South Africa
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Revision as of 19:33, 6 February 2010
South Africa is a country located in the South of Africa. (You'd think that's a given, but South Dakota is in the North of America). From 1948 to 1990, it was under apartheid, racial segregation enforced through law. Thanks to the work of people like Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu, Apartheid was dismantled from 1990 to 1993 in a series of negotiations, and the first elections were held in 1994. Many of the compromises struck during this time are still in place, such as having 11 official languages and a national anthem that is the bastard offspring of "Nkosi Sikilel' iAfrica" (God bless Africa) and "Die Stem van Suid-Afrika" (The call of South Africa). It remains the only neo-modal (it does not finish in the home key) national anthem in the world. The anthem itself is a mixture of isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English.
The country has one of the most progressive constitutions in the world and was the first African country to allow gay marriage.
Linux users might know South Africa as the birthplace of the term ubuntu, a philosophy dealing with the relationship and allegiances between people.
Unfortunately, some South African leaders, such as former president Thabo Mbeki, were HIV denialists, and perhaps more sickeningly, certain cultures of the country's black population (mostly as a result of the influence of "tribal doctors" and "spiritual healers") spread rumors that one could rid themselves of AIDS through measures such as "eating a lot of vegetables such as garlic and African potatoes", having sex with a virgin, male circumcision, and other assorted woo.
Other interesting facts are that the current president, Jacob Zuma, only has a primary school education, but as a result of the history of traditional African lifestyles currently has three wives, although he has been married five times.