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Race in South Africa


Race in South Africa

Those who are practised in North American racial terminology should understand that familiar words have different meanings in South Africa, and the rules for what terms are polite or not are different.
  • If you wish to refer to South Africans of solely African ancestry, "black" (the term used under apartheid) is still considered appropriate. It might help to practice thinking "black South African" instead of "African American". (Indeed, many black South Africans scoff at the term "African American", claiming that there is very little of Africa residing within the average "African American".)
  • The term "coloured" is not the same, unlies in the United States, as "black" and is not offensive; it refers to a cultural group with both white and black ancestors from the early colonial period.
  • White South Africans can quite simply be called "white" or "white South African". White South Africans in general speak either Afrikaans (derived from Dutch) or English, so Afrikaners and English South Africans. Typical white South Africans considers themselves as "African" as those born in the United States considers themselves "American"; most have family who have lived in South Africa for centuries, and the only continent they can call home is Africa. Avoid calling Afrikaners "Dutchmen", considered pejorative, or Afrikaans "Kitchen Dutch" as they are fiercely independent and proud of their language, and do not consider themselves Dutch.
  • The fourth racial category left over from the apartheid system is "Indian" (from India), referring to people whose ancestors came from India during the British colonial period.
  • It is wise to avoid racial or political remarks while in South Africa because the country's very diverse cultural disposition means that "putting your foot in it" is easy. However, you will encounter many South Africans who lived through the apartheid period, and who are willing to talk about their experiences of the time. It can be very interesting to speak with of their experiences, and if have an open mind and willingness to listen, you can avoid offence. South Africa is now in its second decade since the end of apartheid (a very sensitive issue for everyone) in 1990, but it is always easier to change laws than people. You will occasionally still hear overtly racist remarks, from any race group in South Africa, not only from white South Africans. This is more common from the older generation than the younger ones. The best thing to do is simply ignore it; leave the responsibility for enlightening lectures to other South Africans, who know the subject better than any foreign traveller as they have lived it. South Africans of different races generally treat each other politely at a personal level. Political movements are another matter, and political parties are usually aligned along the racial fault lines of the society. The majority of black South Africans vote for the socialist African National Congress, and the majority of white and coloured South Africans vote for the liberal centrist Democratic Alliance. Politics in South Africa is a touchy issue, and its best just not to talk about it. Interracial marriages are becoming quite common, and, except for possibly some of the older generation, people no longer take offense if you and your partner are not the same colour.

    The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about South Africa


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    South Africa Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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