Subversion at school - your stories of overcoming racism

[Sugarintheplum]

So I was thinking over the last few days about attempts to create safe black spaces on here and how it is always thwarted. And I started to think about other times in my life that I was part of an attempt to just have some space away. And it reminded me a little about the things we used to do in school.

So, at school, we had this language, I think they called it Avagar, or Avagoo, or something. And basically what we did was insert 'avagar' into every word. So 'yes' became 'yevagess'. EVERY WORD! The teachers and other kids had no idea what the hell was going on, and it meant we could have full conversations, even in the earshot of teachers about absolutely everything. We could talk about eh racism of a teacher and how despicable they were while standing in front of them. They tried to ban it (not even understanding it, of course). When Iook back I think it is hilarious.

I was at a local comp, pretty diverse, but in a class of 25-30, maybe 3 were black, so yeah, 10% of the school population is about right.

Did you have Avagar? Or what did you do?!

DISCLAIMER
I'd love to hear from black people on this. I am not asking to hear from white people on this one, largely because I want to know about how black people got through school as black children, the things they did to stay whole, keep their integrity, make the most of it. As such, I ask that is white posters who do come on here are ignored and we just move on. The topic might fall flat, but if not I'd love to avoid the seemingly inevitable decimation that happens once white posters chime in. If you are white and reading this, please just read. Please do not comment. If you are white and want to comment, you are free to start your own thread. The more the better.

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

Almost 12 hours not bad

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

Yes very true I think I caught onto languages quite quickly and even when I wasn't practising I still understood. I got it back quickly and then actively practised so I don't ever lose it again.

I didn't understand my mum's insistence when younger but I love the flexibility as an adult. I love being able to slip in and out of different languages. I speak 5, and my personality is almost different in each one. It truly has enriched my life. I'm sad that we think like this, even my dad says not to confuse DC and blames my youngest's speech delay on confusing him and I should just stick to English.

[Starseeking]

Children growing up in Ghana are really not encouraged to speak local languages, it's so sad to see. They are all told to learn English as quickly as possible, and praised highly if they can do so. What I've found is that the more expensive the school, the less likely they will encourage local languages. The elites see it as backward to do so.

I am only able to speak passable Twi, despite both parents being fluent, as when I was in nursery the teachers encouraged them to only speak English to us so we wouldn't feel left out, and could learn quickly. What they didn't realise is that we could easily have maintained a "home" language and a "school" language with very little drama. I teach my DC as much as I can, though I'm not brilliant.

Colonialism has so much to answer for.

[Sugarintheplum]

I am actually learning Twi now, as my children are speaking it as their familial language. But it's been hard, because even when we bring them to Ghana the kids there don't speak it a lot as they're told it's best to speak English. So, even if we moved there I don't think they would be immersed in it as such.

I don't ever try to imagine living in a word where white people are oppressed. I'm not into anyone being oppressed. But I do sometimes close my eyes and allow myself to imagine a world where the racist white European imperial expansion never happened and those cultures, and lanuguages and even whole peoples still existed. The world is a much poorer place because those racist white people wanted to own all of it. I know that's obvious, but I'm just saying it anyway, in my little wistful pointless way.

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

I'm grateful to my mum for insisting I keep at it. I'd say those 2 years abroad really cemented it although it was shocking how children were not allowed to speak their own languages. If you went through the private school system in those two countries particularly as a boarder there is a chance you don't speak any language besides English, French or another European language. I have cousins back home who live there but don't speak the languages at all, because of being banned from speaking it at school. I know a handful who have settled or work here (huge old girl and old boy school network) and don't speak the languages either and kinda think it's embarrassing to speak an African language. They beat it out of you. They really do. That's why I always laugh when I see the excuse about white privilege just being because we are in a majority white country and if we go to a majority black country it will be the reverse and white people will be the victims of discrimination. As badly as the white people in those countries claim they are victims they are the minority (5% or so) but own the majority of the wealth, land and white culture permeates through everything. I wish people would educate themselves on the reach and legacy of colonialism.

Can you imagine travelling to a whole new continent and experiencing that? Being banned from speaking your own language?

[OverTheRainbow88]

Oh wow this has brought back memories.

We used to talk ‘back slang’ and would put agalaga after most vowels!

[Sugarintheplum]

On a related language/oppression note, my DP went to Angola and said not one person he met there knew any traditional language at all. So effective was the beating it out of them (literally) over centuries. Dastardly I am so glad you kept up your languages. Hat off to you. Tremendous.

And, so funny kids around the world are doing this!

[Dastardlythefriendlymutt]

I went to school mostly in the UK (mostly white so no avagar as very few students of colour) but my dad was abroad for a couple of years and I went to two African private schools (only mention private school as both countries majority space but schools were so similar to UK private system and 50-65% white, the mostly black and a few Asian pupils) and in two countries where I spoke a common language between the two.

In both schools we were black pupils were banned from speaking in "the vernacular" i.e.: no African languages allowed😑🙄 but white students could speak in another language besides English. So we had something similar to avagar to speak amongst each other during the school day. In halls we were actually separated by race (can you imagine, in like 2003? I had a British Jamaican friend who was also at this school and was put in the white rooms because all they knew was they were getting a student from England and she had an English non-ethnic surname so she was put in a "white" room accidentally 🤨). Anyway we spoke in beanie language which was adding beanie after each syllable to the African language (which also has clicks) so made it difficult to understand. We used it to talk about things like racism and stuff being unfair.

When we moved to the next country we also had a similar code language we used in class and we got away with it as it technically was not an African language.

[Waakyeandredred]

Interesting read! I suppose it shows how varied our experience can be even growing up in the same city! Looking back i think us girls bonded over the fact we were in the same school, so regardless of race we would back each other because we were from X school. It is quite silly really 🤣

In terms of going to people's house who were not Black, I remember this woman who used to pick me up, she would always offer me chips and beans, or chips with sausage or chips with egg. I used to be so excited because my mum didn't really cook those foods and if we did have it it wouldn't be a main meal, it might have been a quick lunch type thing..

I do remember I was not allowed sleepovers but other girls in my class were. Now I am a mum myself, my child won't be going to sleepovers either. I guess something I've just carried over from my mum.

I think being so young and naive, I just didn't notice a lot. I would imagine young children these days are a bit more clued up than I was!

[Sugarintheplum]

So interesting,

I went to infants school in NW London with a big (majority?) Hindu population and even at 4/5 years old I remember playing kiss chase and the Indian boys running around trying to catch the girls saying things in their home language and the black boys running around saying things in Patois when catching us. We'd talk about our family backgrounds even then in a 5 year old way. I learned a Lot of Gujurati swear words.

Haa.

High school was quite mixed, you could either create a friendship group mostly of people of your race, or a mixed one. And some people moved between. There were 'black' groups with one white girl or one or two Asian girls. They always had the same hairstyles as the black girls (plaits, slicked down). The boys were the same, but football being the great leveller they were ultimately more mixed in their friendship groups.

There was a lot of talk about being from an ethnic minority between black and asian children. I remember loads of conversations about how white people have empty fridges, and other things you notice when you go to their houses, or politely refusing dinner because of lack of seasonings.

So, race and ethnicity always very important in my schools. I doubt anyone at all anywhere would say it was colour blind. I remember once a white boy stole my tennis racquet. Black boys who hadn't even spoken to me all term retrieved it and were like 'don't touch our black sisters stuff'.

[Starseeking]

Wow @Waakyeandredred I could have written your post myself, but for the fact that my Catholic school was mixed, and not girls (though we did have both a rival girls and boys school in the borough!).

As my school was probably 40% non-white, faith-based being Catholic, and quite academic, the environment I think allowed BAME pupils to thrive, and I was able to do quite well at school.

I've not heard of Avagar I'm afraid, so can't comment on that.

[Waakyeandredred]

I have always heard of this language but I never quite understood it. No one in my year did it, I think it was the years above me. It is hilarious though!

I went to a really diverse Catholic secondary shool, with white Irish, Filipinas and Black/Mixed Black girls from across the shop. I'll be honest though, the last thing I thought about at school was my race/racism. It just wasn't a thing. I would say I didn't even see race, as cheesy as that sounds. We were all just young girls figuring out how to become adults and I don't think any of us took our race/background in to account. For me this is something that became a reality when I went to uni and in to the world of work, which were majority white spaces.

I'm actually grateful my childhood was like that, it meant that I could be oblivious and just enjoy myself without feeling like a minority.