Growing up White in Apartheid South Africa
Rudolph Pienaar
Pretoria - Jacaranda City
Pretoria - Jacaranda City
Some (quick) History
European expansion in the period from 1400 - 1900
The "Modern" era...
characterized by
- intense competition between European powers for colonial territories
- the spread of "European" values, culture, and religion.
In almost all cases...
European powers
-
had little real regard for any "native" peoples in any non-European territory
-
believed in their "superiority" based on a combination of culture, technology, and religious dogma
Of all colonial areas...
Africa (like Asia) was:
-
least colonized in terms of "European" numbers
- mostly this was due to the climate, size, and relative "lateness" of European colonization
Internal African migrations
Ok... enough of that... how about
South Africa?
"Khoikhoi, or San, Peoples"
First wave of European impact
- Dutch establish an outpost at Cape Town for resupply
- Dutch East India Company does not want to create a colony, but one forms slowly
- Influx of Dutch farmers, sailors, artisans, etc
German and French arrival
-
Other Europeans arrive: German farmers
- Large numbers of French Huguenots
(somewhat similar to the American Pilgrims)
Birth of the Afrikaner
-
This mixture of Dutch, German, and French early colonists formed the Afrikaners, with their own language, identity and concept of "home".
British seize the Cape in the early 1800s
Afrikaner "Trek" and colonies/republics
Early 20th century legacy..
-
lingering hostility between Afrikaners and English speakers;
- Despite forming an ever widening majority, black South Africans were increasing excluded from political, cultural, and economic life
Elementary School
What I did not know...
? ? ? ? ? ? ?
What I did not know...
School for black children
What I was told...
-
"black" liberation movements were communist
-
"black" liberation movements and their leaders, including Nelson Mandela, were terrorists
-
"Look at the rest of Africa"
What I was told...
-
"Black Africans" were different
-
"Black Africans" didn't want to be with "Whites"
-
"Blacks" have their rights in "their" areas...
"Homelands"
What I saw...
Apartheid
Separated people according to race and forbade them to:
- marry each other
- live next to each other
- go to school together
Black Schools
Since 1994...
-
many people have worked very hard to repairs the ills of the past
-
full constitutional democracy
-
independent judiciary
-
free press
-
bill of rights.
South African "1sts"...
-
same sex marriage protected the constituions and legal from 30 November 2009
-
no death penalty
-
universal health care
Some South African inventions
-
CAT scans
-
First human heart transplant
-
Oil from coal
-
Kreepy Krawly
-
Dolos
Challenges...
-
economic inequality
-
education
-
1st and 3rd world integration
- corruption
- service delivery
-
crime.