South Africa Culture Slideshow
For More Information on Culture in South Africa Visit:
South African Culture http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html. This website offers a ton of insight on the culture in South Africa. From History and Ethnic Relations, Urbanism, Architecture, Food and Economy, to Social Stratification and Political Life. It even goes into the history of marriage, kinship and family to socialization, etiquette and religion. I found this website to be very resourceful because it gave such great insight on everything culture in South Africa.
Culture in South Africa http://www.our-africa.org/south-africa/people-culture. This website does not offer as much information as the one above but it still gives a great amount of insight on the people and culture in South Africa. It goes into a little bit of detail about art, dance, music, beadwork adornment and tribal cultures. I thought this website was cool because it gives you more detail about some of the very important things that South Africans partake in, in their culture.
South African Culture http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html. This website offers a ton of insight on the culture in South Africa. From History and Ethnic Relations, Urbanism, Architecture, Food and Economy, to Social Stratification and Political Life. It even goes into the history of marriage, kinship and family to socialization, etiquette and religion. I found this website to be very resourceful because it gave such great insight on everything culture in South Africa.
Culture in South Africa http://www.our-africa.org/south-africa/people-culture. This website does not offer as much information as the one above but it still gives a great amount of insight on the people and culture in South Africa. It goes into a little bit of detail about art, dance, music, beadwork adornment and tribal cultures. I thought this website was cool because it gives you more detail about some of the very important things that South Africans partake in, in their culture.
Category Statistic
Population of South Africa 48,375,645
Ethnicity Group 79.2% Black/African
Ethnicity Group 8.9% White
Urban Population 62%
Maternal Mortality Rate 300 deaths/100,000 deaths
Birth Rate 18.94 births/ 1,000 population
Population of South Africa 48,375,645
Ethnicity Group 79.2% Black/African
Ethnicity Group 8.9% White
Urban Population 62%
Maternal Mortality Rate 300 deaths/100,000 deaths
Birth Rate 18.94 births/ 1,000 population
Religions in South Africa:
There are many different religion's that exist in South Africa from San people, to Buddhism, Christianity to Hinduism and Islam. The religion of the San people, who were the first people in South Africa is a traditional cultural part of their everyday life. They believe there is a great God who is powerful and good and they either pray to him by themselves or else they pray through a healer who is known as a shaman. There is also an African Traditional Religion, and this religion believes in ancestor worship. They practice Ubuntu which shows itself in treating others kindly, showing concern for them and working for the good of the community. Buddhism started in India about 2,500 years ago by Prince Siddhartha Gautama. The story of South African Buddhism goes back to 1686. In that year the Portuguese ship Nossa Snhora dos Milagros was shipwrecked on the West coast. Christianity started in Palestine and arrived in South Africa in the 15th century with the arrival of the Portuguese. In the South of the continent the Dutch founded the beginnings of the Dutch Reform Church in 1652. Hinduism first came to South Africa in the 1850's as workers were very much needed in the sugar plantations of Kwazulu-Natal. Soon after they arrived, they built small shrines and temples on the sugar estates. Islam in South Africa is a minority religion with only 1.5% of it's population practicing amongst it.
For the first people of southern Africa, The San, there are many thousands of rock art sites around the Karoo and various mountain ranges that are places where their sacred communion with the spirit world took place. One of the most important religious rituals in San religion is the trance dance. The women sit in a circle around a fire and clap the rhythm of the spiritual songs that they sing while the men dance. As the San clap, sing and dance, the spirit enters the shamans and they go into a trance where it is believed they get special healing powers. osques, kramats, who are the holy graves of revered devotees of Islam and Hindu temples also abound in South Africa, as slaves form the east in 17th and 18th centuries and Indian sugar-cane workers who began arriving in KwaZulu-Natal in 1860, brought these faiths to our shores. In Limpopo, there are a number of sites sacred to the Venda, the most well known being Lake Fundudzi which is so sacred that outsiders are seldom allowed to visit its shores. In KwaZulu-Natal, the most revered Zulu sacred sites are in the hills and valleys of eMakhosini near Ulundi, among them being the homestead of Shake’s grandfather Jama, ‘the place of unity and strength.’ South Africa also has what many spiritualists believe are ‘energy centres’, the best known of them being Table Mountain in Cape Town, the Three Rondavels in Mpumalanga and Magaliesberg in North West province.
Throughout South Africa's three centuries of modern history religion has played a major role in shaping the contours of all areas of South African life. During the formative years of Dutch influence in the late seventeenth century, the religion of the Reformed Church was given special protection as the vehicle through which the Afrikaner identity was forged. Nearly 150 years later, the Boer Voortrekkers attributed their survival against the Zulu to the direct intervention of God. In the eyes of the Afrikaners, their 1838 vow at Blood River established an immutable covenant between God and the chosen Boer race.
Learning about South Africa's Religion has been very interesting to me. Learning about all the different cultures and beliefs that the people of South Africa experience in their every day life has been intriguing. I hope when I one day visit the country I am able to get to know a lot more about their beliefs and culture and how different it is from ours here in America. I hope I am able to visit all the different temples and mosques as I feel it would be a very unique thing to experience and to say that I have visited them before. Learning about other cultures like South Africa's certainly opens your eyes to what is out there and difference it is compared to what I am used to around me.
There are many different religion's that exist in South Africa from San people, to Buddhism, Christianity to Hinduism and Islam. The religion of the San people, who were the first people in South Africa is a traditional cultural part of their everyday life. They believe there is a great God who is powerful and good and they either pray to him by themselves or else they pray through a healer who is known as a shaman. There is also an African Traditional Religion, and this religion believes in ancestor worship. They practice Ubuntu which shows itself in treating others kindly, showing concern for them and working for the good of the community. Buddhism started in India about 2,500 years ago by Prince Siddhartha Gautama. The story of South African Buddhism goes back to 1686. In that year the Portuguese ship Nossa Snhora dos Milagros was shipwrecked on the West coast. Christianity started in Palestine and arrived in South Africa in the 15th century with the arrival of the Portuguese. In the South of the continent the Dutch founded the beginnings of the Dutch Reform Church in 1652. Hinduism first came to South Africa in the 1850's as workers were very much needed in the sugar plantations of Kwazulu-Natal. Soon after they arrived, they built small shrines and temples on the sugar estates. Islam in South Africa is a minority religion with only 1.5% of it's population practicing amongst it.
For the first people of southern Africa, The San, there are many thousands of rock art sites around the Karoo and various mountain ranges that are places where their sacred communion with the spirit world took place. One of the most important religious rituals in San religion is the trance dance. The women sit in a circle around a fire and clap the rhythm of the spiritual songs that they sing while the men dance. As the San clap, sing and dance, the spirit enters the shamans and they go into a trance where it is believed they get special healing powers. osques, kramats, who are the holy graves of revered devotees of Islam and Hindu temples also abound in South Africa, as slaves form the east in 17th and 18th centuries and Indian sugar-cane workers who began arriving in KwaZulu-Natal in 1860, brought these faiths to our shores. In Limpopo, there are a number of sites sacred to the Venda, the most well known being Lake Fundudzi which is so sacred that outsiders are seldom allowed to visit its shores. In KwaZulu-Natal, the most revered Zulu sacred sites are in the hills and valleys of eMakhosini near Ulundi, among them being the homestead of Shake’s grandfather Jama, ‘the place of unity and strength.’ South Africa also has what many spiritualists believe are ‘energy centres’, the best known of them being Table Mountain in Cape Town, the Three Rondavels in Mpumalanga and Magaliesberg in North West province.
Throughout South Africa's three centuries of modern history religion has played a major role in shaping the contours of all areas of South African life. During the formative years of Dutch influence in the late seventeenth century, the religion of the Reformed Church was given special protection as the vehicle through which the Afrikaner identity was forged. Nearly 150 years later, the Boer Voortrekkers attributed their survival against the Zulu to the direct intervention of God. In the eyes of the Afrikaners, their 1838 vow at Blood River established an immutable covenant between God and the chosen Boer race.
Learning about South Africa's Religion has been very interesting to me. Learning about all the different cultures and beliefs that the people of South Africa experience in their every day life has been intriguing. I hope when I one day visit the country I am able to get to know a lot more about their beliefs and culture and how different it is from ours here in America. I hope I am able to visit all the different temples and mosques as I feel it would be a very unique thing to experience and to say that I have visited them before. Learning about other cultures like South Africa's certainly opens your eyes to what is out there and difference it is compared to what I am used to around me.
Religion Map of South Africa of major beliefs
Cultural and Biodiversity in Africa
Outside of the fact that the recognition in South Africa and it’s culture is intricately bound to the use and management of biodiversity, the use of culture as a tool in conservation strategies has not as yet been explored within the South African context. South Africa offers an excellent opportunity to observe whether and to what extent the effects of cultural values on biodiversity are preserved under non-traditional conditions, as the country witnessed 46 years of turbulent political history, during which time the state forcibly moved more than 3.5 million people into homelands established under the apartheid regime. South Africa depends greatly on the biodiversity of the country as it plays a major role in the economic growth of local communities. There are three primary issues that can be associated with the current degradation of biodiversity in South Africa. One, the increase of agriculture to support an ever-growing population. According to Olivier (Orcafoundation), plant diversity is heavily impacted by agriculture in the form of farming and over grazing. This results in bush encroachment, which puts great pressure on biomes of South Africa. In different of the signs of decline, laws concerning South African conservation are still lacking the required enforcement. Urbanization is the second reason for South Africa’s degradation of biodiversity, as it is growing excessively. The demand for development is a lose/lose situation, as there is a need for expansion, and damage is irreversible once done. Invasive species within South Africa’s boundaries have become a major problem. Over 8 percent of South Africa has been invaded by invasive plant species. There are many causes to the loss of biodiversity in South Africa, like Habitat loss, pollution, wildlife trade and alien species. All plants and animals rely on their habitats for food, water, shelter and living space. Growing human populations requiring land for agricultural, industrial and urban development are destroying habitat on a huge scale. Various forms of pollution contribute to the loss of plants and animals. Like, marine turtles often mistake plastic bags floating in the sea for jelly fish and eat them. This may choke the turtles to death or prevent them from eat properly. Scavenging birds are vulnerable to poison baits put out by farmers in attempt to control stock. The huge international trade in wildlife threatens many species with extinction. For example, the rhino is hunted for its horn which is prized as a dagger handle and used for medicinal properties. Another huge reason for the loss of biodiversity in South Africa is due to hunting, this is often, but not always, linked to trade in particular species. The African wild dog, for example has been in conflict with stock farmers for a while now and has been hunted endlessly, making it Africa's most threatened carnivore.
Sources:
Cocks, Michelle. "Wild Resources & Cultural Values: Implications for Biocultural diversity in South Africa." Terralingua.org. From 2009 ongoing. http://www.terralingua.org/bcdconservation/?p=18
Cameron, M.J. "Can Biodiversity Play A Role in South Africa." From 2012, ongoing. http://orcafoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Can-Biodiversity-Play-a-Role-in-the-Future-of-South-Africa.pdf
Hattingh, Michelle. "Cultural Diversity in South Africa." From 2013, ongoing. http://www.dreamstoreality.co.za/cultural-diversity-in-south-africa/
"Two Oceans and Biodiversity." SouthAfrica.Info. From 2012, ongoing. http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/biodiversity.htm#.VG2cT1Z6fFI
"Biodiversity" Botany.uwc. From 2001 ongoing. http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envfacts/facts/biodiversity.htm
Sources:
Cocks, Michelle. "Wild Resources & Cultural Values: Implications for Biocultural diversity in South Africa." Terralingua.org. From 2009 ongoing. http://www.terralingua.org/bcdconservation/?p=18
Cameron, M.J. "Can Biodiversity Play A Role in South Africa." From 2012, ongoing. http://orcafoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Can-Biodiversity-Play-a-Role-in-the-Future-of-South-Africa.pdf
Hattingh, Michelle. "Cultural Diversity in South Africa." From 2013, ongoing. http://www.dreamstoreality.co.za/cultural-diversity-in-south-africa/
"Two Oceans and Biodiversity." SouthAfrica.Info. From 2012, ongoing. http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/biodiversity.htm#.VG2cT1Z6fFI
"Biodiversity" Botany.uwc. From 2001 ongoing. http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envfacts/facts/biodiversity.htm
Food Culture in South Africa:
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/5/8/28587477/7138977.jpg?399)
Potjiekos is a very popular dish in South Africa. This dish was originated with the Voortrekkers in the 1800's and till tis day is still popularly home-cooked and served in South Africa today. It is pronounced 'Poi-key-koss', "potjiekos." "Potjiekos" in translation would mean 'Little Pot' (potpie) and 'Food' (kos). I also came to find that even though it resembles a stew it is not a stew at all and is not prepared like a stew. When Potjiekos is prepared it is said to be referred to as building the "potjie" in Afrikaans. The dish is normally prepared in layers and the meat can be poultry, pork, game, red meat, sea food or anything you prefer.
Potjekos Recipe:
Potjekos Recipe:
- 50 ml cooking oil
- 250g carrots
- 250g cauliflower
- 500g diced beef
- 450-550 ml of sauce
Above are a few of the dishes that are very well known in South Africa including Basmati Rice Pilaf that includes fruit and almonds in it, Spicy Lamb and Apricot Sosaties, Biltong which is similar to what we eat here in America as beef jerky and then a dish called Bobotie which looks like lasagna but is nothing similar to that dish at all. It was very cool to see the types of different foods eaten in South Africa and a little look at the cultures they came from. If I could add any dish to their daily life foods I would add the dish of sweet potato casserole. This is one of my favorite dishes that my mom actually cooks and is even better around the holidays. I would include this dish because it is a delicious sweet yummy side dish that I think everyone should be able to try. If I were to add any other food to their culture I would also add hamburgers and french fries, an American classic. This is also one of my favorite meals to eat, an I feel as though South African cultures don't get to experience this kind of eating to much. So I would like to add that dish to there menu so that they would be able to get the taste that is a favorite by many many people here in America!
Sources:
Photo of Basmati Rice Pilaf. "Basmati Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Almonds." Once Upon A Chef. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/10/basmati-rice-pilaf-with-dried-fruits-and-almonds.html
Photo of Biltong. "Biltong and Droewars." The Market Barrow. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.themarketbarrow.co.za/free-range-biltong--droeumlwors.html
Photo of Sosaties. "Spicy Lamb and Apricot Sosaties." Whats For Dinner. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.whatsfordinner.co.za/recipes/detail/11823/1/spicy-lamb-and-apricot-sosaties
Photo of bobotie. "A Mingling of tastes." Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2010/06/bobotie-recipe.html
Photo of Potjiekos. Spice Mecca."Potjiekos." From 2014 ongoing. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.spicemecca.co.za/recipes/potjiekos
"History of Potjiekos." Potjiekos World. From 2014 ongoing. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.potjiekosworld.com
"South Africa." Every Cuture.com Retrieved on December 2, 2014 from http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html
Photo of Basmati Rice Pilaf. "Basmati Rice Pilaf with Dried Fruit and Almonds." Once Upon A Chef. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/10/basmati-rice-pilaf-with-dried-fruits-and-almonds.html
Photo of Biltong. "Biltong and Droewars." The Market Barrow. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.themarketbarrow.co.za/free-range-biltong--droeumlwors.html
Photo of Sosaties. "Spicy Lamb and Apricot Sosaties." Whats For Dinner. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.whatsfordinner.co.za/recipes/detail/11823/1/spicy-lamb-and-apricot-sosaties
Photo of bobotie. "A Mingling of tastes." Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.aminglingoftastes.com/2010/06/bobotie-recipe.html
Photo of Potjiekos. Spice Mecca."Potjiekos." From 2014 ongoing. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.spicemecca.co.za/recipes/potjiekos
"History of Potjiekos." Potjiekos World. From 2014 ongoing. Retrieved December 2, 2014 from http://www.potjiekosworld.com
"South Africa." Every Cuture.com Retrieved on December 2, 2014 from http://www.everyculture.com/Sa-Th/South-Africa.html