Examples of South Africa's Inclusive Society

South Africa's Language and Identity, and how it relates to you and I

Language and Identity are ever present in every part of the world, in South Africa this is manifested in their 11 official languages as well as the countries popular culture. Since 1994 South Africa has created a society based on racial inclusion instead of the previous apartheid regime, which was based exclusion. The new “rainbow nation” has created a culture in which all forms of people are accepted. This has caused some people to question the existence of a true “national identity” however having been in the country, I believe that the nations true has a true national identity and it can be found in the way the different cultures mesh together.

Reading about South Africa in a book and experiencing it are two entirely separate entities, before I went I had heard so much of South Africa’s transition towards democracy. Though many of the things I read were accurate it was difficult to fully grasp what it all meant until I was in the country. While in the country I had the opportunity to meet with many students from different universities. These students came from all different backgrounds and spoke different languages or were even different races. However when you spoke to them they all identified themselves as South African. This shows that there are different levels of identity. The large umbrella of national identity contains the smaller units of group identity (ex Xhosa speakers) and finally personal identity (ex you!)

The banner of national identity can be seen throughout the country in various ways, the most noticeable is in the nations sports programs. During our time in South Africa the country was partaking in the Tri-Nations cup rugby tournament(http://fournations.rugbyweek.com//), it was fascinating to see South Africans from all different races and walks of life to come together and support their national colors. This also shows how far the country has come since the transition of 1994. What is the most interesting is how quickly the national identity was established. In just 17 years the country has laid the groundwork for a firm national identity, I think because its so new people often have a difficult time differentiating it from the various group identities.

South Africa’s group identity is incredibly visible, even to the untrained eye such as my own. South Africa’s 11 official languages have created an opportunity for groups to manifest themselves. The group we studied heaviest was that of the isiXhosa people. The contrasts between a group like the Xhosa and the Afrikaans are very evident. Though they both call South Africa home the language they speak is night and day and the way they go about their daily lives also differs. This difference isn’t just between the Xhosa and the Afrikaans its like this with all of the different cultures of South Africa.

South Africa’s culture and identity go hand and hand. Everywhere you go their presence can be felt, weather it be their multi-lingual newscasts or the nations sports teams. South Africa has a unique identity based upon their prior experiences and a sense of national pride.  

~Kevin