‘Coloured’

Identity of singer defies apartheid

By Rachel Savage

‘I don’t expect to be identified as Coloured outside South Africa. I understand the weight of that word’Tyla Singer When Tyla exploded on to the global music scene with her hit Water, the South African singer did not just gain attention for her R&B vocals and dance moves. Tyla’s proud description of herself as “coloured” has also caused controversy, particularly in the US, where the word has a painful racist history. The debates have highlighted the difficulties of discussing and dealing with race and identity issues in a globalised world, with words that can be deeply offensive in some countries reclaimed with pride in others. Many Black and Coloured South Africans have stepped in online to defend the Grammy-winning singer’s right to define her own identity. At the same time, younger Coloured South…

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Guardian Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 23 August 2024

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