The History of Change in South Africa

THE HISTORY OF CHANGE IN 

SOUTH AFRICA -

IT’S A GOOD THING

        South Africa is so full of history and is continuing to make headline type history today. It is amazing how much the country has changed over the years and how far it has come after certain trialing points of history. South Africa has been pushing forward with their society and still has a long way to go in learning how to do life a little better and more civilized. But that seems to be the case with many countries. When historically analyzing a few highlights of the various parts that makes up South Africa: geography, religion, natural resources and trade, and the change that has taken place among the borders, politics, and national identity, it can be determined that the nation has experienced a lot of change, has learned from the change, and is growing from the change. The next several paragraphs will identify each of the parts previously listed of South Africa to show how it has created history, has produced change, or has helped the nation to be more successful.

            When discovering the geography of South Africa, one will notice that the location of the nation is helpful when it comes to trade which will be discussed further later in this paper. South Africa is located at the southernmost part of the continent of Africa. It is approximately “1/8 the size of the U.S.” (N.a, under “SouthAfrica.info”). The diversity of the land is helpful for farming and practicing trades but also for enjoying both mountain and Mediterranean type climates.

            While analyzing the religion of South Africa, one can see a vast amount of change through the years among the nation and its people. Christianity was first brought to South Africa by Western missionaries, even before South Africa had gained its independence. Once independence was gained, it was thought that Christianity would die in the 1960’s. Instead of Christianity dying, it began to prosper even more, making the Sub-Saharan region hold more Christians than what could be found in most of Europe (Elphick 2013, 760-62).

            One indigenous religion in South Africa is that of the San People. They believe they can pray through a healer and that God is powerful. They partake in trance dances as the Spirit from the San goes into the shamans so that they can heal people (N.a, under “Different Religions of South Africa”).

            Other religions found in South Africa are: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. These religions made their way into the country by missionaries and travelers over the course of history. Currently, Christianity has been growing into a larger population of people in the South African region rather than Islam (N.a., under “Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa”).

            The natural resources and trade of South Africa have been very beneficial to the nation’s economy throughout the years. Natural resources are, “material in its native state that, when extracted, has economic value” (N.a., under “BioBriefs: What’s the Definition of Natural Resource?”). South Africa is home to a lot of livestock, metal, minerals, farming, and much more. The two natural resources most commonly found in South Africa are diamonds and gold (N.a., under “Africa: Resources”). The natural resources were used to create a variety of things: ornamental plants, food, handcrafts for decorating, bait for fishing, fuel, materials for weaving, ritual usage, medicine, grazing for cattle, timber, and so much more (van Wilgen, under “An Inventory of Natural Resources Harvested from National Parks in South Africa”).

            The natural resources helped promote trade in South Africa. Oil and natural gas are traded throughout Africa (N.a., under “Africa: Resources”). Diamonds and gold are largely traded from South Africa. All of these resources are very expensive and valuable among every nation’s society which leads to a profitable trade. With South Africa’s location on the water, they have an easy access for trade. The nation is connected to the Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean which makes for easy trade to occur among many nations.

            The borders, politics, and national identity of South Africa have changed so much throughout the years, especially when concerning the South African Apartheid. The meaning of the word “apartheid” is: “racial segregation; specifically: a former policy of segregation and political and economic discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa” (N.a., under “Apartheid” Merriam-Webster).

            The Apartheid produced large political boundaries from the separation of whites from blacks socially and physically. The Britannica Encyclopedia gives a clear picture of the boundaries among the whites and the blacks during the Apartheid:

The Group Areas Act of 1950 established residential and business sections in urban areas for each race, and members of other races were barred from living, operating businesses, or owning land in them. In practice this act and two others (1954, 1955), which became known collectively as the Land Acts, completed a process that had begun with similar Land Acts adopted in 1913 and 1936; the end result was to set aside more than 80 percent of South Africa’s land for the white minority. (N.a., under “Apartheid” Britannica Encyclopedia)

This statement shows the defined political and national boundaries for all of South Africa. Thankfully, things began to slowly change after the Apartheid was over. The process is long, but the nation is trying the make things like they were before the Apartheid, concerning political, social, and physical boundaries. There is still tension among the whites and blacks at times and when visitors come, they are sometimes looked down upon by some of the natives, depending on their color (Dombroski 2006, 43-57). The majority of the nation is striving for continued change and peace.

 

           After historically analyzing these highlighted features of South Africa, one can notice the vast change, history, or successes of South Africa. It took a lot of time, hard work, and commitment in each area for these three results to occur in the analyzation of South Africa. There is still more yet to be done for continued change and success to occur, but that is what makes for a great, headline history of a beautiful nation.

 Bibliography

“Africa: Resources.” National Geographic. Accessed June 5, 2015. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/africa-resources/?ar_a=1.

“Apartheid,” Britannica Encyclopedia, accessed June 26, 2015, http://academic.eb.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/29332/apartheid.

“Apartheid,” Merriam-Webster, accessed June 26, 2015, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apartheid.

“BioBriefs: What's the Definition of Natural Resource?” Bioscience 45, no. 3 (03, 1995): 231, http://search.proquest.com/docview/216453912?accountid=12085.

“Different Religions of South Africa.” Different Religions of South Africa. Accessed May 29, 2015. http://prep.bishops.org.za/academics/classpages/gr4/social science/DIFFERENT RELGIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA.htm.

Dombroski, Kenneth R., “South Africa After Apartheid,” Journal of Democracy, 17, no. 3 (2006): 43-57, accessed June 26, 2015, http://muse.jhu.edu.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/journals/journal_of_democracy/v017/17.3dombroski.html.

Elphick, Richard. 2013. "Making African Christianity: Africans reimagining their faith in colonial South Africa." Church History 82, no. 3: 760-762. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed May 29, 2015).

“SouthAfrica.info.” South Africa’s Geography. June 28, 2012. Accessed July 3, 2015. http://www.southafrica.info/about/geography/geography.htm#.VLmv-CvF8rU.

"Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. April 14, 2010. Accessed May 29, 2015. http://www.pewforum.org/2010/04/15/executive-summary-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa/.

van Wilgen, Nicola,J., Mbulelo Dopolo, Alexis Symonds, Wessel Vermeulen, Elzette Bester, Kyle Smith, and Melodie A. McGeoch. “An Inventory of Natural Resources Harvested from National Parks in South Africa.” Koedoe 55, no. 1 (2013): 1-5, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1370173439?accountid=12085.

Picture Sources

Image #1: "Jukani Wildlife Sanctuary,"Jukani, accessed July 3, 2015. http://www.jukani.co.za/userfiles/article/grp10/logo1765693.jpg.

Image #2: "About South Africa," African Presidential Roundtable, accessed July 3, 2015. http://www.bu.edu/aparcrt/about/about-south-africa/. 

            Image #3: Jayden, “South Africa,” PB Works, accessed June 19,                        2015. http://year52012.pbworks.com/f/1352363261/South%20African%20Religion.jpg.

Image #4: "Tolerance and Tension: Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. April 14, 2010. Accessed May 29, 2015. http://www.pewforum.org/2010/04/15/executive-summary-islam-and-christianity-in-sub-saharan-africa/. 

Image #5: “South Africa Top 5 Export Products.” Accessed June 5, 2015. https://afrolibertarian.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/screen-shot-2014-09-01-at-8-48-57-pm.png.

            Image #6: "Apartheid Laws - South African," accessed June 26, 2015.    http://southafricanapartheid14.weebly.com/uploads/3/1/0/8/31082565/3977893_orig.jpg

            Image #7: "Share Your Life With An AFS Exchange Student." AFS-USA Hosting. Accessed May    29, 2015. http://www.afsusa.org/host-family/our-students/countries/south-africa/.