Kaffir (racial term)
In 1498, Portuguese explorers arrived on the East African coast and encountered the word kaffir used by coastal Arabs to describe non-Muslims. The Arabic root kāfir originally meant "disbeliever" or "non-believer" without racial connotation. Early usage focused on pagan zanj along the Swahili coast who were targets of the Arab slave trade. Portuguese explorer Camões wrote about these people in his 1572 epic poem The Lusiads using a lusitanized plural form. The term spread through English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, and later Afrikaans as a general descriptor for Southern African ethnic groups from the 17th century onward. By the mid-20th century, this neutral geographical designation had transformed into a pejorative slur specifically targeting black populations.
The 16th century explorer Leo Africanus described Cafri as non-Islamic negroes located in remote southern Africa he called Cafraria. Richard Hakluyt's works designated these populations as Cafars and Gawars meaning infidels or misbelievers. Early European maps from the 16th and 17th centuries labeled Southern Africa northwest of the Hottentots as Cafreria. The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford originally labeled many African artifacts as Kaffir in origin before changing their terminology. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica made frequent use of the term to the extent of having an entire article titled Kaffir. Novelist H. Rider Haggard used kaffir frequently in his novels about dark Africa during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries without apparent derogatory intent. John Buchan employed similar usage in his 1910 novel Prester John describing inhabitants of the region.
During the South African general election in 1948, supporters of apartheid campaigned under the openly racist slogan "the kaffir in his place". In the early 1980s Butana Almond Nofomela stabbed white farmer Johannes Lourens to death after being called kaffir by the man. Nofomela claimed he intended robbery but became enraged when confronted with a gun and racial epithet. The Afrikaans term kaffirbroer described white people who fraternized with or sympathized with the black community cause. Much like South Africa, Namibia used the term as a general derogatory reference to blacks throughout the apartheid period. A 2003 report by the Namibian Labour Resource and Research Institute documented continued usage patterns across the region. Mahatma Gandhi wrote in 1896 about European children using Indian and Kaffir boys as shooting targets during a picnic party in Natal.
In 2000, the parliament of South Africa enacted the Promotion of Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act specifically targeting hate speech terms including kaffir. February 2008 brought controversy when Irvin Khoza chairperson of the 2010 FIFA World Cup organizing committee used the term during a press briefing regarding a journalist. the 5th of March 2008 saw parliamentary statements demonstrating how the word was viewed in modern South African society. In 2012, a woman received jail time overnight and fines after pleading guilty to crimen injuria for using the word at a gymnasium. July 2014 found the Supreme Court of Appeal upholding a conviction related to an argument about parking where a man repeatedly used the slur. March 2018 marked when Vicki Momberg became the first woman convicted of racist language for using the term over 40 times against police officers. The phrase the K-word now serves as euphemistic avoidance similar to how other racial slurs are discussed in public discourse.
John Philip Sousa composed his 1914 concert suite Tales of a Traveler containing a movement titled The Kaffir on the Karoo following his band's tour to South Africa. Winston Churchill wrote during the Boer War expressing irritation that Kaffirs should be allowed to fire on white men. A 1995 hit song by black Johannesburg Kwaito artist Arthur Mafokate directly addressed the slur with lyrics saying don't call me a kaffir. This track is considered one of the first hits of the Kwaito genre setting precedent for post-apartheid generation struggles combining dance music with freedom of expression. Mark Mathabane published his autobiography Kaffir Boy after growing up in Alexandra township and traveling to the United States on a tennis scholarship. December 2005 saw South African cricket players complain about racial abuse from spectators during a Test match against Australia held in Perth where Makhaya Ntini was taunted with the word.
Kaffir lime remains one name for citrus fruit native to tropical countries in South and Southeast Asia though its etymology traces back to Muslim references to non-Muslim populated regions. The plant name shares origin with the South African term both ultimately derived from kafir meaning non-believer in Arabic. Under current interpretation, the Oxford Companion to Food recommends alternative term makrut lime derived from Thai name มะกรูด when speaking of this fruit. July 2024 brought international botanical decision changing more than 300 scientific names containing kaffir-related terms like caffer caffra and caffrum. These became afer afra and afrum respectively with Erythrina caffra now designated as Erythrina afra. Australian tennis player Brydan Klein received $16,000 fine following June 2009 qualifying match at Eastbourne International for calling opponent Raven Klaasen a kaffir. This botanical renaming reflects broader societal efforts to eliminate offensive terminology from scientific nomenclature while preserving historical accuracy through updated designations.
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Common questions
When did Portuguese explorers first encounter the word kaffir on the East African coast?
Portuguese explorers arrived on the East African coast and encountered the word kaffir in 1498. Early usage focused on pagan zanj along the Swahili coast who were targets of the Arab slave trade.
What was the original meaning of the Arabic root kāfir before it became a racial slur?
The Arabic root kāfir originally meant disbeliever or non-believer without racial connotation. The term spread through English, Portuguese, Spanish, French, Dutch, and later Afrikaans as a general descriptor for Southern African ethnic groups from the 17th century onward.
Which South African law enacted in 2000 specifically targeted hate speech terms including kaffir?
In 2000, the parliament of South Africa enacted the Promotion of Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act specifically targeting hate speech terms including kaffir. This legislation criminalized the use of the word to protect individuals from unfair discrimination.
Who was the first woman convicted of racist language for using the term kaffir over 40 times against police officers?
March 2018 marked when Vicki Momberg became the first woman convicted of racist language for using the term over 40 times against police officers. She received jail time overnight and fines after pleading guilty to crimen injuria for her actions.
When did international botanical decision change more than 300 scientific names containing kaffir-related terms?
July 2024 brought international botanical decision changing more than 300 scientific names containing kaffir-related terms like caffer caffra and caffrum. These became afer afra and afrum respectively with Erythrina caffra now designated as Erythrina afra.