I don’t know why some black people feel that you need to be a certain way to be black. There is no right way to be black. If you identify as black you are black as simple as that. I have been labelled as a fake black person simply because I can’t speak Xhosa.

First of all it’s not my fault because I grew up with coloured people. Secondly my Dad did not teach me to speak the language. This does not make me less of a black person. I am proudly and 100% black.

Some black people are also labelled as coconuts. Seriously now being black on the outside and white on the inside. I don’t agree with name calling at all. If you look at me it’s so easy to identify me as a black person. That is because of my brown skin is that not enough.

There are those awkward moments where I get spoken to in Xhosa. Then I have to admit that I can’t speak Xhosa it’s embarrassing actually. They will look at me with wide eyes and be surprised that a black girl can’t speak her language. This is also happens at family gatherings where my family would chat away in Xhosa and I’d be the odd one out. I’m not to blame and I want to learn how to speak Xhosa.