South Africa

9/1/24

Overview

Join Active Minds as we explore the history of South Africa, its struggle with race and its journey to rejoin the international community since apartheid ended in 1994. We will discuss the pivotal role played by Nelson Mandela, the impact of immigration/colonialism, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and other important aspects of this story. We will end with a look at the current challenges and opportunities for South Africa, including the recent May 2024 elections.

Key Lecture Points

  • South African apartheid finds its roots in the colonial era, when whites from the Netherlands and Britain established settlements in Southern Africa beginning in the 17th century. The colonization of South Africa established the racial and socio-economic hierarchy that plagued the country during the apartheid era.
  • The apartheid era in South Africa (1948-1994) was a time of brutal racial segregation aimed at maintaining the dominance of white South Africans of European descent over non-white South Africans (black and “Indian”).  Struggle and sacrifice by oppressed South Africans combined with international pressure and eventual government capitulation ended the apartheid era in 1994. The end of apartheid was marked by the election of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela to the presidency of South Africa.
  • Since the end of apartheid, South Africa has been grappling with its legacy and dealing with new and pressing issues. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission that worked from 1995-1998 was an important step towards uniting a racially divided society. Although the TRC’s work was groundbreaking, many argue that blacks still suffer from the economic disparities engendered by apartheid.  Almost 25 years on from the end of apartheid, 70% of farmland in South Africa is owned by white farmers.
  • South Africa was the focus of international attention when Nelson Mandela died December 5, 2013. South Africans celebrated the life and mourned the death of the man who changed the course of his country’s history and who was a father figure to his people. Leaders and dignitaries from more than 100 countries attended his memorial service.
  • In 2024, the African National Congress lost its majority in parliament for the first time in 30 years. President Cyril Ramaphosa the ANC engaged in tough negotiations to create a power-sharing agreement. Members of seven political parties serve in the President’s cabinet. This coalition government faces the daunting challenge of resolving some of the world’s highest rates of inequality and unemployment; the economic legacy of apartheid; the impacts of the HIV epidemic; and the persistent poverty in much of the population.

Discussion Questions

  • How is the history of Apartheid continuing to affect life and politics in South Africa?
  • What are the economic challenges South Africa faces?
  • What do you think is the lasting legacy of Nelson Mandela?
  • Have you ever been to South Africa? Other countries in Africa? What impacts of colonialism have you seen?
  • What parallels and differences do you identify between South Africa’s era of apartheid and the centuries of slavery in North America and the Caribbean?

More to Explore

Books for Further Reading

  • Mandela, Nelson. Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. Bay Back Books, 1995. 656 pages. Written five years after his release from prison, Mandela tells his own life story, a life so inextricably linked with the struggles of South Africans to end apartheid.
  • Mandela, Nelson, Barack Obama. Conversations with Myself  Picador, 2011. 480 pages.  This book draws from Mandela’s personal journals, letters written from prison and conversations with friends to give insight into the man who is an inspiration to the world.
  • Crais, Clifton, Thomas V. McClendon.  The South Africa Reader: History, Culture, Politics.  Duke University Press, 2013. 606 pages. This book is a guide to the country’s politics, culture, history and the challenges of the future.