Latest news with #ZulaikhaPatel
News24
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News24
Youth Month spotlight: Zulaikha Patel and crowning the glory
Zulaikha Patel is the author of children's book called Brave Like Me. She believes people should be able to live freely and boldly. Zulaikha says memories of high school hair policies still linger. ____________________________________________________ Nine years ago, Zulaikha Patel, the fearless founder of Dare to Change, sparked an anti-racism movement that ignited a global conversation. The world watched, mesmerised, as a harsh reality set in: the past isn't just a distant memory but a reflection of the present – and a reminder that the fight for justice is far from over. The members of that movement still grow, fuelling a new generation of change-makers. As Zulaikha's journey continues, her latest milestone – the release of her second book, Brave Like Me – shines a light on her personal story of childhood bravery forged alongside her dad. This heartwarming biographical children's book intertwines with her courageous stand in 2016, revealing a powerful intersection of the past andpresent. It raises the question: how do you make your voice echo through the noise? As we step into Youth Month this June, this question becomes a rallying cry. It reminds young people to reflect on the world they want to create. What kind of country do they envision? What barriers hold them back from unleashing their full selves? How do personal expressions like hair become a battleground, colliding with restrictive policies? And how can one dare to challenge the status quo and spark real change? View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zulaikha (زليخة) Patel🇿🇦 (@zulaikhapatel_) Hair tangled in politics From the outside, contemporary South Africa is a beautiful place. Visitors flock from around the world to witness its beauty, but beneath the surface, the past continues to cast a long, silent shadow. It's a past marked by painful reminders, like the 'pencil test' that once determined your race and dictated your future. Zulaikha notes how for many young South Africans, this past feels distant, disconnected from their daily lives. Yet, despite this disconnection, they're still grappling with the weight of identity and belonging. They're searching for their place in the world, with the complexities of growing up in a country where history and culture are intertwined. And as they look to the future, they're faced with reconciling their own stories with the ones that have shaped their nation. The world around them, from the streets they call home to the schools they attend, shapes their voice and molds their sense of self. And surprisingly, something that can seem as mundane as hair policies in schools can have an increasing impact, influencing how they see themselves and their place in the world. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zulaikha (زليخة) Patel🇿🇦 (@zulaikhapatel_) Hair policies in schooling systems The memories of high school hair policies still linger, a strict code that governed every strand. Only neutral-coloured hair pieces are allowed, and no bold dye jobs to express individuality. Hair had to be tied back, never framing their faces or obstructing their eyes. Beads and other hair accessories? Forbidden. For Samki and Ntsephe, these rules left them trapped and restricted. Their hair was reduced to a conformist norm. But Orethabisitse saw it differently – a line had to be drawn somewhere, a balance between personal style and school regulations. However, for Zulaikha, it exceeds the simple notion of school regulations. 'People should exist boldly and freely, without any control or surveillance,' she notes. Zulaikha points out the elephant in the room: many of these hair policies have their roots in the apartheid era, and it's time we stop beating around the bush. The racism isn't 'underlying' – it's blatant, it's real, and it's still perpetuated today. For her, this conversation also serves as a stark reminder that, as Black people, there's still a long journey ahead. 'As Black people, we still have a long way to go because our minds tend to be our oppressors,' she says. This internalised oppression can be subtle, yet powerful. Even something like wearing your hair in its natural state can be a radical act. 'When you wear your Afro out, you are already stating your politics,' she notes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zulaikha (زليخة) Patel🇿🇦 (@zulaikhapatel_) Rooted in identity, Zulaikha, with her proud Ndebele and Indian roots, has always celebrated her mixed-race heritage. She reminds people to think about how they express their politics through the way they wear their hair. For those looking to challenge restrictive hair policies that stifle self-expression, she offers some practical advice: - Write the concerns: This simple act can be powerful. By putting your thoughts and feelings into words, you're able to clarify thoughts, identify patterns of injustice, and create a paper trail that can be used to advocate for change. - Go to the district managers of your school: They have the power to implement policy changes and address specific issues within your school. - Go to external governing bodies: The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has the authority to investigate and address human rights violations, including those related to discriminatory hair policies. By involving the SAHRC, you can bring attention to the issue and work towards creating systemic change that benefits not just yourself, but future generations. Being brave 'It's the small waves of change in societies and communities that get blown into greater waves of change in societies,' Zulaikha shares. 'Small acts begin in your home, community, circle, and spaces that you're in.' She emphasises that Youth Day is about the younger generation pushing forward, building on the progress made by those who fought for freedom and equality. As she eloquently puts it, hair is a symbol of resistance and a continuation of the fight for freedom. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Zulaikha (زليخة) Patel🇿🇦 (@zulaikhapatel_) Show Comments ()
TimesLIVE
07-05-2025
- General
- TimesLIVE
Carrot salad recipe to spice up your winter blues
We are living in ridiculous times that require we remain reasonable and do our part to fight injustice while consuming absurd news about cruel politicians. How do we remain sane and take care of our hearts, ourselves and our communities in this crazy world? Usually, I seek refuge in cooking and eating with loved ones, in nature adventures, in comedy and in reading the writing of others, specially about food. I recently read an article in Goya Journal about decolonising the word 'curry' and how we talk about Indian food. It triggered me because I felt it implied words such as curry or curried can be replaced by other words used by Indians in India, without considering the word curry in the diaspora and rest of the world has taken on a flavour of its own. I don't think we can decolonise the phrase 'Durban curries', for example. It's too far gone for that. Curry is a word that came with British colonisation and spread throughout the British Empire. People like me, born in Durban, the city that had the most Indians outside India at one point, are descendants of indentured slaves. There have been several documented waves of Indians/South Asians arriving in SA from the 1600s at the Cape as slaves along with Indonesians, Southeast Asians and East Africans. Later the indentured Indians moved to KwaZulu-Natal from the 1860s to 1910s, and after that many waves of freer, wealthier Indian traders and businesspeople arrived in the country. The British colonised India and SA. There are parallel slavery and indentured histories in Guyana, Belize, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Fiji, Malaysia, Mauritius and more. Each with its Indian influence in the food and culture merged with African, Southeast Asian and European flavours in different ways to create Caribbean and SA food, for example. Most South Africans of Indian descent, like me, have never been to India, neither have their parents or grandparents. There are many more South Africans who don't identify as Indian who have Indian ancestry and were classified or culturally assimilated into different groups, from Tyla to Zulaikha Patel to Bianca Naidoo (wife of the late Riky Rick) to FW De Klerk and Simon van der Stel. Indian blood runs through the veins of this country. I thought I had a deeply rooted love for Indian food. But as time passed, I realised what I call 'Indian food' and what I long for when I am feeling blue is 'SA Indian food', not Indian food from India. Local Indian restaurants serve north Indian food mostly, where the dishes are foreign to me and far from what I was raised on. Though there are similarities with flatbreads, dhals and some of the same ingredients, it is a world away. Curry, like English, does not belong to the British. We have seasoned everything here with our own mix masala, in ways that make no sense to India either. We are nuanced. Curry, like English, does not belong to the British. We have seasoned everything here with our own mix masala, in ways that make no sense to India either. We are nuanced. In the Indian and African diasporas, from the Global South to the Global North, we make and eat curries and curried dishes. The risk in trying to decolonise 'curry' is to continue a different form of colonial thinking and not consider us as part of the discussion — Indians of Africa, Africans of the Caribbean, descendants of people who originate in one place and end up in another, with mixed heritage and different narratives that are not easily understood. Some of my fondest memories from my childhood were spent at kitchen tables and kitchen counters where I was given tasks such as peeling vegetables or grating them. No matter the worldly chaos, this provided some calm. Sometimes I was made to write down recipes while they were narrated to me. This made me feel useful, in touch with my roots, a skilled and a necessary cog of the family machinery. At my mother's brother Pat and his wife Radha's house at their kitchen counter, I loved and continue to love sitting in front of the stove while the food cooks and we catch up. Making carrot salad seemed like an unimportant job for kids then but I am grateful I had the experience of grating, peeling and chopping, a kind of soothing, rhythmic healing in preparing a meal together. I never thought of what we ate as unique or specifically South African. We call it Indian — sometimes we have bread and butter with sugarbeans curry, 'doll' curry, mutton curry, chicken curry, green beans curry, potato curry and there is always yoghurt (which we don't call raita) and carrot salad, which is the one thing I have never seen anywhere else except in SA. Our cold carrot salad is a staple on South African spreads. It is often overlooked, but this carrot salad dressed in vinegar or lemon juice and salt with raw onion, green chilli, coriander, cucumber or variations thereof (starting with the basic grated carrot and vinegar) appears only in SA in the way it does. It's a sign to you that you're eating South African Indian food and not Indian from India food. Ingredients 3 large carrots 2 radishes half a cucumber 2 medium green chillies 1 onion handful coriander 100ml apple cider vinegar juice of one lemon 1 tsp salt Instructions Prepare the vegetables by washing them in cold water. Peel and grate the carrots. Dice the radish, onion, cucumber, coriander and chillies To make the dressing, mix vinegar, lemon juice and salt. Mix until the salt is dissolved then pour over the salad and serve Use apple cider vinegar to turn this into a treat for your microbiomes.
