Facing the Fitzy Facts

A profile on up-and-coming South African YouTuber Mark Fitzgibbon

“In grade 12 everyone asked me “Where do you see yourself in 5 years.” I thought I’d have a 9 – 5 job by now, but NO. I’m still studying and I swear on the internet for a living” (Mark Fitzgibbon, 2016).

Mark Fitzgibbon is a 22-year-old coloured student at UCT who is taking YouTube in South Africa by storm. While he started his channel in 2013, it started to gain more following in the years of 2014 and 2015, and now he has over 16 000 (and rising steadily) subscribers to date. His vlogs are based on humorous and NSFW experiences within the Cape Coloured community of South Africa. Due to this niche market, Fitzgibbon has gained fame and adoration from his original target market but has yet to penetrate the international world of YouTube in a way that personalities such as Brandon Berg and Caspar Lee have managed to do.

In a modern 21st century, technology is changing the way things and people work, and creating a ‘global village’ – a borderless place where people from all over the world are able to connect instantly with one another. An epitome of this world is the move from the idealisation of actors and actresses to YouTubers. These people have found a way of profiting (both socially and economically) from their rich, zany personalities in surroundings where many skills and qualifications are becoming obsolete and there is less and less room for university students or graduates in the working world. Although his channel is a hobby and not a career, Fitzgibbon and his eccentrically Cape Coloured brand present a vast array of new opportunities to many South African youths.

While this brand is successful in South Africa, it is also controversial. All of the vlogs featured on his channel contain various examples of profanity, some degradation and a lot of crudeness, featuring examples of Cape Coloured slang and mannerisms. This can be seen in his Tiefs series, most especially: ‘Tiefs on the Train,’ where he details the pleasures of sharing confined spaces with individuals with hygiene issues and ‘The Hoermeid Tief,’ in which he defines and categorises increased hyper-sexualisation and related negative behaviours in young coloured girls. Mark could be criticised for the vulgarity of his speech and the situations he details, but it is important to understand that he deals with everything it means to be coloured and part of the community; the good, the bad and the ugly. And as a part of the community, he tells the story as captivatingly and filthily as only a Cape Coloured can. By playing on stereotypes as well as the language, he aims to “focus my videos on not just ridicule, but a sense of empowerment as well. Always telling people to be proud of who they are” (Mark Fitzgibbon, 2015).

However, this online persona does not dictate his life. Fitzgibbon brings his coloured humour and personal verve to everything and every situation, but keeps many aspects, such as his segments on UCT Radio, highly professional and clean-cut. Mark’s work ethic and sharp wit have actually contributed to his success, earning him many openings, and have allowed him to extend his branches into other fields. He says, “The most beneficial part of having my vlogs on YouTube is that it has presented me with a lot of opportunities and I cherish the positivity that it has provided me with (livemag, 11 April 2016). His greatest achievements include being sponsored by WeChat, being featured on IOL News’ website (IOL, 8 April 2016) and creating his own MC business with fellow vlogger Brandon Berg.

Regardless of his use of language, Mark Fitzgibbon can be seen as a great example to young people within the coloured community. Coming from the Cape Flats in Mitchell’s Plain to attend one of the most prestigious universities in Africa, Fitzgibbon knows what it is to rise above one’s circumstances and surroundings. Coloured citizens constitute the majority of the Western Cape’s racial demographics, yet remain a marginalised group. Many of the community struggle with socio-economic problems (such as extreme poverty and a lack of adequate/higher education) and are ill-represented both in the media as well as in politics. Having a successful, educated and goal-orientated coloured figure to look up to could well make a difference in the lives of many struggling children in SA.

Being a young role model entails a lot of work. Fitzgibbon juggles his vlog, PR work and social life without compromising the integrity of the second degree he is currently working towards. On top of this, he is outspoken about social issues and continues to strive towards a creating a better South Africa, using his position to highlight problems. He believes that “…racism, gender inequality and homophobia are still real problems in society and that the youth of today can fight against it” (MediaClubSouthAfrica, 19 June 2015). He was also a part of the #FeesMustFall movement in 2015 and continues to speak passionately about student issues on his various social media accounts.

Perhaps this comedian and his ‘kroes kuifie’ are a fleeting occupation before he moves on to bigger and better things in the science field. Perhaps they will continue to grace computer and phone screens for a while to come. All that is known is that Mark Fitzgibbon is inspiring the coloured community to aim higher and to take pride in their language, identity and culture- one laugh at a time.

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ColouredKid Pastimes

Every culture has their own set of traditions that go hand-in-hand with their beliefs and customs. The coloureds of Cape Town are no different in this sense. There are treasured things that most coloured citizens look fondly upon as token coloured childhood experiences. These are considered ‘coloured’ pastimes not only due to the people who participate in them but due to the names the activities are given and the nature of them, which is often driven by far more serious circumstances such as harsh socio-economic conditions. These five pastimes are the best and brightest of what it means to be coloured, and continue to shine light on tough childhoods:

 

1. ‘Tok-tokkie’

This is a common game amongst many children, usually known as ‘Ding, Dong, Ditch’ in other cultures or countries. This involves ringing the doorbells (or ‘knock-knocking’ on the doors, hence the name of the game) of strangers’ houses and running away before they answer. I remember that the best way to play this was in a large group of friends in an unknown neighbourhood, and to take your friends by surprise by doing it. Childish screams of ‘tok-tokkie!’ are accompanied by the frantic slap of sneakers on the solid pavement and waves of adrenaline.

 

2. ‘Cornershop’ Gatsbys

Gatsbys are what is known as a cheap, coloured delicacy. They are constructed from huge, baguette-like bread, meat, chips and sauce, as well as the occasional greenery. They are popular especially in the coloured community due to the fact that they are both inexpensive as well as filling. One could easily feed a family on a gatsby. Cornershops are the best producers of cheap and delicious gatsbys, usually due to the Pakistani, Muslim or Indian owners who provide interesting flavours (in the form of spices and sauces) to the cuisine. The ‘Masala Steak’ gatsby is an especially popular choice.

 

3. Jazzing

Jazz is a music style which developed from African Americans as an expression of identity and style in the 1920s. Older coloureds enjoy similar music tastes as a result of similar histories and identity issues- many Malay slaves employed music in order to preserve their identity, history and culture amongst an imperialist regime. It is a popular Christmas tradition to carefully avoid inebriated family members begging you to ‘jazz’ (dance) with them.

 

4. Smoking Pypies

Hookah pipes are reminiscent of Arabian culture most likely transferred to South Africa through transatlantic slavery. While in most Muslim cultures it is common practice to smoke an Hookah pipe, many parents frown upon it for recreational use due to the negative bronchial effects as well as their ability be used in conjunction with drugs. However, this does not stop many coloured children, who often experiment with smoking at a very young age. I fondly remember cycling to meet my friends at the park for a ‘quick pypie,’ and having to rush back and forth from the cornershop in order to purchase forgotten items of the assembly, such as coals, or matches and hookah flavour.

 

5. Looking Fresh

A big part of coloured identity as a child was dressing the part. On religious holidays or civvies days at school, it was important to wear brand names or ‘good clothing’ that indicated you family’s capital- both economic and social. However, for most coloured kids whose families face financial struggle, these days could make or break the pretense that they had created for themselves as one of the normal, middle-class crowd.

Regardless of their origin or the factors behind them, these pastimes are a relatable source of reflection and enjoyment for all who have participated in them.

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Jas-tifying Slanguage

“Language is something people acquire.”
“Well, some people believe language exists from birth. And what is learned is the ability to attach words and structure to latent ability” (Ex Machina, 2015).

Whether or not language is something which humans have embedded within them does not concern me. What concerns me is what humans choose to do with those words: how they transform and mould them to suit their needs. How they create when there is a rift, and what they build from the things they have woven.
The concept of language as a part of culture is evident within the cape-coloured community of South Africa.

With the arrival of the Dutch settlers in 1652 came a ripple of effects in the Cape- one of them being the creation of Afrikaans, and its cousin ‘Kombuistaal’ (or Kaapse taal). As the Dutch put down their roots and became known as Afrikaaners (or Boere), they employed slaves from both Africa as well as the Malaysian Isles to work either on their farms or within their houses. Over generations, the slaves were forced to learn Dutch in order to be able to better communicate with their ‘employers.’ However, they often mixed the language of the Netherlanders with their home languages such as Sotho, Xhosa, Zulu and Malay. From this intercourse, Afrikaans was born.

As one of the 11 official languages, Afrikaans is considered a full-bodied and ‘suiwer (pure) taal,’ as my matric teacher would put it. However, due to it being a derivation from Dutch, this is a peculiar analysis of the language. What is even more interesting is how the coloured offshoot, Kombuistaal, is considered an informal version of it when it employs the same tactics as the slaves did in creating Afrikaans.

Coloured people are often considered to be lazy. On the contrary, I believe that this stereotype is a misjudgement for our extreme efficiency, because Kombuistaal is centered on convenience. It employs techniques such as rounding out sounds, shortening and chopping words and the creating new ones in order to convey certain emotions. Why stick to a staid, restrictive language when you can communicate both effectively and uniquely? Take a phrase such as ‘ma se kinnes.’ Translated it literally means ‘my mother’s children’ and therefore siblings. This is used to refer to a person or group of people as those who have ties that are equivalent to, or beyond, shared blood and DNA.

In Kombuistaal, too, the same words often have highly oppositional and contextual meanings which rely solely on inflection and circumstance.

In another instance, I recently overheard a conversation between two young coloured men outside a ‘cornershop’ in Bo Kaap.
Man 1: Bra, these new chilli cheese NIK NAKS are jas.
Man 2: Ja… but you are also jas to pay five rand for them. Such a small packet… such a small kop.

Kombuistaal is evident not only in its colour, but its versatility and humour. There is a saying in Cape Town: Nobody tells a story like a coloured. I personally chalk this up to the beauty and hilarity of Kombuistaal; the way it emphasizes and exaggerates and the way it paints a picture. And most importantly, the way it ties a community together.

Additional: “Wies hy?” written by South African poet
Adam Small in Kombuistaal/Kaapse taal

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