Numbers

Die Antwoord raps:

“WEN U SAY SOUTH AFRICA DA 1ST FINGZ DAT CUM 2 MIND
IS YUP: RACISM, APARTHEID AN CRIME
F*K A RACIST! MUDDAFUKKAZ IZ STUCK IN ’89.”

…Or 2012.  South Africa’s latest census, released October 30 2012, has a few points to make on the racism question:

• On average, white South Africans make six times more than black South Africans, who make up nearly 80% of the country
• Nearly 30% of the labor force is jobless (50% of black South Africans are unemployed)
• Over three million children are orphans (but that doesn’t stop potential parents from waiting five to ten years to adopt white babies)

To avoid playing the blame game, we’ll throw in here that according to the 2010 US Census, white families in the US make 168% what black American families make on average (and according to a recent Brandeis study, white families in the US hold an average of $95k more total wealth than black families — a gap that has more than quadrupled in the last 23 years).

While statistics like these can be daunting, we need not throw our hands up in despair.  Complicated policy arguments can distract us from a basic solution that the majority in every country favors, but neither South Africa nor the United States invests enough money, political pull or airtime in: education.  Anyone who doubts that basic education is dysfunctional South Africa need only pick up a copy of Catherine Besteman’s Transforming Cape Town:

“Of fifteen secondary schools in Khayelitsha in the year 2001, only forty-three learners from a matric group of nine thousand attempted maths as a requirement for university entrance.  Forty-three out of nine thousand. Only six people in the whole of the Western Cape — I’m talking about African language speakers — managed to get above 60 percent for maths and science.”

– John Gilmour

But enough statistics.  Here are some options for action.

For South Africans:

– Get involved with Heal the Hood (founded by The Creators‘ Emile Jansen)

– Help build The Khayelitsha Music Academy (founded by The Creators‘ Ongx Mona – more from him below)

– Volunteer with Khayelitsha’s own Baphumelele orphanage 

-Donate your bike.  The Abahlali Bikes Initiative repurposes old bicycles as pedicabs (providing much-needed jobs in the townships) and donates the rest to Baphumelele.

For those not living in South Africa:

– Connect directly with any of the artists in The Creators to get involved with their current projects:

• Emile Jansen (Emile YX?) is the founder and director of Heal the Hood.  They have programs based in the Western Cape that operate in townships throughout South Africa around the world.
• Ongx Mona (lead singer of Warongx) founded the Khayelitsha Music Academy.  The school was recently robbed and is in the process of relocating to a safer area now.  No better time to get involved.
• Black Pearl just released her full length album, Against All Odds, and works based in the Cape Flats as well.
• Faith47 just opened her first solo exhibit, Fragments of a burnt history, at the David Krut Gallery in Joburg
• Mthetho Mapoyi is studying opera at the Black Tie Ensemble in Pretoria.
• Sweat.X continues to tear it up aurally on Bandcamp

-Donate to one of the charities recommended by The Life You Can Save.  Measure the direct impact of your donation using their Impact Calculator, developed by producer/director of The Creators Laura Gamse.

-Help build libraries in South African schools

For the faint-hearted (or shallow-pocketed):

-Donate your bike.  The Abahlali Bikes Initiative repurposes old bicycles as pedicabs and donates the rest to Khayelitsha orphanages.

– Give The Creators DVD as a gift.  75% of net proceeds go to the artists featured in the documentary and the South African crew who made the film a reality.

– Check out what the one and only Vusi Mahasela (whose music was removed from the international release of The Creators, despite the artist’s own wishes, by Sony Music earlier this year) has to say about education in South Africa.

For everyone else, here’s a deleted scene from The Creators, featuring our favorite man Ongama “Ongx” Mona:

P.S.  One last word on Die Antwoord.  Their lyrics now fit in well with the global top 40, but hopefully their master plan involves infiltrating mainstream media in order to bring billions of rands back home and start schools all over South Africa.  Let’s hope.  In the meantime, check out Waddy Jones’ much more lyrically substantial, aurally stimulating and less financially successful former project, The Constructus Corporation (which he made along with Marcus Wormstorm of Sweat.X long before The Creators was a glint in our eye).  Read the lyrics below if there’s any mystery why they’re not big on Gaga.

Lyrics:

I don’t know if you noticed, but your planet is uh, sorta like, pretty fucked up.
Now the severely chaotic vibration caused by the slaughter of innocent sentient beings has led to this current situation.
Now unless you’ve been blessed with the ability to manipulate your destiny, stick your head back in this hole.
Part of me is like, “Pardon me, sorry to disturb your little comfort zone,”
and the rest of me is like “WAKE THE FUCK UP FOR GOODNESS SAKES!”
Don’t let you children pay for your mistakes.
The human race cannot evolve so long as they consume flesh.
Question: does your world resemble heaven or hell?
The demon people have got you trapped in their voodoo spell
We weren’t designed to exist like this
It was created in the image of an almighty compassionate entity
So it looks like we’re gonna have to rearrange things a little
So we can experience this shit like it was meant to be.

Yoo-hoo?
Wakey-wakey!

How come I can’t fly or breath under water like I can in my dreams?
Or like, communicate with animals like Adam and Eve?
These and many other exciting questions will be answered
When the power hungry uglies controlling this realm get blasted
By their own reflection
Calm minds provide protection
Neglection of your health is the best way to get swayed
Manipulated by blood spells
You eat food containing fear that’s why you’re scared
And I’m prepared for the transition from Pieces to Aquarius

I’m on a mission, steady
Hitting pressure points with pinpoint precision
‘Til they take the carrots of their fuckin’ ears and listen

Yoo-hoo?!
Wakey-wakey!

I don’t really think anyone’s that different from me
We rock individually and connect invisibly
The Thunder cats on the track never skipping a beat
Fresh like an early morning skinny-dip in the sea.

“Do you hear that humming?
What are these strange tracks in the sand?
There’s something coming! Come on man, let’s get back in the van!”
Said Jim to his good friend Dr. Spock but when Spock disappeared Jim was like “What the fuck!”
He freaked out — whipped out his face and started looking around.
Little did he know that Spock was safe with us under the ground,
“Relax doctor this won’t hurt, please don’t panic!”
The beat started banging, and we began the reprogramming.
I told him not be nervous, we’d fucked with his head on purpose and sent him back to the surface with Jim
“*bah* Spock my heart!”
“Sorry captain.”
“Aw it’s fine man, what happened?”

Yoo-hoo?!
Wakey-wakey!

La-di-da-da-da
“Sir, um why do have those two carrots stuck in your ears?”
“Uhhh, I’m sorry I can’t hear you, I’ve got these two carrots stuck in my ears…”