[imagesource:instagram/@tyla]

One of the biggest breakout artists of 2023 is the South African Amapiano star Tyla.

Her song ‘Water‘ went from TikTok sensation to Grammy nominations, raising the 21-year-old Johannesburg native’s profile considerably in a relatively short time. Naturally, this has left fans wanting to know more about her.

However, most of the American folks are confused about why she identifies as ‘Coloured’ and not as ‘Black’. Cape Talk reported that several Americans took to social media recently to express that they refused to refer to the hitmaker as coloured because they viewed it as a racial slur. Americans don’t seem to understand that 8.8% of South Africa’s population identifies as coloured.

Just a wee reminder that America isn’t the centre of the universe and that race is a social construct, and not a very useful or even logical one at that. Mzansi stood by Tyla:

She is not Black. Tyla is Coloured.

The racial history of America is not the only one that’s valid.

You cannot negate someone’s entire ancestry & lineage simply because it doesn’t fit in with your American world view.

Stop erasing Tyla’s identity. It’s not cool. https://t.co/3YUh7rc7Rm

— Melo’s Mommy ❤️ (@LeratoMannya) November 19, 2023

Besides, race is viewed differently in SA than it is in the States. Whereas in America, race is considered more of a binary, South African views on race were informed by apartheid and something a lot of mixed-race folks have reclaimed now.

Co-author of the book Coloured, Tessa Dooms, confirmed that the word “coloured is also a term that is an invention of colonialism and apartheid but it has taken on and continued a meaning that has far surpassed that”:

“Coloured still exists in the South African hexagon not because the apartheid government did such a good job of making us believe that we are somehow different from other black groupings in society. But, because coloured communities forced together by the violence of apartheid and classification have created communities of people who have created a shared lived experience… shared meaning, culture and religion.”

Tyla is of Indian, Zulu, Mauritian and Irish descent.

 

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A post shared by Tyla (@tyla)

In America, Blackness is defined by the so-called “one-drop rule,” where having just one recent Black ancestor and the appearance of certain facial traits would be enough to earn the distinction, with all of its societal advantages and disadvantages.

Every two business days Americans on this app argue that Meghan Markle isn’t a black woman because “the one drop rule” but they want to fight tooth and nail to call Tyla, a Coloured woman with mixed ancestry who doesn’t even ID as black, a black person. Make it make sense

— 🇵🇸 (@naledimashishi) November 19, 2023

Identifying as ‘coloured’ is both a function of heritage and of the politics in SA. Nevertheless, the Americans won’t have any of it:

No one in the USA white or Black American media is going to call her “coloured” lol. She will be called South African here, and you all know that. We know she isn’t Black. But we don’t use “coloured, colored” here. Tyla is South African, thee end.

— FrenchieRae (@FrenchieRae) November 20, 2023

Fair enough. Each side is just going to have to respect the other and use the term that makes the most sense in their context.

No bad blood, just water:

By the way, if anyone was confused about what the song is about: it’s not about water politics but about sweaty sex. Now that we’re all clear on that…

[sources:capetalk&iol&blavity]