Global Learning
Explore Library resources for study abroad, international learning, and countries represented by our Kirkwood students.
About South Africa
Some facts about South Africa, from Global Road Warrior database:
- "South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the African continent...It is rich in mineral resources including gold, diamonds, coal, and platinum. Four countries border South Africa to the north (Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique), while eSwatini—formerly Swaziland—and Lesotho are landlocked countries within South Africa."
- "The majority of South Africa is comprised of black Africans including several distinct ethnicities such as Zulu, Xhosa, Basotho Bapedi, and Venda. Whites are a minority in the country, deriving from European settlers. Mixed races are referred to as colored. Indians and Asians make up a small part of the population...Eleven official languages are spoken in South Africa: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. Despite being spoken by a small portion of citizens, English is the language used for commerce and government."
- "South Africa’s spring flower shows and tours highlight the brief but colorful blooming of the world’s richest floral realm. Some of the world’s most diverse plants and animals are found in the country, which boasts more wild animal species than Europe and Asia combined. Both the world’s largest and smallest mammals are found in South Africa, the African elephant and Eastern Rock Elephant Shrew, respectively. The African Ostrich is the largest bird in the world, also found in South Africa, with Kruger National Park one of the African continent’s largest game reserves, featuring giraffes, lions, cheetahs, buffalo, elephants, rhinos, and zebras, among others. Hundreds of bird species also call South Africa home including many migrating species, while the coastline is rich in biological variation as well."
- Read much more about South Africa in Global Road Warrior!
Books and other resources about South Africa
South Africa - Culture Smart! by Call Number: 968 M876s, or eBookISBN: 9781857338720Publication Date: 2018-02-01South Africa has been described as "A World in One Country" and a "Rainbow Nation." Its landscape ranges from miles of glorious beaches to the inland desert of the Karoo, the sweeping grasslands of the Highveld plateau, and the subtropical bush of the Lowveld. Its ethnic makeup is equally varied. There are eleven official languages, nine major black African tribes, two major white tribes, as well as a representation of all the world's major religions. It has a free market economy while communists share in government; one of the world's most liberal constitutions and a deeply patriarchal society; and very rich and very poor people coexisting. South Africa has come through fire, and although there is still considerable heat, it is doing pretty well. This insiders' guide will introduce you to the universal warmth and cultural diversity of its people, explain the backdrop of their troubled past, and familiarize you with their everyday life so that you'll feel comfortable whether you're invited to a shack in the townships, a mansion in the suburbs, or a braai on the beach. You'll learn how to stay safe in potentially dangerous areas, and you'll know where to go if you want to feel like the only person on the planet.- South Africa: Country profile report byCall Number: eBookISBN: 9781350995963Publication Date: 2019South Africa inherited a highly divided and segregated education system from the apartheid system, which was based on racial, economic, and social inequalities. Unfortunately, such inequalities continue to persist despite the many changes that have been achieved since 1994.
South Africa, Settler Colonialism and the Failures of Liberal Democracy by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9781783602254Publication Date: 2015-12-15In South Africa, two unmistakable features describe post-Apartheid politics. The first is the formal framework of liberal democracy, including regular elections, multiple political parties and a range of progressive social rights. The second is the politics of the 'extraordinary', which includes a political discourse that relies on threats and the use of violence, the crude re-racialization of numerous conflicts, and protests over various popular grievances. In this highly original work, Thiven Reddy shows how conventional approaches to understanding democratization have failed to capture the complexities of South Africa's post-Apartheid transition. Rather, as a product of imperial expansion, the South African state, capitalism and citizen identities have been uniquely shaped by a particular mode of domination, namely settler colonialism. South Africa, Settler Colonialism and the Failures of Liberal Democracy is an important work that sheds light on the nature of modernity, democracy and the complex politics of contemporary South Africa.
Search for books and articles on more specific topics using our WorldCat library search:
- WorldCat Discovery This link opens in a new window
- Why search here? A great place to start your research, WorldCat is an all-in-one search of the library's holdings.
- What's included? Kirkwood library books, ebooks, and article database content. Select "Libraries Worldwide" on the results screen to search books held by libraries around the country and the world.
Films available to stream:
- Documentary: South Africa - The End of a Dream - Political and Social Turmoil in South AfricaAs the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s birth approaches, the Rainbow Nation seems to be in disarray. More than half the population live below the poverty line. The ANC is rife with corruption. White people still hold the wealth, leaving the black majority with little hope for social advancement...
- Documentary: Long Night's Journey into Day - A Quest for Justice in South AfricaFor over forty years, South Africa was governed by the most notorious form of racial domination since Nazi Germany. When it finally collapsed, those who had enforced apartheid's rule wanted amnesty for their crimes. Their victims wanted justice. As a compromise, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) was formed. As it investigated the crimes of apartheid, the Commission brought together victims and perpetrators to relive South Africa's brutal history. By revealing the past instead of burying it, the TRC hoped to pave the way to a peaceful future.
LONG NIGHT'S JOURNEY INTO DAY follows several TRC cases over a two-year period. The stories in the film underscore the universal themes of conflict, forgiveness, and renewal. - Documentary: The Swenkas - A Male Fashion Show in South AfricaIn post-Apartheid South Africa there's a small group of working Zulu men who every Saturday night leave their grimy overalls behind and wear their best Carducci or Pierre Cardin suits to impress the weekly selected judge. The men are called the Swenkas, and they have run this fashion show for so many years that no one remembers exactly when - or even why - it all began.
- Documentary: Green Warriors - South Africa's Toxic TownshipsJohannesburg is considered the most uranium-contaminated city in the world. Waste dumps from around 600 abandoned mines sit next to residential communities, blowing polluted dust into homes and contaminating the soil and water supplies. To get a sense of the sheer extent of the problem, Martin Boudot and his team of researchers investigate.
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