After 1994 the new government was introduced in South Africa and had a lot to change in the new democratic South Africa. There were many challenges facing the country as it was separated into different groups of people. People were discriminated according to their race. The government had to come up with ideas and solution of how to unite a country again. The country had to be joined together as one in order for the principles of the new government to work. An ideology was introduced. Ideology are sets of social values beliefs, feelings and representations by which people collectively make sense of the world they live in.The Rainbow Nation was represented to set beliefs and aims that South African tribes and people will learn to live with one another and even celebrate their differences in their communities.
The rainbow nation is a description coined by Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu. He first uses the term to capture multicultural nature of this country. The rainbow nation captures the extra ordinary diversity of races, tribes, creeds, languages and landscape that characterises modern South Africa. It is considered to be a melting pot of many cultures and nations embedded in a wonderful landscape and nature {www.jointhegame.com}.South Africa has got different people with different culture. During the apartheid era people did not get a chance to understand each other and learn their differences as a country. People were separated into groups according to their race. They were not allowed to stay together in communities because of the laws. The metaphor rainbow nation is trying to put those differences and try to make the citizens of South Africa understand each other and respect each other’s culture.
The National Party which was in power at time did not want mixed race people stay together in communities. They laid laws against mixed races staying together. This was forced to happen especially in black people. The Bantu homelands citizens act of 19 70 compelled all black people to become a citizen of the homeland that responded to their ethnic group, regardless whether they had ever there or not. The Bantu homelands become communities for black people because they were not allowed to stay in anywhere other than rural ereas.The Bantu homeland was not the only law .The Group Areas act of No: 41of 1950 forced physical separation between races by creating differential residential areas, led to forces removals of people living in wrong areas for example Coloureds living in District 6 in Cape Town. Forced segregation in all public amenities, public buildings, and public transport with the aim of eliminating contact between whites and other races that was the Reservations of separate Amenities Act NO49 of 1953.Various segregation law passes before the National Party took complete power in 1948.Probably the most significant were The Native Land Act of no:27 of 1913 and the Natives{urban areas }act of 1923.The former made it illegal for blacks to purchase or lease land from except in reserves. This restricted black occupancy to less than eight per cent of SAs land.
South Africa held the most non-racial elections in 1994.This was the first promise to the citizen of the country. All was in hands of the new democratic government .Since the democratic government took over those laws were abolished. South African citizens are allowed to stay where ever they want to stay. They are no laws about where to live .Even at school black children can register at the same school with a white child. There is a possibility to become a rainbow nation.
It will take many years to become a rainbow nation. If South Africans can end racism and racial talks the country can reach to the point where we respect one another as brothers and sisters of Africa. For example Julius Malema statements and songs. The politicians or those who are in charge are the ones who have to show the way to the citizens of country. The Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Tutu and the others they have done their part in building this country the way it supposed to be in the first place. A rainbow is a natural thing which got so beautiful colours that are united for now South Africa is that country it is still struggling to reach there. If South Africans can move forward because it looks like they haven’t forgive the past so that they can move forward. South Africa is a beautiful country if we can stop racism and stop discriminating each other and forget about the colour of our skins then the rainbow nation will be born.
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