South Africa is experiencing an African Renaissance built on its diverse and fascinating cultural heritage.
The spirit of reconciliation and mutual respect that now pervades South African society is helping to re-enforce the country`s pride in its multi-ethnic roots.
Tourists today have the opportunity of discovering the real Africa, finding out about its people, the way they live, their culture and their history.
You will be able to see why South Africa has been called the "The Rainbow Nation", observing at first-hand the colourful mosaic that decorates the fabric of South African society today.
You can also discover links with mankind`s distant ancestors, for South Africa has archaeological sites, such as the Sterkfontein caves near Krugersdorp, Gauteng Province, and Makapansgat, near Potgieterus, Northern Province, which contain evidence of very early human settlements dating back about three million years.
The skull of a child, found in 1924 in Taung, near Kimberley, supports the conclusion that the evolution of `Homo Sapiens` started in Africa, not as originally believed in Asia.
The San
Few of South Africa`s original inhabitants, the hunter-gatherer San remain today, but evidence of their presence throughout countless ages survives in rock paintings to be found in various caves and other sites. They lived throughout the country in small groups of families. With few personal belongings and no sense of `ownership` of the vast tracts of land they inhabited, there was no social strife.
The San still live their traditional lifestyles in the remote areas of South Africa, like the Kalahari desert. Tourists can meet the San at Kagga Kamma (Place of the San), situated 260 km north of Cape Town in the Cedarberg Mountains. This is a protected area for the Kalahari San, who hunt and earn money selling hand-made artworks.
The private living areas of the San remain hidden to tourists, but there is a central meeting point.
At the !Xulu & Khwe Bushman Cultural Project, Kimberley, Northern Cape, visitors can see San communities and purchase their traditional craft. Good examples of San rock art can be seen in caves in the uKhahlamba-Drakensberg Nature Reserve in the Drakensberg Mountains, KwaZulu-Natal.
The South African Museum, Cape Town has some exhibits illustrating the life styles of the San.
A step further on the ladder of history we find the Khoikhoi, cattle and sheep herders, who lived in polygamous communities dominated by a chief. They lived in circular, wood and matting huts which could easily be broken down as the Khoikhoi moved round the country looking for pasture.
The Khoikhoi were the first people encountered by the Dutch intruders at Table Bay, who called them `Hottentots` probably because of the clicking sounds they made as they spoke, which the Dutch mistook for a stammer. The Dutch settlers gradually seized their land and cattle and the Khoikhoi population was decimated by a series of smallpox epidemics.
Through interbreeding with early European settlers, they became part of the so-called Coloured population of the Cape. The only group to survive is the Nama, who today can be found living in Namaqualand and neighbouring Namibia.
The overwhelming majority of the South African population are black Africans who pride themselves on their many-faceted ethnic roots.
These Africans, who many centuries ago moved into South Africa from Central Africa`s lakeland district, can be split into several ethnic groups who made their homes in different areas of the country, although they come together when they move to major urban areas for work.
The area of the Xhosa today falls generally within Eastern Cape Province. The Zulus originate from the province of KwaZulu-Natal; the Ndebele and the Shangaans from Mpumalanga; the South Sotho from the Free State, the North Sotho (or Pedi) from the Northern Province, the Tswana from the North-West Province, the Venda from Northern Province, while most Swazi come from areas of KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga on the borders of Swaziland.
These groupings are fused together in the urban areas, where the Africans have adopted a westernised way of life - yet in rural areas many remain faithful to their ethnic heritage, which is still practised.
Lesedi Cultural Village is a multi-cultural African village less than an hour`s drive from Johannesburg (012-205 1394). It consists of a number of different homesteads or villages, Xhosa, Zulu, Pedi and Basotho. Each visitor becomes a guest of a traditional African family, learning about their culture and way of life. Evenings are spent around log fires with traditional dancing, stories and song. Also visit the Rainbow Cultural Village, north-west of Hartebeespoortdam.
The traditional lifestyle of the black Africans are described below:
Of all the tribal nations that immigrated from the north, the Xhosa moved furthest south. Traditional Xhosa buildings are typified by circular walls built of mud, with a pointed thatched roof - a rondavel design frequently copied in the buildings of game lodges. Xhosa women are known for covering their faces in ochre - and for smoking long pipes.
Head-dresses made of heavy woollen scarves, folded in a turban-like style, and wood and string necklaces are typical. Bracelets are a status symbol, and are frequently made from wire bought at trading stores.
The ideal way to view the countryside and get to know this friendly people is to drive through the Eastern Cape, where small, affordable hotels offer a variety of holiday options.
On the Shamwari Game Reserve, between Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown visitors will find Kaya Lendaba, a traditional village. Wezandla Gallery and Crafts Centre, Baakens Street, Port Elizabeth, is also worth a visit.
Known for their prowess in war under Shaka, "Africa`s own Napoleon" and other leaders, today the Zulus form the largest tribal group in South Africa, with numbers totalling almost eight million. Zulus traditionally live in beehive-shaped huts formed in a circle within an enclosure known as a `kraal`.
Married women wear wide-brimmed, dish-shaped head-dresses, often decorated with beads, to denote their status. Zulu men wear skin aprons and fur armlets and anklets, carrying shields and spears at traditional ceremonies.
Tourist attractions include the Heia Safari Ranch, near Johannesburg, Gauteng; and in KwaZulu-Natal, the DumaZulu Traditional Village open-air museum near Mtubatuba; Shakaland, a replica Zulu village or kraal and Kwabhekithunga, Zulu village, both near Eshowe, and offering accommodation in Zulu huts; PheZulu, an open-air museum in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, Durban, Simunye Zulu Lodge and Midmar Historical Village, near Midmar Dam, Howick. Near Ulundi is Umgungunhlovu a re-construction of the royal capital of King Dingane.
Various museums also depict Zulu heritage, including the KwaZulu Cultural Museum, near Ulindi, the Zululand Historical Museum, Eshowe and Talana Museum near Dundee. Those staying in Durban can visit the African Art Centre, Tourist Junction or the Arts and Culture Experience at the Bat Centre, Maritime Place.
The Ndebele are renowned for brightly-painted houses, with their geometric designs. As colourful as their homes is the clothing worn by Ndebele women. Married women wear heavy bronze rings around their arms, legs and neck, often surrounded by beaded neck-hoops.
The Ndebele live mainly in the northeast part of Mpumalanga near Pretoria and in the Middleburg region, Gauteng.
Dazzling buildings and clothing can be observed at the Botshabelo Open Air Museum and Historical Village, 13 km north of Middelburg, the AmaNdebele Traditional Village and Museum near Loopsruit north of Bronkhortspruit and the Nzunda Mabhoko Royal Kraal at Emthambothini, Weltevrede, advance booking required).
The South Sotho, numbering 300,000 live mainly in the Free State, on the borders of Lesotho, an independent state bordered on all sides by South Africa. They are typified by their woven, conical hats, and colourful blankets worn as clothing. The Sotho, who frequently build their homes in stone, are fond of decorating their huts with stone mosaics and splashes of bright paint. Their hardy way of life can be discovered at the Basotho Cultural Village near Harrismith 30 km, east of the Golden Gate National Park.
The North Sothos, numbering almost 2.8 million, live to the north of Tzaneen, Northern Province. They are renowned for the legend of Modjadji, the `Rain Queen` immortalised in Henry Rider Haggard`s book "She". To find out more about their heritage, tourists can visit Bakone Malapa, a traditional North Sotho kraal, near Pietersburg.
Tswana homes are also rondavel shaped. The walls are not painted but patterns are etched into the mud before it dries. An exciting tourist attraction is the Lotlamoreng Dam and Cultural Village, near Mafikeng, where the Tswana way of life comes vividly alive (041-84 3040). Kadishwene/Kureechane Reserve, 36 km from Zeerust, features a Tswana museum highlighting their traditions.
The Venda, numbering 600,000 and living to the north of Northern Province, are related to the Shona of Zimbabwe. Historians claim that the Vendas interbred with Arab traders, hence their distinctly Semitic facial characteristics. Known in the past as excellent iron and coppersmiths, today they still practice their old customs and initiation ceremonies.
Venda women traditionally wear striped, salempore material with additional braids sewn on. Unique to the Venda are the chalk-stiffened white pompons. The local tourism authority arranges visits to art markets and towns. At the Ditike Craft Centre, west of Thohoyandou, handicrafts and works of art are exhibited and sold.
These people are related to the Tsonga in Mozambique and in South Africa call themselves Shangaan. Today approximately 750,000 Shangaan live on the border of Kruger National Park.
Large, thatched, conical roofs typify the style of their homes while dresses often consist of long, colourful material knotted on one shoulder. Wide beaded necklaces and heavy metal bracelets are also popular. Face scarring was originally practised to deter Arab slave traders but it is now considered a sign of beauty. The Tsonga are excellent fishermen. The transition from youth to adulthood is a truly warlike affair: patterns are burnt into the skin.
Tsonga Cultural life is depicted in the Tsonga Kraal in the Hans Merensky Nature Reserve near Phalaborwa, Northern Province.
Swazi men wear brightly printed scarves knotted on one shoulder and skin or cotton kilts. They raise their "knobkerries" (long cudgels) as a form of greeting. Swazi women also wear scarves, knotted around both shoulders and goatskin aprons. The "beehive" hairstyle, with a cord of white string at the hairline, is characteristic of Swazi women. Favourite colours are orange and red.
Immigrants who streamed to the Cape after 1652 were mainly from Holland, Germany, France and Britain. Of the 40 million people in South Africa today, six million are of European origin. Slaves from Madagascar, Java and Bali were also transported to the Cape while indentured workers from India were employed in the sugar plantations of KwaZulu-Natal.
These, the first European settlers, worked for the Dutch East India Company. In 1652 Jan van Riebeeck, together with 90 men, women and children, set up a supply base at Table Bay on behalf of the Company, providing fresh food and water for ship`s plying the trading routes between Holland and Indonesia.
The presence of these early settlers can be seen in the military fort, The Castle of Good Hope, built in Cape Town in 1679. The settlers evolved their own architectural style known as Cape Dutch, characterised by its white walls, high gables, thatched roofs and long verandahs. This style is much in evidence in the estate buildings of the Winelands.
The Dutch influence can also be seen in Stellenbosch, the second oldest settlement in the Cape, in Swellendam at the Drostdy Museum and in Graaff Reinet at the Klippe Rivier Homestead, where over 210 buildings with national monument status can be seen in the oldest town in the eastern Karoo.
The Dutch East India Company also employed Germans, who played an important part in the development of South Africa, including the establishment of wine production. During the first 140 years after 1652, 14,000 Germans settled in the Cape, while German Legionnaires who fought for Britain in the Crimea War were sent to the Eastern Cape to protect the colony against Xhosa attack. German missionaries preached to and educated the black people. Testaments to their presence includes the Monument for German Settlers, East London; the German Schools and Settlements at Wartburg, Hermansburg and Kroondal; the Marionhill Mission, Pinetown, Durban; and the Mission Stations at Genadendal and Wuppertal.
In 1688, 153 French Huguenots, Protestants fleeing from religious persecution in France, settled in Franschhoek (French corner) and also contributed significantly to the wine industry of the region. See the Huguenot Monument and Museum at Franschhoek and the wine cellars at Boschendal, l`Ormarins, Clos Cabriere and Bellingham.
After many generations, the Dutch, German and French immigrants to the Cape, mainly farmers, or Boers, began regarding themselves as Afrikaners and even today they identify very strongly with the land.
The spirit of these pioneers (Voortrekkers) can be felt at the Voortrekker Monument, Paul Kruger House and Melrose House in Pretoria; the Church of the Vow and the Voortrekker Museum, Pietermaritzburg; the Afrikaans Language Monument and Museum at Paarl; the Talana Museum, Dundee; the Bronze Wagon `Laager` Monuments at Blood River, KwaZulu Natal and Magersfontein near Kimberley. The Pioneer Open-air Museum, Pretoria, is a restored house and farmyard dating from about 1848. Demonstrations include making butter, candles and baking bread.
Stellenbosch Village Museum is a complex of historical houses furnished in the period style, depicting the lifestyles of the inhabitants during the 17th & 18th centuries.
Kleinplasie Open-air Museum, Worcester recreates the lifestyle of an early Cape farming family, including seasonal farming activities. Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum, near Johannesburg, features a farmstead dating from 1880, with a blacksmith`s shop, dairy, working water mill and peach brandy still. Traditional farming activities are demonstrated.
The first slaves arrived at the Cape in 1655. Initially they came from the Dutch colonies such as Madagascar and Java. Others came from Angola, Guinea, Abbyssinia, India and Malaysia.
Over the decades the slaves and Europeans inter-bred, their progeny becoming known as Coloureds. The majority of Coloured are Christians and speak Afrikaans. Their annual cultural festival, the Minstrel Carnival, is held over the New Year`s period, when they wear vibrant costumes, make music and parade the streets of Cape Town.
Throughout the year though, bands of Coloured musicians provide foot-tapping entertainment for Cape Town visitors, particularly along the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront.
Many of the Asian immigrants, so called `Malays`, remained true to their Islamic faith. They live mainly in Cape Town in areas recognised by their many mosques. To find out more, head for the Bo-Kaap Museum in the Malay Quarter of Cape Town.
The British took over the Cape at the beginning of the 19th century to prevent it from falling into French hands. Natal, now called KwaZulu-Natal, was seized from the Afrikaners by the British in 1843.
Buildings reflecting British colonial architecture abound - in the Houses of Parliament and City Hall in Cape Town; in the City Hall, Bandstand and Jubilee Pavilion in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, dubbed the "Last Outpost of the British Empire"; in the Playhouse, City Hall and Railway Station complex in Durban; the General Post Office and The Market in Johannesburg; and in Pretoria`s Union Buildings.
Grahamstown looks for all the world like an English country town - an annual cultural festival is held here every year. Pilgrim`s Rest Village, in Mpumalanga, is one of the best examples of a living museum. The village is a replica of the early gold mining town, where gold was discovered in 1873. Restored miners` houses serve as shops. Gold Reef City is a reconstruction of Johannesburg during the gold rush era built around a gold mine. Activities include a Victorian funfair, a brewery, several restaurants, and tribal dancing.
From 1860 to 1911, large numbers of Indians streamed into KwaZulu-Natal to work on the sugar plantations. They were indentured labourers, but despite the offer of free tickets home, most decided to stay.
Today South Africa is home to one million Indians, 70 per cent Hindu, 20 per cent Muslim and the rest adhering other religions. Although most Indians speak English to visitors, at home they converse in Indian dialects. In Durban especially, visitors can experience their lifestyle in the mosques and temples as well as the Victoria Street Market, with its sari shops and jewellers, spice, fruit and vegetable stalls. The Great Mosque, Riverside Mosque and Kramat Narainsamy Temple are amongst the places to see.
Despite its comparatively small size, the Jewish community plays a very important part in many sectors of South African life. Tourist attractions include: the Great Synagogue in Cape Town; the Old Synagogue and Sammy Marks Museum in Pretoria, and Harry and Friedel Abt Jewish Museum in Johannesburg.
Portuguese, Chinese and Greeks add a further valuable dimension to the South African cultural mix. Their influence too can be felt, not least in the wide variety of cuisine to be found throughout the country.