South Africa - Culture Smart!

South Africa - Culture Smart!
Author: Isabella Morris
Publisher: Kuperard
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2018-02-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1787029662

South 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.

The South Africa Reader

The South Africa Reader
Author: Clifton Crais
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 631
Release: 2013-12-10
Genre: History
ISBN: 0822377454

The South Africa Reader is an extraordinarily rich guide to the history, culture, and politics of South Africa. With more than eighty absorbing selections, the Reader provides many perspectives on the country's diverse peoples, its first two decades as a democracy, and the forces that have shaped its history and continue to pose challenges to its future, particularly violence, inequality, and racial discrimination. Among the selections are folktales passed down through the centuries, statements by seventeenth-century Dutch colonists, the songs of mine workers, a widow's testimony before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and a photo essay featuring the acclaimed work of Santu Mofokeng. Cartoons, songs, and fiction are juxtaposed with iconic documents, such as "The Freedom Charter" adopted in 1955 by the African National Congress and its allies and Nelson Mandela's "Statement from the Dock" in 1964. Cacophonous voices—those of slaves and indentured workers, African chiefs and kings, presidents and revolutionaries—invite readers into ongoing debates about South Africa's past and present and what exactly it means to be South African.

Peru - Culture Smart!

Peru - Culture Smart!
Author: John Forrest
Publisher: Bravo Limited
Total Pages: 169
Release: 2012-09-13
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1857336674

Peru is associated with ancient civilizations, awe-inspiring Inca cities, ruthless conquistadores, spectacular Andean scenery, astonishing biodiversity, and colorful woven textiles. All true--but visitors will find a great deal more to Peru than this. The two distinctive cultures that first encountered each other five hundred years ago have, progressively, integrated. This process of mixing, however, raises questions about Peruvian identity. Peruvian society is divided between the wealthy, Westernized, coastal urban populations and the poorer, traditional, indigenous peoples, many of whom have migrated from the Andes to the cities. Since the flight of the discredited President Fujimori in 2000 there has been a surge of economic growth and development, and continuing social inequality. Peruvians are increasingly embracing consumerism, but for their happiness they still depend on each other, and the family is paramount. This new, updated edition of Culture Smart! Peru charts the rapid changes taking place in the country, including the election in 2011 of the left-leaning President Ollanta Humala, the third democratically elected president in a row. It describes how history and geography have shaped contemporary Peruvian values and attitudes. It provides insights into religious and public life, and reveals what people are like at home, in business, and in their social lives. Most Peruvians are laid-back and surprisingly calm and carefree, given the many uncertainties they face. They are outgoing and sociable. Get to know them, and they will respond with warmth and generosity.

All about South Africa

All about South Africa
Author: Rob Marsh
Publisher: Penguin Random House South Africa
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016-03-19
Genre: South Africa
ISBN: 9781431700967

A comprehensive reference book about South Africa for children (and their parents)

Malawi - Culture Smart!

Malawi - Culture Smart!
Author: Kondwani Bell Munthali
Publisher: Kuperard
Total Pages: 168
Release: 2018-06-21
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1787029395

Nicknamed "The Warm Heart of Africa," "Land of the Lake," and "The Land of Smiling Faces," this small, landlocked country in southeast Africa offers travelers a true African experience. Within a single day, visitors can go on safari, enjoy sprawling tea gardens, and watch the sun sets over Lake Malawi, the third-largest lake in Africa and home to many rare species of fish. The country has nine unique national parks and wildlife reserves and has been home to many diverse African cultures, from the indigenous hunter-gathers to the incoming iron-working Bantu settlers. Dress, dance, masks, language, and traditional festivals all reflect waves of migrating tribes—those fleeing Shaka Zulu in the south, Swahili Arab slave traders in the east, and Bantu from Central Africa. Other cultural influences came through the slave trade routes, contact with Portuguese and Indian traders, and English missionaries who introduced Victorian-era buildings. This historic blend has produced a people who are strong, good-humored, conservative, traditional, yet adaptable, creative, loyal, and hard-working.

Homelands, Harlem and Hollywood

Homelands, Harlem and Hollywood
Author: Rob Nixon
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2022-10-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000631672

Originally published in 1994, Homelands, Harlem & Hollywood examines the anti-colonialist struggle against apartheid, and the ways in which American and South African culture have been fascinated with and influenced by one another. Rob Nixon’s wide-ranging analysis looks at Hollywood representations of the struggle for liberation, the impact of the Harlem Renaissance on the Sophiatown writers, the banning and censorship of television under apartheid, Mandela and messianic politics, the sports and cultural boycotts, ethnic nationalism, and the culture of violence. Nixon concludes with an investigation of how the collapse of communism and anti-communism and the rise of ethnic cleansing in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union had powerful implications for the shape of post-apartheid South Africa.

National Geography Traveler - South Africa

National Geography Traveler - South Africa
Author: Richard Whitaker
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2017-03-07
Genre: Travel
ISBN: 1426217714

This guide covers all the main towns, cities, and parks of one of the most beautiful countries on Earth. Travel information and tips for the hot spots of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, and Durban are all extensively updated for this latest edition. The book also includes spotlights on food and drink, shipwrecks, surfing, diving, and wild animals to help travelers get the most out of their time in this multifaceted destination. Kruger National Park, the Kalahari, and the Western Cape wine lands are featured, and readers can also enjoy a Footsteps to Freedom walk, a Maloti Mountains drive, and luxury train trips through the Transvaal. The National Geographic Traveler guidebooks are in tune with the ever growing trend toward experiential travel, providing inspiring photography, insider tips, and expert advice for a more authentic, enriching experience of the destination. The guides provide information, historical context, and cultural interpretation not available online.

Culture and Rural–Urban Revitalisation in South Africa

Culture and Rural–Urban Revitalisation in South Africa
Author: Mziwoxolo Sirayi
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2021-06-14
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 1000397386

This book captures ground-breaking attempts to utilise culture in territorial development and regeneration processes in the context of South Africa and our 'new normal' brought by COVID-19, the fourth industrial revolution, and climate change the world over. The importance of culture in rural-urban revitalisation has been underestimated in South Africa and the African continent at large. Despite some cultural initiatives that are still at developmental stages in big cities, such as Johannesburg, eThekwini and Cape Town, there is concern about the absence of sustainable policies and plans to support culture, creativity, and indigenous knowledge at national and municipal levels. Showcasing alternative strategies for making culture central to development, this book discusses opportunities to shift culture and indigenous knowledge from the peripheries and place them at the epicentre of sustainable development and the mainstream of cultural planning, which can then be applied in the contexts of Africa and the Global South. Governmental institutions, research councils, civil society organisations, private sector, and higher education institutions come together in a joint effort to explain the nexus between culture, economic development, rural-urban linkages, grassroots and technological innovations. Culture and Rural-Urban Revitalization in South Africa is an ideal read for those interested in rural and urban planning, cultural policy, indigenous knowledge and smart rural village model.

Korea - Culture Smart!

Korea - Culture Smart!
Author: James Hoare
Publisher: Bravo Limited
Total Pages: 143
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1857336704

Apart from the headline-making politics, not much is known in the West about the Korean people and their ancient culture. Yet those who visit Korea, whether North or South, find a land of great interest. The Koreans, when not constrained by politics or other considerations, are friendly and sociable, and the peninsula has areas of outstanding natural beauty. The South's cities, if not always beautiful, are vibrant and alive. The North, while very different, is complex and fascinating. The standoff between the two countries of the Korean Peninsula is a legacy of the Cold War and a potential flashpoint for future conflict. Despite a brief thaw in relations a few years ago, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north, a secretive single-party socialist state with a centralized industrial economy, conducted nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009. The Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south meanwhile, a free market democracy, has become a rising economic power, and in 2010 became the first former aid recipient to join the OECD Development Assistance Committee. Much has changed since the first edition of Culture Smart! Korea was published in 2005: the North's defiant development of its nuclear program, the end of the South's "Sunshine" or engagement policy in 2008, the opening up to US tourists by the North in 2010, and the death of its leader Kim Jong Il in 2011 and the succession of his youngest son, Kim Jong Un. This new, updated edition of Culture Smart! Korea looks at the changing social and economic situation and provides real insights into thinking and behavior in both countries. It indicates the pitfalls to avoid, and introduces you to some of the many delights of the Korean peninsula.

Washed with Sun

Washed with Sun
Author: Jeremy Foster
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: Architecture
ISBN: 0822980355

South Africa is recognized as a site of both political turmoil and natural beauty, and yet little work has been done in connecting these defining national characteristics. Washed with Sun achieves this conjunction in its multidisciplinary study of South Africa as a space at once natural and constructed. Weaving together practical, aesthetic, and ideological analyses, Jeremy Foster examines the role of landscape in forming the cultural iconographies and spatialities that shaped the imaginary geography of emerging nationhood. Looking in particular at the years following the British victory in the second Boer War, from 1902 to 1930, Foster discusses the influence of painting, writing, architecture, and photography on the construction of a shared, romanticized landscape subjectivity that was perceived as inseparable from "being South African," and thus helped forge the imagined community of white South Africa. In its innovative approach to South Africa's history, Washed with Sun breaks important new ground, combining the persuasive theory of cultural geography with the material specificity of landscape history.