South African Culture

South Africa Culture 1 South Africa  Objectives         Define lesson vocabulary Explain South Africa’s basic demographics Understand some of the country’s history Identify South Africa’s different languages, ethnicities, and religions Understand South Africa’s main holidays, particularly Freedom Day (April 27th) and their relevance Understand some of the country’s largest festivals and the types of activities South Africans celebrate Identify the country’s popular sports, music, and food Identify two of the country’s most famous faces and understand their contributions to South African society 2 South Africa  Demographics   Pop. 44,344,136 (2005 est.)    Capital - Pretoria 9 Provinces Borders Engulfs two countries www.lonelyplanet.com 3 South Africa  Brief History  Landing at the Cape  Dutch merchant van Riebeeck founds the first European settlement at the foot of Table Mountain in 1652.  Expansion of the Cape settlers  Looking for more grazing in the 18th century, white farmers from the Dutch settlement (Trek Boers) move towards the east & north. The Voortrekkers (Boers) leave in thousands the Cape and settle in the Orange Free State, in Natal and Transvaal. The Xhosa people are retreating further eastwards, as the white settlers occupy their land.  The great trek   The Xhosa People   The Zulu Kingdom  In the beginning of the 19th century, Zulu King Shaka establishes the mightiest kingdom in southern Africa. 4 South Africa  The Battle of Blood River  The Voortrekkers under Andries Pretorius defeat the Zulus in this historical battle. The British occupy Natal and, after the Anglo-Zulu War, annex the whole of Zululand. After a three-year long war, the Boer Republics become British Crown Colonies.  The Colony of Natal   The Anglo-Boer War   The Apartheid Era  The rightwing Nationalists win the elections. The devious politics of racial separation are initiated. Mandela and de Klerk abolish Apartheid. Democratic elections open the way for a better future.  The Democratic South Africa  http://www.southafrica-travel.net/history/eh_menu.htm 5 South Africa  Official Languages   Afrikaans (“Cape Dutch” or “African Dutch”), English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu Literacy Rate 86% (2003 est.)  Ethnicities  Black 75.2%, white 13.6%, colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%  Religions  Christian 68%, Indigenous beliefs and Animist 28.5%, Islam 2%, Hindu 1.5% http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107983.html 6 South Africa  Holidays  Freedom Day (April 27)  National holiday celebrating the first all-race elections won by anti-apartheid presidential candidate Nelson Mandela in 1995 Celebrating the massacre of Zulus  Day of Reconciliation (December 16)   Soweto or “Youth” Day (June 16)  Marking the student uprisings that led to liberation  Human Rights Day (March 21)  Anniversary of the Sharpeville massacre 7 South Africa  Festivals  Festival of the Arts (Grahamstown, July)  showcasing regional art and theatre  Arts Alive Festival (Johannesburg, September/October)  art and music from around the continent  Pretoria Show (Pretoria, August)  one of the country’s largest commercial, industrial, and agricultural shows 8 South Africa  Popular Sports FOOTBALL (Soccer) RUGBY CRICKET 9 All photos from http://news.bbc.co.uk South Africa  Music  Many black musicians who sung in Afrikaans or English during apartheid have since begun to sing in traditional African languages, and have developed a unique style called Kwaito.  Melodious African loops, deep bass & chanted vocals.  White and Colored South African singers tend to avoid traditional African musical themes, instead preferring more European musical styles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa#Culture 10 South Africa  There is a thriving market for Afrikaans music, covering all the genres of Western music. Example: Ladysmith Black Mambazo  A cappella mbube music  Internationally popular since singing with Paul Simon on his album Graceland http://www.mambazo.com 11 South Africa  Food  Depicts blend of wide range of cultures from European to Asian to African Common dishes include:   Biltong  Dried, salted meat  Bobotie  Similar to Shepard’s Pie  Boewrewors  Hand-made farm sausages grilled on an openflame 12 South Africa  Famous South Africans  Nelson Mandela (b. 1918)  Anti-apartheid activist; imprisoned for 26 years for his anti-apartheid activism Received Nobel Peace Price with De Klerk   First democratically elected President of South Africa (1994-1999) Continues to be an advocate for a variety of social and human rights organizations http://en.wikipedia.org  13 South Africa  Desmond Tutu (b. 1931)  First black Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his activism and opposition to apartheid Continues to act as a voice for the oppressed and underprivileged http://en.wikipedia.org   14 South Africa Review  Demographics     Bordered by     Pop. 44,344,136 (2005 est.) Capital - Pretoria 9 Provinces Botswana Mozambique Namibia Zimbabwe  Engulfs two countries   Swaziland Lesotho 15 South Africa Review Continued…  History           Landing at the Cape Expansion of the Cape settlers The great trek The Xhosa People The Zulu Kingdom The Battle of Blood River The Colony of Natal The Anglo-Boer War The Apartheid Era The Democratic South Africa 16 South Africa Review Continued…  Language, ethnicities, religions     11 official languages 86% literacy rate 4 main ethnicities Diverse religious beliefs  Holidays  Freedom Day - April 27th  Festivals generally celebrating art, music and agriculture much like in the US 17 South Africa Review Continued…  Popular sports    Football (known to us as soccer) Cricket Rugby European genres African music with deep bass and chanted vocals  Music    Food  Blends foods and techniques from wide range of cultures 18 South Africa Review Continued…  Famous South Africans  Nelson Mandela    Anti-apartheid activist Advocate for many types of social and human rights organizations Nobel Peace Prize Anglican Archbishop Voice for the underprivileged and oppressed Nobel Peace Prize 19  Desmond Tutu    South Africa Resources  History & Cultural Facts (culture, festivals, holidays, sports, music, etc.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/sf.html http://www.dac.gov.za/ http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/south_africa/culture.htm http://news.bbc.co.uk http://www.sa-venues.com/sa_languages_and_culture.htm http://www.mg.co.za/ http://www.southafricapost.com/ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107983.html http://media1.mweb.co.za/mosa/ http://www.southafrica-travel.net/history/eh_menu.htm http://www.music.org.za/ http://www.safrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/culture/music.htm http://www.mambazo.com/  Recommended books  Most travel guides on South Africa will have a thorough section on culture, including topics such as history, music, and food  Ex: Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer’s, Eyewitness, Insight Mandela, N. (1995) Long Walk to Freedom. Boston: Little, Brown & Company Ltd.  20