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South Africa: English Week
South Africa: English Week
SOUTH AFRICA
WEEK
NAME:
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF SOUTH AFRICA
POPULATION
South Africa is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. In fact, it is
often called the “Rainbow Nation” because of the ethnic and cultural
diversity.
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The various tribal cultures have rich oral traditions. Stories, poems and epics
were learnt by heart and recited out loud.
Nowadays, Zulu is one of the largest tribe
in South Africa, they even have a king.
GEOGRAPHY
South Africa actually has three capital cities. Cape Town is the legislative
capital, Pretoria is the administrative capital, and Bloemfontein is the judicial
capital. However, Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa. However,
Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa.
LANGUAGE
languages.
Nine are native African, one is English and the last is Afrikaans, a language
developed by the region's early Dutch settlers.
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In honor of South African lingo, this is a list of slang and sayings that are only
used within South African borders.
BIODIVERSITY (animals)
South Africa is rich and abundant in biodiversity, mainly in the wild animal
life. Its incredible biodiversity is due to its unique physical features. Most of the
country is situated on a high place of the mountain, between two very different
oceans that give it ideal atmospheric conditions to have different kinds of
animals.
There are many species of antelope such as kudu, springbok, wildebeest,
impalas, oryx and gemsbok. When you go on safari you can see many other South
African animals like lions, buffalo, zebras, rhinos, elephants, giraffes and
monkeys. In addition, South Africa is home to the African Penguins and the Great
White Sharks live in the ocean waters here too. Sometimes beaches are closed for
bathing due to the sharks in the bays.
Despite all of this, many animals were killed by hunters, and others had
their habitats destroyed. Today the country's large mammals live mainly in
national parks and wildlife reserves.
The largest is Kruger National Park.
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SPORTS
WEATHER CLIMATE
The South Africa climate is in general mild and comfortable, with usually hot
and sunny summers and mild winter temperatures during the days.
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The main factors influencing conditions are altitude and the surrounding
oceans. In general, the east coast which is on the Indian Ocean, has a warm
current and the west coast which is on the Atlantic Ocean, has a colder current.
For these reasons, South Africa has various climatic regions.
On the other hand, South Africa does not really experience four distinct
seasons. Throughout South Africa the transitional seasons of Autumn and
Spring tend to be very short. Most analysis of climate is done using the
assumption that January is mid-summer and July min-winter.
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TAIWAN
SCOTLAND
ARGENTINA
AUSTRÀLIA
BOLIVIA
CHINA
EGYPT
GERMANY
MOROCCO
UNITED KINGDOM
ZAMBIA
ECONOMY
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A leader of his people
Nelson Mandela was the first black President of South Africa. He spent 27 years
in prison for trying to overthrow the pro-apartheid government. After he left
prison, he worked to achieve human rights and a better future for everyone in
South Africa.
Why is he famous?
Nelson Mandela became famous for his long fight against bad government
and racial prejudice. In fact, he became a lawyer and fought against injustice. So,
he became a hero to people all over the world, especially for black people. As
South Africa's President, he was respected for his courage and wisdom in bringing
people together to live in peace.
“Education is the most ___________ weapon which you can use to change
the world.”
“The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we
__________.”
“I learned that __________ was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over
it. The ________ man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers
that fear.”
“No one is born hating another person because of the __________ of his skin,
or his background, or his ___________. People must learn to hate, and if they
can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to
the human heart than its opposite.”
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APARTHEID
The government also took over the schools and forced the segregation of white
and black students. Signs were put up in many areas declaring these areas
for "white persons only." Black people who broke the laws were punished
or put into jail.
MUSIC
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Until quite recently, there were two
totally different music scenes in South
Africa. One was the music of the whites,
which had its roots in European music.
The other was the music of the black
population, born of a long ethnic
tradition. This music has to be "lived"
through participation: singing, dancing,
clapping or banging a drum.
The very popular choral music and township jazz and blues have also adopted
sounds from other cultures. These unique mixtures have attracted international
attention. For example, the singer Miriam Makeba, the jazz pianist Abdullah
Ibrahim and the jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela are internationally well-known.
- Then, below you have a very famous song in all the world which is called
“waka waka”. This is a song by Colombian singer Shakira, featuring South
Africa band Freshlyground. It was the official song for the 2010 FIFA world
cup and it combines a lot of afro-colombian rhythms and instrumentations.
The chorus is based on a chant from Cameroon called “Zangalewa”
that, in the past, was sung by soldiers, though it was also used by various youth
groups all around Africa. In fact, because it is so popular, the song is often
sung without knowing its meaning. However, here is what the lyrics of the
chorus mean in English.
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Now, listen to the song and fill in the gaps:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpeEdMmmQ0
The ___________ is on
You feel it
But you've got it all
Believe it
Tsamina mina eh eh
Waka waka eh eh
_________mina zangalewa
This time for Africa
Today's ________
I feel it
You paved the way
Believe it
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If you get down get up oh oh
When you get down get up eh eh
Tsamina mina…
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SOUTH AFRICA QUIZ
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8. What is South Africa’s largest ethnic group?
Ndebele
Xhosa
Zulu
Crown
12. Name one of the most famous exports from South Africa
Vehicles
Bananas
Jewellery
13. The rules the British made that separated the whites from the
blacks in South Africa were called what?
Bigotry
Stupid
Racism
Apartheid
14. What are some of the animals you will find in South Africa?
Zebras, tigers and lions.
Zebras, aardvarks and cheetahs
Aardvarks, rhinos and emus
Hippopotami, wild dogs and rhinos
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15. What did South Africa host in 2010?
World Series
World cup
Olympics
Tour de France
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22. What is one of the best known “cuisine” types in South Africa?
Rice
Braai
Kwaito
Sausages
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Quiz: INVICTUS’S FILM
TRAILER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KB2aD-ZyXA
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8. “INVICTUS” was …
a. a poem Pienaar wrote to motivate his team
b. a poem Mandela wrote in Robben Island
c. a poem which helped Mandela in prison
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