Discuss slavery at the Cape in terms of its origins, heritage, and eventual impact on South African society.
Slavery at the Cape emerged in 1652 when slaves were brought into the country by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) ( Worden, 2017). It lasted for over two centuries till it was abolished. At that time, South African was under British rule. The main reason behind bringing the slaves to the Cape was to provide a labor force. Slaves were shipped to the Cape from various areas across the Indian Ocean, such as South and Southeast Asia, Mozambique, and Madagascar. Slaves entered the country in different ways. Firstly, some joined the Cape through voyages sponsored by VOC, which passed through Madagascar and other outlets on the Southeastern parts of Africa. Another method was through returning fleets of VOC sailing from Sri Lanka, East Indies, and back to the Netherlands. Lastly, slaves were brought through the foreign slavers en route to the Americas from Mozambique, Madagascar, and East Africa. Some slaves were sold on the way before heading to the Americas.
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Slavery left a significant heritage on the South African society, as evidenced by the diversities. Initially, the Creole culture emerged ( Worden, 2017). Slaves were abducted from different regions of the world. The Cape became a melting pot to incorporate the African, European sub-cultures and the Asian culture into one. Slaves developed one culture distinct from their masters due to interactions. Besides, slavery is behind the celebration of the New Year Festival. The event was borrowed from the Dutch Calendar, and up to date, it is a special day in South Africa. As slaves settled and gained new status, coons significantly impacted the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects. Segregation and apartheid were among issues that emerged and shaped the heritage of South Africa.
Slavery significantly influenced the all-around aspects of human life in South African society. Apart from developing the Afrikaans language, it significantly influenced the foods consumed. South African cuisines are much similar to Indonesian and Indian spices such as sosaties and curry. Secondly, slaves contributed to constructing buildings such as the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town. Besides, slaves led to the growth of Islam. Islam was regarded as a resistance movement for the Blacks and free slaves ( Worden, 2017). Lastly, slavery led to a static and highly unequal society. Despite forced labor playing a critical part in the development of modern South Africa, it benefitted the slave owners the most.
In your opinion, what are the main challenges facing South African society today, and where do these challenges come from?
The contemporary South African society faces several critical social, economic, and political problems. Firstly, corruption is high in the country in bribery, favoritism, and private use of public resources. As per the 2017 Transparency International Corruptions Perceptions Index, the country was ranked 71 out of 180 countries. Corruption has led to unemployment, reduction in tax revenue, and collapse of the economy. Secondly, gender-based violence is high in the country. The country experiences high rates of violence, especially against women and children; for instance, the recent cases of femicide are five times the global average ( Cook, 2019). During 2019 and 2020, over 40000 cases of sexual assault were reported by the police department.
Apart from that, poverty affects a larger population of South Africans ( Cook, 2019). According to the Department of Statistics, nearly half of the people aged 18 and above fall below the poverty line. At the same time, women are more vulnerable to fall below the poverty line than men. Poverty rates escalated last year due to Covid 19 pandemic. Lastly, education in South Africa is broken and unequal. It is characterized by overcrowding classes, crumbling infrastructure, and poor educational outcomes. Demand for quality education is higher than the supply.
In my opinion, these problems originate from within the country's broken systems. Increased corruption attributes to a lack of democracy, lack of press and economic freedom, low levels of education, and inability of the institutions to act. Gender-based violence in South Africa emanates from discriminative social norms, low levels of women empowerment, socio-economic inequality, lack of social support, and substance abuse. On the other hand, poverty is caused by corruption, unemployment, income inequality, and limited access to basic needs ( Cook, 2019). Lastly, low education quality is linked to inadequate government funding, poverty, and poor infrastructure.
References
Cook, N. (2019). South Africa: Current Issues, Economy, and US Relations. Congressional Research Services , 1-35.
Worden, N. (2017). Slavery at the Cape. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History . https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190277734.013.76
