Township Tours in Southafrica

Abstract or Introduction

„Ngiwu ambe umhlaba wonk ba, Ngaze ngaba tabela ngo sizi ebesinalo, Silubonile
nosizo Iwabe zizwe, Sithi enkosi, enkosi siyanbonga, rea leboha“ (Miriam
Makeba, „Masakhane“, 1998) In her Xhosa-song, Miriam Makeba addresses the Southafrican population to
build a new Southafrica. One that consists of a diversity of cultures which together shall
secure hope and future for all in the post-Apartheid era. Even if Southafrica is still miles
away from a future for all, more and more (especially black) Southafricans are becoming
more conscious of their own heritage and a history apart from the Apartheid. Those
Southafricans reach for a life without unemployment and discrimination and have
realized that they can only put this into reality through own work and strong will.
Although this process is only starting, those Southafricans represent a new Southafrica
and an awakened Southafrican identity. However, this growing pride needs to be treated
carefully; otherwise the façade of beautiful multi-culturalis m will only be a shield for
hiding the global, meaning the western American, culture. This would not only ridicule
the different Southafrican identities but also further the gap between rich and poor as
being decreed by nature.