Introduction
Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, was well-known as a multi-cultural and multi-racial port city. With the complexity in races, there has been a long history of racial segregation starting from the 19th century. Provided with a colonial history started by the Dutch from 1652 and ended with the British in 1910, the urban form of this ex-colonial city deserves careful analysis. In the following essay, the urban form of Cape Town will be analyzed starting from different perspectives. This essay aims at providing grounds for further studies on the urban forms of not only Cape Town, but also other colonial cities.
General information about Cape Town
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. The city is located on the northern end of the Cape Peninsula. It claims the crown of the second most populated city in South Africa with 3.5 million people living in. The city was officially founded in 1652 by the Dutch East India Company as a supply station for Dutch ships, which has gradually turned into an economic and cultural hub of the Cape Colony from 1806 to 1910 (Cape Town Tourism, 2014).
As a multi-racial colonial city, Cape Town has 4 main population group, including Coloured, Black African, White and Indian or Asian (Frith, 2011).
Colored 42.4%
Black African 38.6%
White 15.7%
Indian/Asian 1.4%
Other 1.9%
With White mainly refers to people originating in Holland,Britain and other European countries and Coloured refers to the population descended from slaves, white and indigenous African people,as a mixed race (Phillips, 1957).
Figure 1. The racial makeup of Cape Town in 2011
The urban form of Cape Town
The urban form of cape town is related to its multi-racial environment....
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... Governance. Berlin: LIT VERLAG.
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The oppression of the indigenous people of South Africa began with the colonization by the Dutch through the Dutch East India Company. The cape of South Africa proved to be a perfect resting spot for ships on their course from Holland or India. (Lapping, p. 1-2) Conflict was inevitable and finally after 7 years of settlement the indigenous Khoikhoi attacked the colony. The Khoikhioi could not match the firearms of the Dutch. (Lapping, p. 3) Van Riebeek, who proceeded over the colony had now gained superiority over the indigenous people, imported slaves, and settled the freeburghers. The freeburghers were settled on large farms, which required strong laborers. This is where the slaves came in handy since the colony did not like the Khoikhoi labor. As the freeburghers and the slaves married, a population called the Cape coloreds arose. No more Dutch were sent since this was to be a refreshing post. In 1688, after an outbreak of religious persecution in France, some two hundred French Hugeuenots arrived. (Lapping, p. 3-5)
The county of South Africa is an economically flourishing country and probably the most advanced country on the continent of Africa. However the entire continent of Africa is probably the most undeveloped part of the world. Why is South Africa so different from the rest of its continent? Karen Politis Virk explains that it is because of South Africa’s developed economy and diverse population (Virk 40). South Africa has three main ethnic groups: African, Afrikaners, and the mixed race. The Afrikaners and mixed races have many roots to Europe and Asia giving the nation even more diversity and a culture melting pot. This set the nation apart from the rest of the African nation in which the majority of the residents are of native African descent (Virk 38). There has been no mixing of cultures or ideas in the nations as there has been in South Africa. South Africa has less problems with diseases and socio-economic problems. The reason for South Africa’s success could be because they have had such a tumultuous and interesting history compared to the rest of the continent The majority of the African continent is underdeveloped for one simple reason: diversity (Abdullkadir, 634). The rest of Africa has all had some sort of outside influence, but the influence did not stay with the people. The Boers developed differently than the rest of Africa, and the breaking point is the Boer War.
Freeman, M. 2009. Master Class notes. AFDA, AFDA Cape Town Lecture Theatre 1 on 23 February 2009, 18:00.
South Africa was positively affected in the way that before the Dutch and British, South Africa had been split up into many different tribes, who though they were free were not united. Through the centuries of hardship South Africa came out of apartheid very strong and the ANC has maintained a popularity of 60% popularity for all the elections since 1994. Economically South Africa has blossomed and is the 2nd largest economy in all of Africa and has managed to triple its GDP even though it has been less than 30 years since it has left apartheid, established democracy and freed itself from many international sanctions. South Africa’s economy still has many issues though for it is still an underdeveloped country which suffers from lack of education, employment, and crime. Socially South Africa remains strong as it is united under one goal of making its nation once again great, and it has maintained its heritage and culture. In fact, a quick look at a South African site will show many articles and memorials, of days in the past remembering the struggle for freedom. Politically, South Africa has remained strong and united with the ANC still carrying the vast majority of the votes and uses a governmental system quite similar to ours with a separation of powers and a thriving democratic system. Luckily, political diversity has also started to appear with many other groups appearing making the most out of South Africa’s democracy and all of which pledge freedom and are led by native
The South African Apartheid, instituted in 1948 by the country’s Afrikaner National Party, was legalized segregation on the basis of race, and is a system comparable to the segregation of African Americans in the United States. Non-whites - including blacks, Indians, and people of color in general- were prohibited from engaging in any activities specific to whites and prohibited from engaging in interracial marriages, receiving higher education, and obtaining certain jobs. The National Party’s classification of “race” was loosely based on physical appearance and lineage. White individuals were superficially defined as being “obviously white'' on the basis of their “habits, education and speech as well as deportment and demeanor”; an analogous sort of definition existed for all “races." The Apartheid system mimicked the Soviet Union in that all blacks and natives were to carry passbooks containing fingerprints, photos, and other forms of identification. In 1951 the country was broken up into “Bantu homelands” or districts to which certain races of individuals would be herded and allocated certain civil rights. Early on, resistance to the derogatory and racist Apartheid Nationals mounted. The African National Congress, the South African Communist Party, The Congress of South African Trade Unions, women, and select individuals such as Nelson Mandela, act as but a few examples of both active and passive resistance to the Apartheid which ultimately led to its downfall and the ushering in of a new era of cooperation amongst all South African peoples.
To prove this occurrence was not just due to genetics, the rate of infant mortality among African immigrants
When you associate anything with New York City it is usually the extraordinary buildings that pierce the sky or the congested sidewalks with people desperate to shop in the famous stores in which celebrities dwell. Even with my short visit there I found myself lost within the Big Apple. The voices of the never-ending attractions call out and envelop you in their awe. The streets are filled with an atmosphere that is like a young child on a shopping spree in a candy store. Although your feet swelter from the continuous walking, you find yourself pressing on with the yearning to discover the 'New York Experience'.
The social determinants of population health have been debated in South Africa since the colonial period. Specifically, Tuberculosis was debated, focusing on whether the persistently high rate of this disease observed in Africans was caused due to a lack of acquired immunity to the bacilli introduced in impoverished living conditions faced by most black South Africans (Myer et al., 2004: pp 112-125). The social determinants I chose to investigate and elaborate on are poverty (inequality and unemployment), disease (HIV, tuberculosis, hypertension and obesity), lifestyle (use of tobacco and nutrition), education and the environment affecting the health of South
Small, K. (2008). Demographic and Socio-economic Trends for Cape Town: 1996 to 2007. Retrieved August 20, 2012, from: http:www.capetown.gov.za.
South Africa is mostly made up of tribes, it is a huge part of the community there. A tribe is defined as social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader.Some of these tribes are: Zulu tribe which is the largest. Then there is the Wolof tribe, followed by the Samboro tribe. These are just a few out of hundreds of tribes.75% are black, 13% are white, 8% are coloured and 2% are Indian. So as you can see South Africa is very diverse and not just all black like some people may think. In South Africa they believe that it is the father's job to provide for the family, although as times change mother’s are working as well. It is also believed that the mother makes most of the authoritative decisions in the family. Depending on the mother or father’s schedule dinner can be eaten together or separately, most of the time the kids cook for themselves when they get home from school. Students/kids of the household are expected to be responsible for themselves in school work and chores. They are ...
Roger, O (2008). The Apartheid Handbook (2nd ed.). Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books. pp. 102–109. ISBN 0-14-022749-0.
South Africa is a nation with a wonderful and varied culture. This country has been called “The Rainbow Nation”, a name that reflects the diversity of such amazing place. The different ethnic and cultural groups of the South Africa do, however, appreciate their own beliefs and customs. Many of these traditions, besides African culture, are influenced by European and Western heritage. The complex and diverse population of the country has made a strong impact to the various cultures. There are forty-five million people; about thirty million are black, five million white, three million coloured and one million Indians. The black population has a large number of rural people living in poverty. It is among these inhabitants that cultural customs are preserve the most.
In this essay I will be discussing how Johannesburg has shaped me; in relation to the theme of danger and opportunity. Johannesburg has made me alert, because I do not feel safe when I walk around Johannesburg. I also feel like I am vulnerable to crime. It has also made me not to trust people because Johannesburg is a place where people seek opportunities and success. They come to the city with the mentality that they will do anything to get to the top or succeed. This has made me perceive Johannesburg as a pitiless and fearful space. I will be proving this by comparing my experiences to the following texts, Welcome to our Hillbrow, City Johannesburg and Yesterday. I have chosen to use these texts because they portray the danger and the opportunities in Johannesburg.
“Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times under Dutch rule. Apartheid as an official...