Taunted for my dark skin, I long hated myself and longed for a lighter complexion
By: Nobukhosi Tshabalala Twitter: @n_tshabalala_ Email address: ayakhosi32@gmail.com Charcoal. A word that characterized the early a long time of my life. My classmates mocked my dull skin and persuaded me it was a curse. I keep in mind getting bullied on the playground since clearly my skin coordinated the colour of the concrete underneath our feet. In my community, light skin was synonymous with beauty and social status whereas dark skin was agent of the revolting and unlovable. Once amid a school assembly, a housefly landed on my skirt and my classmates rapidly yelled, “Munyamane is smelling!” The rest of my classmates begun to chuckle at me. I couldn’t offer assistance considering, I wish it were over. I attempted to unlearn my self-hate. I begun taking care of myself. I slept early, ate solid and hung around people who made me feel cherished. It took me a while but by 2017, I was totally in love with myself.This act of discrimination has been one of the most noteworthy obsta...