first. "And if it is so you will understand as a black man and also as a white man."
