" I am South African but not an African"

And the history curriculum may be reinforcing this.

Many South Africans develop a faint, nearly imperceptible understanding of who they are. We learn about it gradually through education, the media, and casual conversation rather than being taught directly. "I am African" is not something we automatically say. Rather, we may say, "I am South African," or even more specifically, "I am from Southern Africa." Although the distinction could appear simple or even true, it actually reveals a deeper level of training. It shows that rather than being formed throughout the continent, our concept of identity has been formed within borders.

A large portion of this conditioning takes place in the classroom, especially through the history curriculum. Only up until Grade 9, when it is taught as a social science, is history required in South Africa. Since it becomes an elective in grades 10 and 12, many students quit studying history at a basic level. The depth to which young people can interact with issues of identity, belonging, and historical connection is already constrained by this. However, there is a trend in the history curriculum itself, especially in Grades 4 through 9.

Learners are exposed to early African societies, ancient civilizations, and fundamental historical concepts during the Intermediate Phase (Grades 4–6). This is crucial, although it's frequently general and introductory. The concentration starts to narrow by the time students get to the Senior Phase (Grades 7–9). European colonization and expansion are heavily emphasized, as is South Africa's own history, including apartheid and resistance activities. Africa does make an appearance in the curriculum, but frequently in disjointed ways as colonialism is examined as a disturbance, pre-colonial kingdoms are briefly studied, and then the focus returns to South Africa.

African subjects like nationalism, independence movements, and case studies like the Angola or Ghana are included in the curriculum by the time students reach Grades 10 to 12, if they decide to study history. Even so, Africa is frequently portrayed as part of political shifts or struggle narratives rather than as a modern, linked, and dynamic region. Their exposure to the rest of the continent is still restricted, remote, and lacking for the majority of students who do not pursue history beyond Grade 9.

This is important because the power of what is not taught is equal to that of what is. Africa becomes abstract when learners are not regularly exposed to modern African realities, including its economy, cultures, innovations, and daily life. It is either situated in times of crisis or in the distant past. Seldom is it portrayed as a current, living identity that South Africans belong to. Because of this, many people learn more about Europe, colonial powers, and the internal conflicts in South Africa than they do about neighbouring African nations or the continent as large.

This information gap is not coincidental. Its origins can be traced back to the apartheid educational system, which was purposefully created to limit Black South Africans' potential as well as their understanding of the world and themselves. During the apartheid era, education was utilized to discourage any sense of greater African unity, strengthen division, and fracture identity. Instead of being educated to be a part of a broader continental identity, people were taught to exist within limited categories, such as racial, ethnic, and geographic. Apartheid ended in 1994, but its ideological legacy persisted. Some of these patterns are still present in the way knowledge is presented and organized today.

As a result, a strong sense of national but weakly continental association is developed by many South Africans. African countries that are already part of our history tend to elicit the greatest sympathy from us, especially those that sheltered South African freedom fighters during their exile. Because they are repeated and taught, those linkages seem familiar. Beyond that, though, there is frequently a gap and a lack of connection that affects how we perceive other people.

The discussion gets more complicated at this point. The term "xenophobia," which describes the widespread fear or hate of outsiders, is frequently used when discussing animosity toward foreigners in South Africa. However, academics and journalists refer to a more particular tendency in the South African society as "Afrophobia." Afrophobia is a type of xenophobia that targets foreigners of African descent. It's not simply that people are foreigners rather it's that they're from another African countries.

This distinction is crucial since it shows that the problem is not dispersed equally. Rather than all immigrants, African migrants are frequently the target of the animosity. This implies that perception and identity are just as much of an issue as crime or economic pressure. Resentment would be more evenly distributed if the problem were solely one of resources or legality however, it isn't.

Naturally, there are a number of factors that contribute. High rates of poverty, inequality, and unemployment in South Africa lead to struggle for scarce resources and frustration. Foreigners are frequently used as scapegoats for larger systemic problems in this situation. However, it would be unrealistic to overlook the difficulties brought on by unauthorized migration and some criminal activities. Tension is a result of these circumstances. They do not, however, adequately explain why the animosity is so frequently aimed at fellow Africans or why it takes the specific form that it does.

The influence of identity and education on these views is sometimes overlooked. It is easy to place other Africans as outsiders if they are not trained to consider themselves as a part of a larger African collective. They are viewed as rivals, outsiders, or even dangers rather than as components of a common narrative. This is how psychological as well as physical distance is generated.

In this sense, the curriculum subtly molds the limits of empathy. It affects who we regard as strange and who we recognize as familiar. Disconnecting from Africa becomes simpler if it is not presented as a present and shared area. Additionally, the normalization of such detachment fosters bigotry, animosity, and, in severe situations, violence.

In many respects, South Africa's post-apartheid efforts to create a cohesive national identity have been successful. However, it's possible that a greater awareness of the continent has been sacrificed in favour of nation-building. Our self-identification has become very South African, but our relationships with other people on the continent are not necessarily very African.

What remains is a deeper separation rather than merely a social problem. Afrophobia is about distance, which has been socially reproduced, educationally reinforced, and historically created. It is not just about rage or violence. It concerns what occurs when people lack the means to recognize themselves in other people.

Our empathy will have borders if we are taught to comprehend ourselves solely within those borders. And that gap will persist until we start to reconsider how we teach Africa and not as a far history or a distinct location, but as a shared and current identity. Perhaps South Africans' rejection of others is not the only problem. Perhaps we were never properly educated to identify ourselves as belonging to them.