SOUTHAFRICA

GEOGRAPHY
AtthesoutherntipofthecontinentofAfrica.
Mildclimate,verysimilartoSanFrancisco
Nineprovinces(states)//Incorporatehomelandsofindigenouspeople
Wealthofnaturalresources,especiallyminerals
Largestproducerandexporterofgold.Over28%oftheworldsgoldannually.
Firstingoldproductionsince1905
Alsohaslargedepositsofdiamonds,chromite,platinum,andcoal.
ThemosthighlyindustrializedcountryinAfrica.
SouthAfricaalsohasgreatgeographicalvarietyandnaturalbeauty
Youwillfindcontinentsbiggestmammal,theAfricanElephant,andthesmallest
mammal,theminiatureshrew.Toprotectthesecreatures,thegovernmenthasset
asidelandasnationalparks.
Twoenclaves(smallcountrieslocatedinsidealargercountry)liewithinSouthAfrica
Lesotho
Onlyimportantnaturalresourceiswater
40%ofmaleworkersmigratetoSouthAfricaforemployment
Swaziland
BotharepoorcountriesthatdependonSouthAfrica

GOVERNMENT
TheRepublicofSouthAfricahasthreecapitals.
ParliamentmeetsinCapeTown,thelegislativecapital.
AllgovernmentsdepartmentshavetheirheadquartersinPretoria,the
administrativecapital.
ThehighestcourtmeetsinBloemfontein,thecountrysjudicialcapital.
Republic
PresidentCurrentisJacobZuma
5yearterms,eligiblefortwoterms

CHALLENGES
Betterstandardoflivingforthepoor.Manypeoplearelivinginpoverty.
Improveeducationandbasicservicesforpoor
PreventthespreadofAIDSandhowtotreatthosewhohaveit

ETHNICGROUPS
Whites9%
Afrikaner(DescendantsofDutchfarmers)
OtherWhites
BlackAfricans(Blacks)80%
Coloureds
Anymixtureofraces
Asiansandthosefromotherplaces

LANGUAGE
11officiallanguagesAlltheselanguagesexceptAfrikaansandEnglishareBantu
languages.AfrikaansdevelopedfromDutch.
Afrikaans
English
Ndebele(whichAfricanscallisiNdebele)
Sepedi
Sesotho
Swazi(siSwati)
Tsonga(Xitsonga)
Tswana(Setswana)
Venda(Tshivenda)
Xhosa(isiXhosa)
Zulu(isiZulu)
About60percentofwhitepeopleand75%ofColouredsuseAfrikaansastheirfirst
language.MostotherwhitesandColouredsspeakEnglishastheirfirstlanguage.Many
BlackAfricansspeakBantulanguages,andmanyalsospeakEnglishorAfrikaans.

FOODANDDRINK
WhiteseatfoodssimilartothoseeatenbyAmericansandEuropeans.
Theyalsoenjoytraditionalspecialties
boerewors,anAfrikanersausage
Braaivleis(barbecues)areparticularlypopular.
Colouredshaveadietsimilartothatofwhites,butlesscostly.
Indiansoftencookcurries,dishesofeggs,fish,meat,orvegetablesinaspicysauce.
ThebasicfoodofmostblackAfricansismealies(corn),eatenasaporridge.
DAILYLIFE
ManySouthAfricanslovesports,andthecountry'smildclimateenablespeopletospend
muchoftheirleisuretimeoutdoors.
Associationfootball(soccer)isthecountry'smostpopularsport.
CricketandrugbyfootballaretraditionalsportsamongwhiteSouthAfricans,although
peopleofotherracesalsoparticipate.

EDUCATION
Until1991,moststudentsattendedraciallyseparatepublicschoolswherefarmore
moneyperchildwasspenttoeducatewhitechildrenthanblackchildren.
Todayschoolsarecontinuingtobecomeintegrated.
Manyareasespeciallyruraloneshaveashortageofschools.
Allchildrenfromages7through16arerequiredtoattendschool.
Until1981,thelawdidnotrequireblackchildrentogotoschool,andmanyreceivedlittle
education.
Today,about100percentofwhites,95percentofAsians,90percentofColoureds,and
75percentofblackAfricanscanreadandwrite.
SouthAfricahasabout20universities.Mostwereoriginallysegregated.Sincethe
mid1980's,qualifiedstudentsofanyracehavebeenpermittedtoattendanyuniversity
thatwillacceptthem.AnincreasingnumberofblackAfricans,Indians,andColoureds
attendformerlyallwhiteschools.

RELIGION
About80percentofSouthAfrica'speopleareChristians.
MillionsofpeoplebelongtoAfricanindependentchurches.Nearlyallofthemareblack
Africans.AfricanindependentchurchescombineChristianandtraditionalAfricanbeliefs.
ThelargestAfricanIndependentchurchistheZionChristianChurch.
AsmallnumberofblackAfricansfollowtraditionalAfricanreligions,whichofteninvolve
prayertothespiritsofancestors.

APARTHEID
I.History
1600ThefirstEuropeansettlerscometotheCapeofGoodHope.
1652Dutch,GermanandFrenchcometoCapeforreligiousandeconomicmotives
DutchBoers(farmers)begintomovenorthandlivewithnativeAfricansandanew
culturedevelops:TheAfrikanerorthewhiteAfricantribe.
LanguagemixofDutchandvariousAfricanlanguages.
ReligiondevoutlyChristianandveryracist.(Theybelievedtheywerethechosen
peopleinahostileworld.)
1795BritishseizecontroloftheCapeandarea..moreBoersaredrivennorth.
ManyAfrikanersdiedinbattleswith"natives"whileadaptingtoharshlandandclimate.
HatredoftheBritishandBlacksdeepenedAfrikanersolidarity.
TheBoerWar18991902:BritishwantgoldanddiamondsdiscoveredonAfrikaner
land.Afiercewarensuedwithatrocitiesonbothsides,Britainwinsultimatecontroland
makesSouthAfricaacommonwealth.
1910Independencegranted.Afrikanersdominatedgovernment(only13%oftotal
population)
II.Apartheid
1948AfrikanerNationalistPartygainedcontroloftheSouthAfricanParliament,and
establishedthesystemknownasapartheid.
1950PopulationRegistrationAct
1951BantuAuthoritiesAct
1953PublicSafetyActandCriminalLawAmendmentAct
Apartheidmeans"separateness"or"apartness"andincluded317lawswhichreserved
civilrightsfor5millionwhitesanddeniedthemto25millionblacks.
Allcitizenswereclassifiedbyrace
Marriageandsexualrelationsacrosscolorlinesweremadeillegal
Separateresidentialareaswhitesgetallofthebest,over80%ofthepopulation
wascrowdedintoareaswhichcoveredlessthan13%ofthetotallandmass.
Economicdevelopmentwasoutlawedinblack"homelands."Jobsweremade
availableonlyinwhiteareas.
Allnonwhitesmustcarryapassbookatalltimes
Allpublicplacesweresegregated
Blackschoolswereintentionallyunderfunded.
III.Resistance
1950sResistancebegins
1960SharpvilleMassacre(firstoutbreakofviolence)//69peopledwerekilledand180
woundedbySouthAfricanpolice.
1964NelsonMandelarosetoleadershipoftheAfricanNationalCongress(ANC),but
wasarrestedandimprisonedfor26years.
1976SowetoRiotthousandsofstudentsprotestinablacktownshipinJohannesburg.
Thegovernmentkilled600studentsandarrestedthousands.
1983protestscontinuedandgovernmentdeclaredastateofemergencyand30,000
moreblackswerejailed.
Internationalpressurebegantomount.
1974SouthAfricawasexpelledfromtheUN.
1976TheywerebannedfromtheOlympicGames.
1986U.S.CongressbannednewinvestmentbyU.S.companies.
IV.Apartheidends
1989F.W.deKlerkbecomesPrimeMinister//bowingtointernationalaswellasinternal
pressurenegotiationsbegin.
1990NelsonMandelaisreleasedfromprisonandtheANCworkswiththegovernment
towriteanewconstitutionwhichwouldputanendtoApartheid.
1994MandelaiselectedasthefirstBlackPresidentofSouthAfrica

NelsonRolihlahlaMandela

BorninTranskei,SouthAfricaonJuly18,1918
Sonofachief
studiedlaw//oneofSouthAfrica'sfirstblacklawyers
Early1950selectedleaderoftheyouthwingoftheANC(AfricanNationalCongress)
liberationmovement.
1960SouthAfricaprohibitedtheANCMandelabecameconvincedthatarmedstruggle
wasinevitable.InspiredbytheguerrillawarsinAlgeriaandCuba,heorganizedamilitary
undergroundmovementthatengagedinsabotage(UmkhontoweSizwe)
1962arrestedandsentencedtolifeimprisonment(hightreasonandconspiracy)
1964to1982confinedtothenotoriousprisonislandRobbenIsland//movedtoprison
onthemainland(PollsmoorPrison)untilhisreleasein1990.
Duringhisimprisonment,MandelabecamearallyingpointforSouthAfrica'soppressed,
andtheworld'smostfamouspoliticalprisoner.Consistentlyrefusedtocompromisehis
politicalpositiontoobtainhisfreedom
NelsonMandelasharedthePeacePrizewiththemanwhohadreleasedhim,President
FrederikWillemdeKlerk,becausetheyhadagreedonapeacefultransitiontomajority
rule.

WHOISHE(studentanswers) WHYISHEIMPORTANT(studentanswers)
FirstblackpresidentofSouthAfrica Modelofforgiveness
FirstblacklawyerinSouthAfrica Helpedtoendapartheid
LeaderofANC NobelPeacePrizewinner
Mostfamouspoliticalprisonerofhistime Inspiration
HerotopeopleofSouthAfrica

INVICTUS

Summary:
A2009filmdirectedbyClintEastwood,starringMorganFreemanandMattDamon.Thefilmisa
lookatthelifeofNelsonMandelaafterthefallofapartheidinSouthAfrica,duringhistermas
president,whenhecampaignedtohostthe1995RugbyWorldCupeventasanopportunityto
unitehiscountrymen.ThetitlecomesfromthefactthatMandelahadthepoemwrittenona
scrapofpaperonhisprisoncellwhilehewasincarcerated.Inthemovie,Mandelagivesthe
InvictuspoemtohisnationalrugbyteamscaptainFrancoisPienaarbeforethestartofthe
RugbyWorldCup.Inreality,MandelaprovidedPienaarwithanextractfromTheodore
RooseveltsTheManintheArenaspeechfrom1910.(SummaryfromEteachingOnline)

InvictusisbasedonPlayingtheEnemy:NelsonMandelaandtheGameThatChangeda
Nation(2008)byJohnCarlin.

MajorCharacters:
NelsonMandela
FrancoisPienaar

MajorThemes:
1. Racism
2. Forgiveness
3. Inspiration
a. Onemaninspiringanother
b. Onemaninspiringateam
c. Oneteaminspiringanation
4. SocialPrejudice
a. Theunfairtreatmentofaperson,racialgroup,minoritybasedonprejudice.
5. Statesmanship
a. awise,skillful,andrespectedpoliticalleader

POEMANALYSISInvictusandTheManintheArena