South Africa for Dummies Agreeing to write an article about my country has proved to be a more challenging task than

I previously anticipated. South Africa has been my home for 23 years (so my whole life) and writing about it should be fairly simple, yet choosing what to focus on has been a struggle. Anthropologists claim that in order to truly understand your own culture you must first study others. Before coming to Belgium I was unaware of how unique South Africa truly is. As a country we have a history fraught with racial segregation and conflict yet our path has lead us to be a beacon of hope for Africa and the rest of the world. We certainly are an interesting mix of people and cultures. One of the main responses I get when I mention that I am from South Africa is but you are not black. I am always rather shocked but the obviousness of this statement but it is a clear indication that contrary to my previous beliefs, South Africa is not the centre of everyones universe and for many it is not even a blimp on the radar. It is for this reason I feel it necessary to give a brief history of South Africa with a special focus on European Settlement. On the 6th of April 1652 Jan van Riebeeck and many other Dutch came to the Cape as part of the Dutch East India Company or VOC and this was first real European settlement in South Africa. This Dutch settlement, which comprised of some German and Scandinavian settlers, later became the Afrikaner community of South Africa. These settlers were mainly Calvinists who spoke Dutch and most became farmers. Still today because of their farming background Afrikaners are often still referred to

as Boers. In 1795 the British laid claim to South Africa, mainly because they wished to keep it out of French hands. It was returned to Dutch in 1803 briefly but in 1815 it became an official colony of Britain. Tensions grew between the English settlers and Afrikaners, who had by now formed a cohesive community with their own traditions and even a dialect of Dutch which would later become Afrikaans. More than just language, the Dutch and British brought many of their traditions and beliefs with them. Both the Dutch and British have had a major and lasting impact on the culture of South Africa. After that very serious and brief history of South Africas European settlers, I would like to move onto a few facts about South Africa today. It is the most Southern country in Africa, hence the name. South Africa has one of the freest constitutions in the world and has 11 official languages including Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tshwane, English and Afrikaans. It has a population of just 49 million, ten of which live in the Northern Cape, although I guess that is only really funny if you have been to South Africa? So for those of you who have not yet frequented beautiful South Africa, the Northern Cape happens to be the largest of the nine provinces in South Africa and also the most sparsely populated (due mainly to the fact that it is basically a barren desert). Cape Town where I am from is the most beautiful city in South Africa and perhaps the world, and I am not bias about this in any way. Cape Town is home to Table Mountain which is currently in the running to becoming one of the seven (new) Natural Wonders of the World.

The two main African languages Xhosa and Zulu contain many *clicks* and are a treat to hear. Dancing and music is a huge part of South African culture and knowing how to move your hips is a must. We have idyllic weather which ranges in Cape Town from 32 degrees Celsius in summer to 15 degrees Celsius in winter during the daytime, it is for this reason that I am absolutely petrified of the coming European winter. To make matters worse it seems that as soon as I mention how pleasant the weather has been so far, people turn into characters from Game of Thrones reminding me in ominous tones that the winter is coming. I also feel it my duty to dispel some of the rather disturbing rumours which I have heard exist about South Africa. Number one we do indeed have electricity, running water and even internet. Secondly we do not travel to work on lions, elephants or any of the other big five for that matter (unless of course our cars run out of petrol). Number three while violent crime is part of South African life, it is not as dangerous place as I suspect many people believe, after all I am still alive and kicking. Number four not everyone in South Africa is a racist, just like not every German is a Nazi, it is an unfortunate part of our past which we are not proud of, so please be gentle in your judgement. As a nation, South Africa has experienced much division and while tensions still exist between various cultural and racial groups, we have come a long way since 1994. 1994 was the year in which South Africa had its first democratic elections which resulted in a win by the African National Congress (ANC) and Nelson Mandela

becoming our first democratically elected president. Madiba (the affectionate name given to Nelson Mandela) changed the course of South Africas history and finally gave a voice to the majority black population. As a country we are a fairly new democracy and have some hurdles to climb before we can hope to be a truly united nation and we are certainly heading in the right direction. In conclusion South Africa is a country with a rich history even if it is a bit sordid (as if there is a country which does not have a few skeletons in their historical closet). It is a country full of natural beauty, a place where you can spend your morning climbing a mountain and your afternoon lying on the beach and your nights being eaten by malaria-ridden mosquitoes and maneating lions, only kidding, most areas in South Africa are malaria free. On a serious note South Africa is a must for any traveller and after visiting, if you do not end up staying you will certainly return, it is a country which has something for everyone and a mix of people who are some of the most friendly and welcoming in the world.