South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity. Almost all South Africans speak English to some degree of proficiency, in addition to their native language, with English acting as a lingua franca in commerce, education, and government. South Africa has twelve official languages, but other indigenous languages are spoken by smaller groups, chiefly Khoisan languages.
Members of the middle class, who are predominantly white and Indian but whose ranks include growing numbers of other groups, have lifestyles similar in many respects to that of people found in Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The Apartheid state legally classified South Africans into one of four race groups, determined where they could live, and enforced segregation in education, work opportunities, public amenities, and social relations. Although these laws were abolished by the early 1990s, the apartheid racial categories remain ingrained in South African culture, with South Africans continuing to classify themselves, and each other, as belonging to one of the four defined race groups, such as Blacks, Whites, Coloureds, and Indians, making it difficult to define a single South African culture that does not refer to these racial categories.
The promotion, preservation, and development of national heritage and culture in South Africa is part of the mandate of the National Heritage Council, while the preservation of heritage resources is the responsibility of the South African Heritage Resources Agency. Both government agencies are part of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
History
Art
The oldest art objects in the world were discovered in a South African cave. Dating from 75,000 years ago, these small drilled snail shells could have no other function than to have been strung on a string as a necklace. South Africa was one of the cradles of the human species. One of the defining characteristics of the human species is the creation of art (from Latin "ars", meaning worked or formed from basic material).
The scattered tribes of Khoisan peoples moving into South Africa from around 10,000 BC had their own distinct art styles, evident today in numerous cave paintings. They were superseded by the Bantu and Nguni peoples, which developed their own vocabularies of art forms. In the 20th century, traditional tribal forms of art were scattered and re-melded by the divisive policies of apartheid.
New forms of art emerged in the mines and townships: a dynamic art using materials ranging from plastic strips to bicycle spokes. The Dutch-influenced folk art of the Afrikaner Trekboer and the urban white artists earnestly following changing European traditions from the 1850s onwards also contributed to this eclectic mix, which continues to evolve today.
One form of art developed during the apartheid period. This new characterisation was termed "township art" and became common in the 1960s and 1970s. This art style tended to depict scenes from the everyday life of poor black individuals in South Africa. Common visual elements in this art style are dilapidated houses, women washing clothes, penny whistlers, and black mother-and-child tableaux.
Contemporary South Africa has a vibrant art scene, with artists receiving international recognition. The recent "Figures and Fictions" exhibition of South African photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London included the work of Mikhael Subotzky, Zanele Muholi, David Goldblatt, Zwelethu Mthethwa, and Guy Tillim. Contemporary South African artists whose work has been met with international acclaim include Marlene Dumas, William Kentridge, and John Smith.
Architecture
The architecture of South Africa reflects the country's vast ethnic and cultural diversity and its colonial history. In addition, influences from other distant countries have contributed to the variety of the South African architectural landscape.
Herbert Baker, among the country's most influential architects, designed the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Other buildings of note include the Rhodes memorial and St George's Cathedral in Cape Town, and St John's College in Johannesburg.Cape Dutch architecture was prominent in the early days (17th century) of the Cape Colony, and the name derives from the fact that the initial settlers of the Cape were primarily Dutch. The style has roots in medieval Holland, Germany, France, and Indonesia. Houses in this style have a distinctive, recognisable design, with a prominent feature being the grand, ornately rounded gables, reminiscent of those in Amsterdam townhouses built in the Dutch style.
The rural landscape of South Africa is populated with traditional and European-influenced African architecture.
Cinema
While many foreign films have been produced about South Africa (usually focusing on race relations), few local productions are known outside South Africa. One exception was the 1980 film The Gods Must Be Crazy, set in the Kalahari. This is about how life in a traditional community of San (Bushmen) changes when a Coke bottle, dropped from a plane, suddenly lands from the sky. The late Jamie Uys, who wrote and directed The Gods Must Be Crazy, also had success overseas in the 1970s with his films Funny People and Funny People II, which were similar to the US TV series Candid Camera. Leon Schuster's You Must Be Joking! films belong to the same genre and are highly popular among South Africans. Schuster's most successful film internationally is Mr Bones, which was also the best performing film locally at the time of its release, grossing 35m USD. This was surpassed by the sequel, Mr Bones 2: Back from the Past.
The most high-profile film portraying South Africa in recent years was District 9. Directed by Neill Blomkamp, a native South African, and produced by Peter Jackson, the action/science-fiction film depicts a sub-class of alien refugees forced to live in the slums of Johannesburg in what many saw as a creative allegory for apartheid. The film was a critical and commercial success worldwide, and was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards. Another notable film that was produced in South Africa is Chappie.
Other notable exceptions are the film Tsotsi, which won the Academy Award for Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards in 2006 as well as U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, which won the Golden Bear at the 2005 Berlin International Film Festival.
Literature
There are 12 national languages in South Africa. South Africa's unique social and political history has produced a vast body of literature, with themes spanning pre-colonial life, the era of apartheid, and the lives of people in the "new South Africa".
Many of the first black South African print authors were missionary-educated, and many wrote in either English or Afrikaans. One of the first well-known novels written by a black author in an African language was Solomon Thekiso Plaatje's Mhudi, written in 1930.
Notable white English-language South African authors include Nadine Gordimer, who was, in Seamus Heaney's words, one of "the guerrillas of the imagination", and who became the first South African and the seventh woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1991. Her novel, July's People, was published in 1981 and depicts the collapse of white-minority rule.
Athol Fugard, whose plays have been regularly premiered in fringe theatres in South Africa, London (The Royal Court Theatre), and New York City. Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm (1883) was a revelation in Victorian literature; many consider it to have introduced feminism into the novel form.
Alan Paton published the acclaimed novel Cry, the Beloved Country in 1948. He told the tale of a black priest who comes to Johannesburg to find his son, which became an international best-seller. During the 1950s, Drum magazine became a forum for political satire, fiction, and essays, giving voice to urban black culture.
Afrikaans-language writers also began to write controversial material. Breyten Breytenbach was jailed for his involvement with the guerrilla movement against apartheid. Andre Brink was the first Afrikaner writer to be banned by the government after he released the novel A Dry White Season about a white South African who discovers the truth about a black friend who dies in police custody.
John Maxwell (JM) Coetzee was also first published in the 1970s, and became internationally recognise in 1983 with his Booker Prize-winning novel Life & Times of Michael K. His 1999 novel Disgrace won him his second Booker Prize as well as the 2000 Commonwealth Writers' Prize. He is also the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2003.
English writer J. R. R. Tolkien, author of The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, was born in Bloemfontein in 1892.
Poetry
South Africa has a rich tradition of oral poetry. Several influential African poets emerged in the 1970s, such as Mongane Wally Serote, whose most famous work, No Baby Must Weep, offered insight into the everyday lives of black South Africans under apartheid. Another famous black novelist, Zakes Mda, transitioned from poetry and plays to the novel during the same period. His book, The Heart of Redness, won the 2001 Commonwealth Writers Prize and was included in the school curriculum across South Africa.
Music
There is considerable diversity in South African music. Many black musicians who sang in Afrikaans or English during apartheid have since begun singing in traditional African languages and have developed unique styles known as Kwaito and Amapiano. Of note is Brenda Fassie, who launched to fame with her song "Weekend Special", which was sung in English. More famous traditional musicians include Ladysmith Black Mambazo, while the Soweto String Quartet performs classical music with an African flavour. European musical styles historically influenced white and Coloured South African singers.
South Africa has produced world-famous jazz musicians, notably Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim, Miriam Makeba, Jonathan Butler, Chris McGregor, and Sathima Bea Benjamin. Afrikaans music covers multiple genres, such as the contemporary Steve Hofmeyr and the punk rock band Fokofpolisiekar. Crossover artists such as Verity (internationally recognised for innovation in the music industry) and Johnny Clegg and his bands Juluka and Savuka have achieved success underground, in public, and abroad. Don Clarke wrote "Sanbonani", a local hit for PJ Powers and Hotline, in 1986, as well as much of the music for Leon Schuster's films, including "Till You're Free Again" for the 2018 film Frank and Fearless. The rap-rave group Die Antwoord has also achieved international success.
The South African music scene includes kwaito and amapiano, genres that emerged in the mid-1980s and late 2010s, respectively, and have since become popular socio-economic forms of representation among the populace. However, some argue that the political aspects of kwaito have since diminished since apartheid, and that political interest has become a minor aspect of daily life. Others say that, in a sense, kwaito is a political force that demonstrates activism through its ostensibly apolitical actions.
Today, major corporations such as Sony, BMG, and EMI have entered the South African market to produce and distribute kwaito music. Due to its popularity and the general influence of DJs, who are among the country's top 5 most influential figures, kwaito has taken over radio, television, and magazines.