SOUTH Africa, through the ages, has been a region loved, hated… admired, scorned… colonised, liberated… developed, raped. It has always evoked strong passions; and produced even stronger men. From its oceans came the seafarers. Adventurers from Phoenicia and Arabia… Traders from Spain, Portugal, Holland and England… Settlers from the Netherlands, France, Germany, England… From the north – overland – came the Bantu: the Nguni, Sotho, Venda, Tsonga-Shangana, Ovambo-Heroro.
Through trial, practice, belief and back-breaking work, the European settlers overcame misfortune; hardship; even tragedy. They gained an understanding, appreciation and love for this new land; their joy and vitality culminating in the birth of a new culture – with language, ideas, heartbreak and triumphs unique from anything anywhere else in the world.
Concurrently, the Bantu, with assegai and shield, cattle and maize, custom and ritual, embossed their existence on history’s page. During the Difaqane, Shaka immortalised himself by unifying the Zulu nation into a proud and feared regional power. Mosjesj took advantage of the instability caused by Shaka’s indomitable rise, providing shelter for fleeing refugees in the Mountain of the Night; giving rise to the nation of Lesotho.
South Africa’s history tells the tale of brave men and women, fearless warriors, powerful leaders and brilliant intellects. Men, women and children - like Japie Greyling, Rachel de Beer, Mbilini waMswati, Christiaan de Wet, Emily Hobhouse, Ntshingwayo kaMahole, Koos de la Rey, Paul Kruger and countless others – who were fortunate enough to exist, excel and build in southern Africa.
They woke up to white-foamed breakers pounding the brute indifference of rocky shores. They dipped boerbeskuit in moer-coffee or stirred pap in iron potjies as the first rays peeked from behind craggy koppies or majestic mountains. With the sweat of effort dripping from their brows, they tended to cattle or furrowed the earth in patterns promising rich harvests. Fearlessly conquering the lassitude of languor, they toiled the earth while finding joy in the Springbok’s graceful leap, the lion’s unrivalled majesty and the elephant’s prodigious strength.
CAPE TOWN Cape Town Tips Cape Town Photos PRETORIA Pretoria Tips Pretoria Photos
email me
add as friend
Comments for JohanIsWeg about South Africa