Believe it or not, the reason I chose
South Africa is because of the professional golfer Ernie Els. I did
not know much about South Africa but found it odd that Els was white
and came from Africa. So I thought South Africa would be a good
country to learn more about in general and the diaspora of Africa.
South Africa is made up of a wide
variety of ethnicities. They range from European and Asian decent.
Although with Ernie Els being white, the country is still mostly
black, making up 79.5 percent of their population. In 1652 South Africa
was discovered for the first by European man named Jan van Riebeeck.
He was a Dutch man and established a colony in Present day Cape Town.
This would be set up as a slave trade station. Here many slaves were
both brought into South Africa but also shipped out of South
Africa. This was a cause for much of the diaspora across the country.
Another reason for the diverse culture
in South Africa was because of the finding of diamonds. Diamonds
become a very popular resource that many countries want to have.
Many different countries came to South Africa and set up settlements.
Eventually the Anglo-Boar War broke out with Britain coming out on
top and setting up another colony in present day Cape Town. They
would expand through the country upsetting many of the natives and
causing them to flee to other countries in Europe and also South
Africa.
Today Britain contains the most people
of a South African decent. Many people are also still leaving the
country because of unemployment of the unsafe conditions of South
Africa. It was very nice to learn briefly about the history of South
Africa and its diaspora. I will enjoy blogging about it over the next
few weeks.
http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookHomeInternal/139444/
Citations:
Jones, Jim. "AFRICAN HISTORY TIMELINE: Europeans in 19th Century South Africa." West Chester University's - On-line Web Courses. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://courses.wcupa.edu/jones/his311/timeline/t-19saf.htm>.
"South Africa: Fast Facts - SouthAfrica.info." South Africa's Official Gateway - Investment, Travel, Country Information - SouthAfrica.info. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.southafrica.info/about/facts.htm>.
"A Short History of South Africa - SouthAfrica.info." South Africa's Official Gateway - Investment, Travel, Country Information - SouthAfrica.info. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. <http://www.southafrica.info/about/history/history.htm>.
It does surprise many that South Africa’s population is very mixed in regards to what a stereotypical African country would be perceived. The British influence in the country is very widespread. Diamonds are a highly cherished commodity in South Africa thus causing great tumult with diamond wars. These valuable resources have cost the lives of many with the deeply ingrained need for wealth within the scarce economy. South Africa bears a great amount of history. Nelson Mandela’s activism during the apartheid and has created great changes in the culture and history of South Africa. As each country carries its own burdens this blog will help many see the good of South Africa.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my blog Jorett. It was great to learn more about Nelson Mandela and what he did for his country with the apartheid. While I was learning more about the apartheid I was thinking what would South Africa be like today if Nelson Mandela. I still want to learn more about South Africa from a first hand experience, which is why I am deeply considering studying abroad in South Africa. It would be great to have a first hand experience on seeing the diversity in the population and mostly likely learning more about the history and culture of South Africa.
DeleteErnie Els is not the only major golfer that is South African. Recently, Louis Oosthuizen won the US Open in 2010 and Charles Scwartzel won the 2011 Masters. These three golfers amongst others have brought worldwide attention to South Africa in respect to sports, particulary golf. South Africa does have strong ethnic diversity ever since the British settled it during the scramble for Africa in the middle of the 19th century. South Africa has been one of the leaders in creating equality between all of the ethnic cultures. Nelson Mandela's leadership and the transfer of power from white hands to black hands in 1994 created a more positive outlook on racial equity. Racial distinctions used to be the main factor in deciding political policies and South Africa has done a lot since then to turn that around.
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