I never thought about linking the United States with South Africa. That is until we did the reading on pre-apartheid interactions during the arrivla of American missionaries in the country, hoping to influence the tribes then and the Dutch colonialists. The U.S. Government also played a role in the 1970s, imposing economic sanctions against the country to end apartheid.In terms of what is common between the two nations, there are few aspects one can point out. Historically, South Africa and the United States have been colonies owned by the British, and in case of South Africa the Dutch as well. White settlers in both countries, who took over the natives land by force, eventually fought to be separated from their homeland and colonizer, to gain their own rights and self-governance. South Africa and United States have had their share of government-run oppression and racial discrimination. Both countries experienced an influx of immigrants whom in both cases did contribute to each nation’s economic growth and at the same time faced xenophobic attitudes. In South Africa and the US this is still a problem, especially with illegal immigrants. And there are the titles given such as “melting pot” and “salad bowl”, where communities either mesh into mainstream culture or mix in while keeping their individuality. The latter seems to apply to both countries. The ancestral link between blacks in the US and blacks in the African continent cannot be forgotten as well. Both countries are essentially diverse.
One of the main differences is the population density. While the white settlers in the Americas wiped out most of the indigenous population, the Zulu, Xhosa and other local tribes managed to fight back and retain their land for a period of time. Black Africans are considered the majority in South Africa and blacks in the United States are the minority along with Hispanics and Asians. Despite the heavy influence of immigrants in the country, the United States refuses to acknowledge languages like Spanish as the country’s second language whereas South Africa officially recognizes around 11 languages. The US has only two main political parties, Democratic and Republican, with the rest being third parties. The following are all South African political parties represented in the parliament; the African National Congress (ANC), African Peoples' Convention (APC), Azanian People's Organisation (AZAPO), Congress of the People (COPE), Democratic Alliance (DA), Freedom Front +, Minority Front (MF), National Democratic Convention (NADECO), Independent Democrats (ID), Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), South African Communist Party (SACP), United Christian Democratic Party (UCDP), United Democratic Movement (UDM) and the Africa Christian Democratic Party. The ANC is the most dominant one, but during the very first election, Nelson Mandela ensured that multi-racial democracy was maintained.
Just as I was surprised to see the connections drawn in the reading, so is the relationship between the United States and South Africa; unknown but there.
