ART AND CULTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa art and culture

Sed Diam, 22

Art

PAINTINGS The oldest archaeological evidence of paintings was found in the Blombos Cave. An ochre-based mixture was dated at 100,000 years old, and a stone toolkit used to grind ochre into paint was found to be 70,000 years old.

Traditional art forms such as dancing and textile weaving are used as vehicles of ethnic identity and are carefully preserved, while modern art forms from painting to literature have flourished in the years since the end of apartheid.

FILM

In 1890 the medium was introduced in South Africa. Since then, they have been doing lots of films and it has become a very important part in the South African art. The country’s first major narrative film appeared in 1910. As is the case with other arts, film has also been used as a means of political commentary since it appeared despite official censorship in the apartheid era. Then, blacks were allowed to produce their own films.

LITERATURE

Through the 20th century most of the literature of South Africa consisted of a constantly attack to the apartheid system in which Black people must live. That literature was most of the time banned by the government because they believed that though those writings about black consciousness the Black people would start a revolution. So, the people that write about it were banned and needed to go to the exile.

AFRIKAANS LITERATURE

BLACK LITERATURE

The second literature movement was written in Afrikaans and have it´s origin in the nationalist movement. That nationalist movement and literature that originated in the 1880´s led to the apartheid ideology. That defend the superiority of the White race, that promoted literature, drama and music. In the 20th century the writers of Afrikaans literature such as Jakob Daniel du Toit and C. Louis Leypoldt started writing about different themes like love or conflicts, even though the write about themes opposed to the apartheid ideology.

At the beginning the black literature was mostly oral. With the pass of the time that oral literature changed to written literature which included narrative, poetic, historical, and epic forms that changed with the pass of the time to adapt to the changes that Black groups had. That written literature spread through all Africa and reached Europe and America and became more popular with the pass of the time.

MUSIC

THEATRE

South African music is a fusion of various musical styles such as traditional indigenous music, jazz, Christian religious music, and forms of popular music from the United States and Zulu music, which is a lively form of music that flourished in the townships during the apartheid era.

The south African playwrights responded to new cultural and political issues and were written in different ways, which make it very rich. Also, in South Africa the first nonracial theaters emerge from indigenous black organizations that lately influenced a lot in the hole theaters of South Africa.

DAILY LIFE

FESTIVE DAYS

FOOD

CLOTHING

Daily life in South Africa is conditioned by social classes that are: ethnicity, religion and residence.

In South Africa they have a wide variety of food from traditional foot to cosmopolitan cuisine. African food is centered in vegetables with maize(corn). For example one traditional dish is: umngqusho. All of African people eat a plate that is called delbraai, that is an south African barbeque. They make meat of chicken, lamb, pig and ostrich.

They celebrate Human Rights Day on March 21, Freedom day on April 27, National Women’s Day August 9, Heritage Day in September 24 and Day of Reconciliation on December 16.

African clothing is the traditional clothing worn by the peoples of Africa. African clothing and fashion are a diverse topic that can provide a look into different African cultures. Clothing varies from brightly colored textiles to abstractly embroidered robes, to colorful beaded bracelets and necklaces.

CULTURES

01

02

Khoikhoi and San

Zulus

They were known as the “Bushmen” and were skilled hunters and trackers.

They are known for their shield-bearing, beadworks, grass huts, and basketry. The belief of these culture is based on ancestral sprits which appear mainly in dreams and a supreme being

04

03

Ndebele

Xhosa

They are known for the skilled woman. The skills are hereditary, and women are tasked with the responsibility of teaching their daughters.

Is popular for the complex dressing that portrays a person’s social status, position in the society, and whether they are married, or no. A oral tradition of these culture is talk stories with ancestral heroes.

Sotho

Venda

06

05

The homes of this culture are organized into villages rather. The villages are organized into age-sets. Each age set is given a specifically responsibility. They also allow their sons to married from their kin. Their tradition folk art includes pottery making

They believe that lakes and rivers are sacred and that rains re controlled by Python God. Traditional healers known as Sangoma are believed to have access to the spirits and ancestors.

RELIGIONS

TRADITIONS

Use copper rings around the neck. After Ndebele wife is marries and taken to the man´s house, she is expected to look as spectacular as possible. This is done by wearing copper rings around the neck. The rings are believed to possess a lot of ritual power. Due to this ring, their neck bones get malformed and become very painful. Many women end up in hospitals to have them removed because of excessive pain.

South African never have an official religion. The majority of south africans(84,2%) are Christians, the 5% they identified with ancestral or traditional African religions, the 2% are Muslisms and a 1% are Hindus.

+info

THE END

+info