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The dust of Africa never leaves the soles of your feet.
African tribal proverb
History and Colour( By Gary Hewitt)
The earliest inhabitants of the south of Africa were the San, bushmen of legendary survival skills who adapted to the harsh inland regions. About a thousand years ago, their idyll was disturbed by blacks, immigrants from North Africa who, in turn, were dominated by whites, Europeans who began arriving from the Netherlands and Britain in the 17th century. A blended group of coloureds arose from the importation of slaves and labourers from the east who later intermarried. Apartheid( 1948 – 1994), official segregation, set the colour chart.
In 1994, we saw the beginnings of a shift in the national consciousness, with the open elections that saw former political prisoner Nelson Mandela become South Africa’ s first black president. The old colour chart was refigured as an optimistic rainbow, a celebration of colour, ethnicity, and hope for successful integration.
Other“ colourful” historical reminders include the dominant Dutch colonial architecture, especially around Cape Town; wine estates such as Vergelegen and Bon Courage are impressive examples. Finally, the often treacherous ocean off the Cape of Good Hope holds other historical reminders: more than 400 shipwrecks, some of which can be explored by adventurous travellers on guided wreckdiving tours.
Top: Vibrant colours line the streets of Cape Town; Bottom: Bon Courage Estate is an excellent example of Dutch colonial architecture( Photos by Gary Hewitt)