KARACHI:
Colourism, defined as a form of discrimination based on the colour of one’s skin, is the root cause of racism in the world. Not only did the killing of George Floyd by a police officer last year spark worldwide outrage, it simultaneously gave a push to the Black Lives Matter movement as protests ensued all across the US. As a result, people in the East started to rethink the many unconscious prejudices that seem to be embedded in their cultures.
Perhaps it is a colonial remnant passed down from our ancestors, or simply a norm we take for granted, but the white skin complex is a serious problem in our country. We have been socialised since we were young adults into believing that white is good and anything dark or black is not the ideal. Whether talking about a new born baby or a woman seeking to marry, commenting on the complexion of others seems to be rather common in households across the country. Some even go as far as to demean someone for their skin colour by calling them kalay — a derogatory word for black.
When the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak across the world, people in Pakistan too began to question the foundations of these injustices. As a result, popular fairness beauty creams were forced to change their name and motto in an attempt to remain marketable. However, while society has finally started to speak up, forcing such changes to occur, this is just a tiny step in the right direction. It does not mean that these biases have magically vanished from our society.
We must teach our children to treat all human beings as equals, regardless of their belief or the colour of their skin. At the outset, it may seem like a small place to start, but it can bring about a tide of change in the way our society thinks.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 8th, 2021.
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