South Africa was a land ravaged by years of bitterness and war, yet it became a land of hope for the future. It was a rich society cultivated by years of tribal practice, but eventually colonized and taken over by the Europeans. They came in and destroyed the system the natives had carefully grown, and instilled fear into them. Ultimately, over many years the European’s sense of superiority over the natives grew into hatred, and thus the Apartheid was born. This period of time devastated the native people, as well as any non-european, but came to pass with time. Great heros arose from the unlit passageways that led to and shaped the modern South Africa as it is known today. There were many social and political conflicts concerning the Apartheid,
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The reason it is pitied is because most people are only educated on the negative events that have occurred in South Africa, and do not know about the rest of it’s history. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave a speech called “The Danger of a Single Story” that talked about how dangerous it is to only know one part of the complex history of a certain place, person, or an object. She illustrated that the danger that lies within the single story is that “[it] creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete” (Adichie 12:56). The general lack of knowledge about South Africa, paired with a media which only documented South Africa during one of it’s worst moments in history, led to a stereotype that South Africa was a country that was filled with a populace who were at war with themselves. Although South Africa is portrayed negatively “there are other stories that are not about catastrophe, and it is very important...to talk about them” (Adichie 13:24). It is crucial to discuss the country and it’s history as a whole, otherwise “one story become[s] the only story” (Adichie 12:56). Adichie asserts that South Africa is not restricted to its single story, because it is a free country, not bound to its stereotypes. South Africa is not distinguished by a tiny, dismal part of its past, but by a path
The reason it is pitied is because most people are only educated on the negative events that have occurred in South Africa, and do not know about the rest of it’s history. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie gave a speech called “The Danger of a Single Story” that talked about how dangerous it is to only know one part of the complex history of a certain place, person, or an object. She illustrated that the danger that lies within the single story is that “[it] creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete” (Adichie 12:56). The general lack of knowledge about South Africa, paired with a media which only documented South Africa during one of it’s worst moments in history, led to a stereotype that South Africa was a country that was filled with a populace who were at war with themselves. Although South Africa is portrayed negatively “there are other stories that are not about catastrophe, and it is very important...to talk about them” (Adichie 13:24). It is crucial to discuss the country and it’s history as a whole, otherwise “one story become[s] the only story” (Adichie 12:56). Adichie asserts that South Africa is not restricted to its single story, because it is a free country, not bound to its stereotypes. South Africa is not distinguished by a tiny, dismal part of its past, but by a path