culture of south africa1

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CULTURE OF SOUTHAFRICA

South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Therefore, there is no singleculture of South Africa.The

South African black majority still has a substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives. It

is among these people, however, that cultural traditions survive most strongly; as blacks have become increasingly

urbanized and Westernized, aspects of traditional culture have declined.

South Africans have been referred to as the 'rainbow nation', a title which epitomizes the country's cultural diversity.

The population of South Africa is one of the most complex and diverse in the world. Of the 45 million South Africans,

nearly 31 million are Black, 5 million White, 3 million Coloured and one million Indian. The population density is 32.9

people/km^2

SOUTH AFRICA: ETHNICITY

The Black population is divided into four major ethnic groups, namely Nguni, Sotho, Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda.

There are numerous subgroups of which the Zulu and Xhosa (two subgroups of the Nguni) are the largest. Themajority of the White population is of Afrikaans descent (60%), with many of the remaining 40% being of British

descent. Most of the Coloured population lives in the Northern and Western Cape provinces, whilst most of the Indian

population lives in KwaZulu Natal. The Afrikaner population is concentrated in the Gauteng and Free State provinces

and the English population in the Western and Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal.

LANGUAGES

There areeleven official languages in South Africa, namely English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sepedi, Xhosa, Venda,

Tswana, Southern Sotho, Zulu, Swazi and Tsonga. View more information about each (see below), including the

origins of the language and where it is spoken in South Africa.

ART:

The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Dating from 75,000 years ago, these

small drilled snail shells could have no other function than to have been strung on a string as a necklace. South Africa

was one of the cradles of the human species. One of the defining characteristics of our species is the making of art

(from Latin 'ars' meaning worked or formed from basic material).

The scattered tribes of Khoisan peoples moving into South Africa from around 10000 BC had their own fluent art

styles seen today in a multitude of cave paintings. They were superseded byBantu/Nguni peoples with their own

vocabularies of art forms. In the 20th century, traditional tribal forms of art were scattered and re-melded by the

divisive policies of apartheid.

New forms of art evolved in the mines and townships: a dynamic art using everything from plastic strips to bicycle

spokes. The Dutch-influenced folk art of the Afrikaner Trekboers and the urban white artists earnestly following

changing European traditions from the 1850s onwards also contributed to this eclectic mix, which continues to evolve

today.


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ARCHITECTURE:

The architecture of South Africa mirrors the vast ethnic and cultural diversity of the country and its historical colonial

period. In addition, influences from other, distant, countries, have contributed to the variety of the South African

architectural landscape.

Herbert Baker, among the country's most influential architects, designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Other

buildings of note include the Rhodes and St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, and St John's

College in Johannesburg.

Cape Dutch architecture was prominent in the early days (17th century) of the Cape Colony, and the name derives

from the fact that the initial settlers of the Cape were primarily Dutch. The style has roots in mediaeval Holland,

Germany, France and Indonesia. Houses in this style have a distinctive and recognizable design, with a prominent

feature being the grand, ornately rounded gables, reminiscent of features in townhouses of Amsterdam built in

the Dutch style.

The rural landscape of South Africa is populated with traditional African architecture.

Literature

South Africa's unique social and political history have generated a strong group of local writers, which themes that

span the days of apartheid to the lives of people in the "new South Africa".

Many of the first black South African authors were missionary-educated, and the majority of which thus wrote in either

English or Afrikaans. One of the first well known novels written by a black author in an African language was Solomon

Thekiso Plaatje's Mhudi, written in 1930.

Notable white South African authors include Nadine Gordimer who was, in Seamus Heaney's words, one of "the

guerrillas of the imagination", and who became the first South African and the seventh woman to be awarded

the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. Her most famous novel,July's People, was released in 1981, depicting the

collapse of white-minority rule.

Athol Fugard, whose plays have been regularly premiered in fringe theatres in South Africa, London (The Royal Court

Theatre) and New York. Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm(1883) was a revelation in Victorian literature:

it is heralded by many as introducing feminism into the novel form.

Alan Paton published the acclaimed novel Cry, the Beloved Country in 1948. He told the tale of a black priest who

comes to Johannesburg to find his son, which became an international best-seller. During the 1950s, Drum magazine

became a hotbed of political satire, fiction, and essays, giving a voice to urban black culture.


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Afrikaans-language writers also began to write controversial material. Breyten Breytenbach was jailed for his

involvement with the guerrilla movement against apartheid. Andre Brink was the firstAfrikanerwriter to be banned by

the government after he released the novel A Dry White Season about a white South African who discovers the truth

about a black friend who dies in police custody.

Music

There is great diversity in music from South Africa. Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans or English during

apartheid have since begun to sing in traditional African languages, and have developed a unique style calledKwaito.

Of note is Brenda Fassie, who launched to fame with her song "Weekend Special", which was sung in English. More

famous traditional musicians include Ladysmith Black Mambazo, while the Soweto String Quartetperforms classic

music with an African flavour. White and Coloured South African singers are historically influenced by European

musical styles.

South Africa has produced world-famous jazz musicians.. Afrikaans music covers multiple genres, such asthe contemporary Steve Hofmeyrand the punk rock band Fokofpolisiekar.

The South African music scene includes Kwaito, a new music genre that had developed in the mid-80s and has since

developed to become the most popular social economical form of representation among the populous. Though some

may argue that the political aspects of Kwaito has since diminished after Apartheid, and the relative interest in politics

has become a minor aspect of daily life. Some argue that in a sense, Kwaito is in fact a political force that shows

activism in its apolitical actions.

Cuisine

South African cuisine is heavily meat-based and has spawned the distinctively South African social gathering known

as a braai, or barbecue. Braai is widely popular, especially with whites, and includes meat, especially boerewors or

spicy sausages, and mielies (maize) or Mielie-meal, often as a porridge, or pearl millet, a staple food of black South

Africans. Pastries such likekoeksisters and desserts like melktert (milk tart) are also universally popular.

Vegetarianism is becoming widely accepted.

Education

Learners have twelve years of formal schooling, from grade 1 to 12. Grade R is a pre-primary foundation

year. Primary schools span the first seven years of schooling. High School education spans a further fiveyears. The Senior Certificate examination takes place at the end of grade 12 and is necessary for tertiary

studies at a South African university.Public universities in South Africa are divided into three types:

traditional universities, which offer theoretically oriented university degrees; universities of

technology ("Technikons"), which offer vocational oriented diplomas and degrees; and comprehensive

universities, which offer both types of qualification. Public institutions are usually English medium,


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although instruction may take place in Afrikaans as well. There are also a large number of other

educational institutions in South Africa some are local campuses of foreign universities, some conduct

classes for students who write their exams at the distance-educationUniversity of South Africa and some

offer unaccredited or non-accredited diplomas. See: List of universities in South Africa; List of post-

secondary institutions in South Africa. UnderApartheid, schools for blacks were subject to

discriminationthrough inadequate funding and a separate syllabus calledBantu Education which was

only designed to give them sufficient skills to work as labourers.Redressing these imbalances has been a

focus of recent education policy.

Sexual orientation:

Although the Constitutional and legal system in South Africa theoretically ensure equality, social

acceptance is generally lacking, especially outside of urban areas. Gay women from smaller towns

(especially thetownships) are often victims of beating or rape. This has been posited, in part, to be

because of the perceived threat they pose to traditional male authority.Although evidence of hatred may

influence rulings on a case-by-case basis, South Africa has no specific "hate crime" legislation; human

rights organisations have criticized the South African police for failing to address the matter of bias

motivated crimes.

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africa

The Family in South Africa

The basic unit of South African society is the family, which includes the nuclear family and the extended family or

tribe.

In traditional African society, the tribe is the most important community as it is the equivalent of a nation. The tribe

provides both emotional and financial security in much the same way the nuclear family does to white or coloured

South Africans.

. The coloured and more traditional Afrikaans cultures consider their extended family to be almost as important as

their nuclear family, while the English-speaking white community places more emphasis on the nuclear family.

. The nuclear family is the ultimate basis of the tribe. The tribal and family units are being disrupted by changes in the

economic reorganization of the country

. As more people move into the urban areas, they attempt to maintain familial ties, including providing financial

support to family members who have remained in the village.

Etiquette & Customs in South Africa

Meeting Etiquette

. There are several greeting styles in South Africa depending upon the ethnic heritage of the person you are meeting.
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. When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and smiling.

. Some women do not shake hands and merely nod their head, so it is best to wait for a woman to extend her

hand.. Men may kiss a woman they know well on the cheek in place of a handshake.

. Greetings are leisurely and include time for social discussion and exchanging pleasantries.

Gift Giving Etiquette

. In general, South Africans give gifts for birthdays and Christmas.

. Two birthdays - 21 and 40 - are often celebrated with a large party in which a lavish gift is given. It is common forseveral friends to contribute to this gift to help defray the cost.. If you are invited to a South African's home, bring flowers, good quality chocolates, or a bottle of good South Africanwine to the hostess.. Wrapping a gift nicely shows extra effort.. Gifts are opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a South African's house:. Arrive on time if invited to dinner.. Contact the hostess ahead of time to see if she would like you to bring a dish.. Wear casual clothes. This may include jeans or pressed shorts. It is a good idea to check with the hosts in advance.. In Johannesburg, casual is dressier than in other parts of the country. Do not wear jeans or shorts unless you havespoken to the hosts.. Offer to help the hostess with the preparation or clearing up after a meal is served.

Business Etiquette and Protocol

Relationships & Communication

. South Africans are transactional and do not need to establish long-standing personal relationships beforeconducting business.. If your company is not known in South Africa, a more formal introduction may help you gain access to decision-makers and not be shunted off to gatekeepers.. Networking and relationship building are crucial for long-term business success.. Relationships are built in the office.. Most businessmen are looking for long-term business relationships.. Although the country leans towards egalitarianism, businesspeople respect senior executives and those who haveattained their position through hard work and perseverance.. There are major differences in communication styles depending upon the individual's cultural heritage.. For the most part, South Africans want to maintain harmonious working relationships, so they avoid confrontations.. They often use metaphors and sports analogies to demonstrate a point.. Most South Africans, regardless of ethnicity, prefer face-to-face meetings to more impersonal communicationmediums such as email, letter, or telephone.

Business Meeting Etiquette

. Appointments are necessary and should be made as far in advance as possible.


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. It may be difficult to arrange meetings with senior level managers on short notice, although you may be able to doso with lower-level managers.. It is often difficult to schedule meetings from mid-December to mid-January or the two weeks surrounding Easter, asthese are prime vacation times.. Personal relationships are important. The initial meeting is often used to establish a personal rapport and todetermine if you are trustworthy.. After a meeting, send a letter summarizing what was decided and the next steps.

Business Negotiations

. It is imperative to develop mutual trust before negotiating.

. Women have yet to attain senior level positions. If you send a woman, she must expect to encounter somecondescending behavior and to be tested in ways that a male colleague would not.. Do not interrupt a South African while they are speaking.. South Africans strive for consensus and win-win situations.. Include delivery dates in contracts. Deadlines are often viewed as fluid rather than firm commitments.. Start negotiating with a realistic figure. South Africans do not like haggling over price.. Decision-making may be concentrated at the top of the company and decisions are often made after consultationwith subordinates, so the process can be slow and protracted.

Dress Etiquette

. Business attire is becoming more informal in many companies. However, for the first meeting, it is best to dressmore conservatively.. Men should wear dark coloured conservative business suits.. Women should wear elegant business suits or dresses.

Racism and apartheid

Law about the racial segregation in South Africa was published in 1910, same year as the constitution of South

Africa. There came a lot of resistance against racial segregation. Between 1910 and 1930 Africans founded many

political parties and labor organizations. For example South African Native National Congress was founded in 1912.

It later became the most famous and biggest of the parties and is called ANC, African National Congress. The leader

of this party is Nelson Mandela.

South Africa is known about its history of apartheid. Africaner intellectuals started to use the word apartheid in the

1930s. The word means apartness. (Thompson 1996, 186.) In 1948, The Afrikaner National party wan a general

election and began to apply its policy of apartheid. Strategists in the National Party invented apartheid as a means

to cement their control over the economic and social system. Initially, aim of the apartheid was to maintain white

domination while extending racial separation. Racial discrimination was institutionalized with the enactment of

apartheid laws in 1948. In 1950, the Population Registration Act classifies people by race. There were three

categories: white, black (African) and colored (of mixed decent). The colored category included major subgroups of

Indians and Asians. Thompson says (1996, 190) that the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act (1949) and the

Immorality Act (1950) created legal boundaries between the races by making marriage and sexual relations illegal

across the color line.


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The National party used its majority in Parliament to eliminate the voting rights of Colored and African people.

Thompson (1996, 191) says that the government transformed the administration of the African population. It

grouped the reserves into eight (eventually ten) territories. These territories became "homelands" for potential

African "nation", administered under white tutelage by a set of Bantu authorities. The idea was that Africans would

be citizens of the homeland, losing their citizenship in South Africa and any right of involvement with the South

African Parliament which held complete hegemony over the homelands. All blacks were required to carry "passbooks" containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas.

In 1952, ANC and its allies launched a passive resistance campaign. In 1953 the government assumed control of

African education. (Thompson 1996.) The Bantu Education Act denied blacks to get higher education. Next year the

government decided to resettle 60 000 Africans, Indians, colored and Chinese from Johannesburg to the South-

West of the city. The remove was called Western Areas Removal Scheme. In 1955, National Conference of ANC

accepted foundation of the Congress of the People. Same year the Congress of the People adopted a Freedom

Charter. It had four points: 1) The People Shall Govern, 2) All National Groups Shall Have Equal Right, 3) The People

Shall Share In The Country's Wealth, 4) The Land Shall Be Shared Among Those Who Work It.

Pan African Congress (PAC) was founded in 1959. In 1960 African and Colored representation in Parliament wastermined. Same year police kill 67 African anti-pass-law demonstrators at Sharpeville and the government bans

African political organizations. Nelson Mandela and other ANC and PAC leaders sentenced to life imprisonment in

1964. In 1984, a new constitution gave Asians and Coloreds but not Africans limited participation in the central

government. First contacts between the government and imprisoned and exiled ANC leaders happened in 1985. De

Klerk became leader of the National party and then president in 1989. He unbans the ANC, PAC and SACP and

releases Mandela and other political prisoners in 1990. In 1994, the ANC won first nonracial election. Nelson

Mandela was elected the first black president of South Africa. He formed Government of National Unity.

(Thompson 1996, 1959 - 1960.)

According to Thompson (1996, 221-240) apartheid was in crisis in the years 1978 - 1989. There came domestic

resistance against apartheid. The end of apartheid was really important stage in South Africa. Years 1989 - 1995

were time of transition (Thompson 1996, 241-277).

In 1997 Helsingin Sanomat wrote an article about black people coming to business life in South Africa. Most of the

black entrepreneurs have small enterprises, but there are also some very rich owners and businessmen.

Apartheid ended in 1994, but South Africa still struggles with racism and racist attitudes. One story on BBC News

(26.8.2001) tells about a black South African woman, who works in a coffee shop. She was attached by white man,

who told her that there is no place for kaffir lover like her in the town. And he used a sharp instrument to carve a

"K" onto her chest. "K" denoting an abusive term for black people. BBC (28.8.2000) tells also about quite new

racism, a dramatic rise in xenophobia towards black African immigrants.


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ETHNOCENTRISM

For decades, South Africa was dominated by a virulent form of ethnocentrism. It's the belief that onesown group and subculture are inherently superior to other groups and cultures. When ethnocentrism iscarried to its insidious extreme prejudice, discrimination and oppression become prominent. The beliefs ofcultural superiority began their journey into South African social policy as far back as 1857 when a DutchReformed Synod changed its policy to accommodate the weakness of some. The weakness was whitecongregants who were objecting to black inclusion. Dr Derek Morphew stated, "The first time the term'apartheid' was used was by a minister from the Dutch Reformed Church." Since the values and beliefs ofSouth Africans laid the foundations for this unethical menace, it would take new values and beliefs toeradicate it.

For South Africa, the values and beliefs began to change at the very same place they had started: in oneof the most influential organizations within South Africa, the Dutch Reformed Church. South Africa is adeeply religious country with over eighty percent of the population claiming religious or church affiliation.Dr Derek Morphew made this insightful observation, "Afrikaners have enormous respect for the authorityof the church, and if the church authorities teach that a particular attitude is biblical and therefore moral,that 'morality' will be defended at all costs. Remove the 'moral' sanction of the system of apartheid andthe will of the people to defend and maintain it will evaporate." What happened was a moralreplacement, which went way beyond the pragmatism of just ridding the country of an unworkable

system.

Reference

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africa

(http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.html)

(http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html)

(http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.html).

(http://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.html)

(http://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19971116/talo/971116ta06.html)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1511000/1511723.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africahttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19971116/talo/971116ta06.htmlhttp://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19971116/talo/971116ta06.htmlhttp://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19971116/talo/971116ta06.htmlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1511000/1511723.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1511000/1511723.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1511000/1511723.stmhttp://www.helsinginsanomat.fi/uutisarkisto/19971116/talo/971116ta06.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~cale/cs201/apartheid.hist.htmlhttp://www.helsinki.fi/jarj/polho/1_98/soweto.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_South_Africa


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http://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1150
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_899000/899543.stmhttp://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1150http://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1150http://www.leader-values.com/Content/detail.asp?ContentDetailID=1150


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