This chapter focuses on a brief history of South Africa from slavery until modern-day South Africa. The main focus of this chapter will be the period of Apartheid, which translates as ‘separateness.' After a further definition of apartheid is explored, the history of Apartheid will be explored and discussed along with Apartheid's policies and its impact on South Africa as well as the world and its politics. An analysis of the issues that led to Apartheid and that led to the end of Apartheid will take place. Additionally, key opponents to Apartheid will be introduced with their philosophies introduced/introduced further, such as Steve Biko and Nelson Mandela.
Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika (Xhosa)
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo, (Xhosa)
Yizwa imithandazo yethu, (Zulu)
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.(Zulu)
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa, South Afrika.
(Entire verse is performed in Sesotho)
South Afrika!
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee,
(Entire verse is performed in Afrikaans)
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.
(Entire verse is performed in English)
“You do not own the thing that you love.” - Trevor Noah (Born a Crime)
“During my lifetime … I have cherished [loved] the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” – Nelson Mandela, April 20, 1964 (Spielvogel, 2014)
Figure 1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
TopIntroduction
My first introduction to the plight of South Africa regarding Apartheid was on Broadway in New York City. Although I cannot find the tickets nor an advert for this play, I took one Constance Louise Adams Simmons to see an Off-Broadway show about Steve Biko and the Uprising. It was in the nose-bleed section. I was mesmerized. I began to consider – as a young adult – what it means to be separate. How is South Africa different than the United States or countries like Australia? Personally, I had studied in Australia in 1997-1998 and faced discrimination. Within the past two years (2021) I visited South Africa to do research for a chapter I submitted and that is now in print along with this book titled Ubuntu Through the Lens of Tikkun Olam that was printed in Understanding Ubuntu for Enhancing Intercultural Communications (2021); and I started to understand the complexities of the Boer invasion, the policy of Apartheid, tribal wars, et al.
Apartheid or ‘separateness’ or ‘apartness’ is a word derived from Afrikaans (Gibson, 2011; Kihato, 2014; Lynch, 1977; Maylam, 1995; Noah, 2019; Spielvogel, 2014; Van Vuuren, 2015; M. Wilcox, personal communication, September 21, 2022; M. Wilcox, personal communication, September 23, 2022). According to Ager (2022), “Afrikaans is a low Franconian West Germanic language [that was] descended from [the] Dutch and spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia” (p.1). Ager (2022) notes that by 2013, there were approximately 17 million speakers of Afrikaans. This language was only later spoken by the Black man in South Africa. It’s arrival along with its speakers led to a period of turmoil for Africans in South Africa (Gibson, 2011; Holland, 1988; Kihato, 2014; Lynch, 1976; Maylam, 1995; Spielvogel, 2014; Van Vuuren, 2015; M. Wilcox, personal communication, September 21, 2022; M. Wilcox, personal communication, September 23, 2022).