An Era Of Error

Kass Ghayouri's An Era of Error sheds light on an Indian girl growing up in a period of racial segregation enforced through the legislation of the Apartheid government, in South Africa during the period of 1960 to 2000. Racial segregation was introduced to South Africa in the period of colonialization under Dutch and British rule. The lions in the South African game reserve marked their territorial boundaries, not allowing any other animal to encroach upon their land. The laws of the jungle sparked a significant idea in the mind of the white supreme government. The passbook regulated movement of blacks into urban areas. Two white policemen ransacked grandma's house in search of a black maid. Freda, the black maid shivered in a state of convulsions, when she was arrested for being in the wrong residential area. The end of high school arrived and Kay celebrated with her friends Cherry, Danny, Rona and Neil at the Durban Beach. They were in paradise, however racial segregation of public premise was visible. At an all Indian University, passionate and outspoken Indian students wholeheartedly expressed their intolerance for white supremacy. This led to total pandemonium, when the riot squad entered the University campus hailing bullets and tear gas, injuring masses. During the time of the Apartheid regime, Kay found it a liability being an Indian. She felt the humiliation when she was thrown off a park bench by a group of white kindergarten children. She felt the forced exile, ironically implemented by children. To add to the complication, amongst the Indian community a different form of religious and social class prejudice emerged based upon caste and class. Death was inevitable as rituals were conducted according to religious denomination. The Immorality Act was a strict code of conduct, which prevented interracial affairs and marriages. This led to the brutal beating of Kay and her white boyfriend, who became the prey to a host of emotions through their phenomenal experience. Amandler Amandler! Power to the people! Chanted crowds as they grieved at the funeral of a friend and a political activist. Fear and panic were written on the faces of Kay and her friends, as they stepped out into the hot and humid streets. The crackle of gunfire, the retreating crowds, the scurrying shoppers, the advancing of riot police, the drama of a bloody crackdown, the rhythmic stamping of boots, was the fear that Kay and her friends lived by. Their cry for freedom was a show of defiance, as they placed themselves in the line of fire. The pent-up anger of all South Africans was fuelled. Kay could reveal no restraint as she observed the blood soaked body of her boyfriend as he was manhandled by the Apartheid police. Life became violent, mean, cruel, ruthless and pitiless. It is a story of jaw-dropping dehumanization, torture and verbal intimidation, conducted in total violation of the Apartheid laws. The major characters suffered gross violation of civil rights and human rights, unleashed by the Apartheid era. Amidst the brutality, emerges the most beautiful love story that transports the major characters into a new dimension.