South Africa,
General Information
The Republic of South Africa is located in the South
end part of Africa. It limits with the Indian Ocean at East, and the Atlantic
Ocean at West. It has borders with Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and
Swaziland, in the North. Its population is approximately 45 million people and
its surface is 1.219.193 km2. Its capital cities are Cape Town (legislative),
with a population of 2,890.000 people, Pretoria (administrative), with a
population of 1,980.000 people, and Bloemfontein (judicial) , which has a
population of 119.700 people. Its most populated city is Johannesburg, with
almost 3.900 million people.
It is divided into nine
political-administrative states: The Eastern Cape, The Western Cape, The
Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, The Northern West Province, The Free State, The
Northern Province, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng.
The
independence of South Africa from the United Kingdom was on May 31st, in 1910
and its current President is Jacob Zuma.
This country has a
great variety of cultures which considers around twenty ethnic groups. Also,
eleven languages are spoken including English, Afrikaans, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa,
Sepedi, IsiZulú, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswaba, Siswati, Xitsonga and
Tshivenda.
Referring to the
economy, their main imports are gold, minerals, diamond, metal products and
food. Meanwhile, their main exports are machinery, materials for means of
transportation, manufactured products, chemicals and petrol. They also have
many touristic attractions which have supported to the growth of their economy.
Among the main attractions we can find the Kruger National Park, Cape
Peninsula, the Sun City, the Garden Route, and KwaZulu-Natal parks and
mountains.
Most of the people in
South Africa are Christian or they are immersed in some cult such us Catholic
Church, Anglicans, Protestants, Afrikaner Calvinists or in an Independent
African Church.
Finally, manners in
South Africa are very important, and that is why we should know people use to
greet with a handshake, they wear suits in to attend to a meeting and that it
is not allowed smoking in public areas.
Art in South Africa
As in other parts of
the world, since ancient years people in South Africa has recorded and their
personal experiences, political el religious ideology, evidence about their
existence, the objects they use in daily life, to show how was the world where
they lived. Nevertheless, the art in this country differs from others by its
longevity and origin, its influence and other important features. In the
paragraphs below, the reason why South African art is one of the most important
around the world will be showed, passing through the origins, influences,
artists and its evolution until the present years.
The art in South Africa
is considered the oldest in the world. Its history remounts to the Stone Age,
when a group of people living in those lands started to draw some figures which
in the future would be known as the oldest signs of art in world's history.
Those people were three tribes called San, Khoisan and Bushmen. They decorated
their caves with rupestrian and animals paintings ten thousand years ago
drawing animals like snakes, giraffes and antelopes and some activities, such
us hunting and fishing. However, there was another an older evidence of art
dating from seventy five years ago, which was a necklace made with small
drilled snail shells.
After these three
tribes mentioned, there were others that followed this traditions: the Bantu
and Ngumi peoples, although, these tribes created an own art by creating
attractive colors and representing their experiences and believes in draws and
objects. Here, the art begins to suffer an evolution being represented in
woodcuts, sculptures, carving and ceramics, among others.
Since the arriving of
the first missioners, the native habitants of this country were influenced by
occidental religion, but people knew to keep African culture and traditions,
like their languages and activities, which produced a mix of cultures. Indeed,
religion and politics have been causes why concept of art had an evolution in
both ancient and modern times.
In modern times, it is important to highlight
the 1850s, years where South Africa had an influence of Dutch where artists started to use new
materials, such us plastics, and due the
cultural boycotts in the country, the scenic theater appears, but it has been
transformed to another style called "theater of protests", where internationally recognized authors,
directors and actors/actress such us Athol Fugard, Barney Simon, John Kani,
Winston Nitshona and Mbongeni Ngema were awarded and made famous around the
world. However, this culture is actually predominated by music.
In 2010, many paints,
music, dance and customs where in the eye of the world, due South Africa was
the FIFA World Cup host, their most recent great event which was the kick off
to show their contemporary art in streets and advertisings.
To conclude, South
Africa is known as the cradle of art in the world where the oldest evidences of
art were found. Also, It is in constant evolution and it follows both receiving
and giving influences specially in its continent.
Music of South Africa
Overall the music of South Africa is
not easy to distinguish from the rest of the continent as it follows a similar
pattern to the rest of Africa.
The traditional music of South Africa
is recognized worldwide for its sophisticated rhythms. The drums and other
instruments are played following several different rhythmic patterns and
metrics that create complex structures called poly rhythmic. It is very common
in the songs sung in groups have a voice that leads and other voices answered
him alternately.
Music is also used in ceremonies,
dances, processions, work; music is also used for communication, imitating
speech.
In
South Africa it is common to use music in their traditional religion as a means
of communication with the supernatural, such as curing diseases, to have good
results in crops, fishing or for the good life in general.
In recent years there has been a
revolution in South African music. Although there is still a clear
polarization, on the one hand and the European influence on the other ethnic
style with African base, and are beginning a process of mutual understanding
and acceptance which is creating a new style of music as a mix of sounds
typical with European influences
