'Coconut' flavour please...

Say what you want but we all have in state of anger, jealously or rage called someone a 'coconut'.
This word is in inverted comas because of the different stereotypical (if there is such a word) meanings. I know coconuts as brown oval shaped fruit with a sweet taste. Mainly found in Hawaii or the Bahamas.

But in South Africa, this word has a whole new meaning.

Being a working student, I travel with public transport frequently. And where I live that means I take the train (when it finally arrives) to campus or to work. This form of travel often means that you encounter different types of people with various political backgrounds, education or lack off, class and not forgetting race.

To get to the point, other day I was in the train on my way to work when I overheard these two guys conversing. They were talking about this black girl who was talking to her white male companion. Accused number one says,"damn lomtana is a coconut, yambona mpintsi yam. Predictably his friend close to him concurs with much conviction.

Now there I was thinking, what makes these two guys observe and conclude that the girl is a ‘coconut’? What did she do that made them come to that finding? What is a ‘coconut’? Is this a bad thing or a good one? Is it factual or a stereotype conjured by jealous mongers? What possesses one to call another person a coconut?

Now while doing research for this topic I found that people had different answers to these questions.

Some of my friends and colleagues say that a 'coconut' is someone who thinks s/he is better than others because of her education. It’s someone who speaks in English, all the time? It’s someone who forgets her cultural background (particularly black people) and embraces the Western ways with easy. Its someone who looks down on their peers because they come from different financial circumstances.

Now taking all these points into consideration, most black people are 'coconuts' in that regard.
How are we supposed to converse with people from other races particularly white? Is it wrong to speak English to anyone in fear of being labelled?

Is this coconut phenomenon real, or is it jealousy of people with no formal education.

Whatever the case is, if speaking in English to your friends of whatever race they are, makes one a 'coconut'.

Then I am a big juicy one, and I am proud of that.