Sweetheart Necklace

Producer

Country of Origin

South Africa

South Africa has Africa's strongest economy, producing nine percent of the continent's economic activity. However, South Africa also has the second highest number of AIDS patients in the world and is still recovering from years of apartheid that has left behind a legacy of extreme inequality among South Africans.

Apartheid's Legacy
Apartheid refers to the policies instituted by the white minority government from 1948 to 1992. The word "apartheid" means "separateness," achieved through the creation of a legal system that discriminated against all non-whites, forcing them to live in designated areas, prohibiting them from voting, and denying them equal access to services such as health, education, and jobs. Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to relocate to areas of the country determined by ethnic group.

Dedicated activists waged peaceful protests against the government and its racist laws for a number of years. But as their protest was increasingly met with violence and police brutality, the resistance gained momentum and ultimately shifted its strategy to one that relied on the use of force. In the 1980s internal violence intensified. This was coupled with growing international condemnation from anti-apartheid activists (particularly student activists in the US) that led to the imposition of economic sanctions. The president at that time, Frederik Willem de Klerk, began to dismantle apartheid and transition to democratic rule with open elections through a series of negotiations. South Africa's first free elections took place in 1994 and Nelson Mandela, a central leader in the fight against apartheid, was elected as South Africa's first black president.

The consequences of apartheid can be seen today in the country's vast racial inequalities. Blacks, who make up over three quarters of the population, suffer from low levels of education, employment, and income. Sixty percent of blacks (but only three percent of whites) live below the poverty line, aggravating one of South Africa's biggest challenge: incredibly high crime rates.

HIV and AIDS
With 5.5 million people infected with HIV, South Africa has the second highest number of HIV/AIDS patients in the world and the highest number in all of Africa. South Africans spend more time attending funerals than getting hair cuts, going to barbecues, or shopping. Much of this tragedy can be attributed to the South African government's neglect of the issue as the president and other members of government continue to dispute the effectiveness and value of providing antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) for treatment. Though the government created a public health plan to administer ARVs in 2003, it has been very slow to implement it.

Looking Forward
Despite the challenges, South Africa is also upheld for its diversity, sometimes referred to as a "rainbow nation." The country's history is also one rooted in social justice; two universally significant philosophies were born in South Africa. Mahatma Ghandi lived and organized in South Africa for over two decades, during which time he developed the theory of satyagraha, (nonviolence). South African activists used satyagraha in the initial stages of the fight against apartheid. The Zulu concept of Ubuntu describes the common bond between all of humanity and comes from the phrase umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu, "people are people through other people" - -the idea that an individual's fortunes and misfortunes are intimately connected to everyone's fortunes and misfortunes. Today, this concept is called upon by many as people across South Africa work to move the country forward.