Conflicting Colonial, Racial, and Tribal Claims to Southern Africa

Southern Africa presents a sequence of tribal migration, conflicting colonial philosophies, and attitudes toward racial identity, including the rise and fall of apartheid—factors influencing freedom of movement, land tenure and development. Indigenous voices represent pre-colonial histories and traditions of mixed-race and Black People. A recurrent theme is the exploitation of Southern Africa’s natural resources—gold, diamonds, fresh water, wildlife, and timber. The San people’s rock art documents hunter-gatherer practices. Robert Jacob Gordon’s eighteenth-century journals—reflecting Enlightenment values—move from exploration and first contact to governance. Olive Schreiner’s essays analyze Boer vs British settler attitudes, while children in her Story of an African Farm give a fresh, even mystical, interpretation of place. With Cecil Rhodes comes all-out Anglo-Boer conflict, increased exploitation of natural resources, and blatant racism. Women’s accounts of these conflicts are featured. Nelson Mandela’s autobiography documents his “road to freedom,” describing a series of places. Starting in a tribal village. Trevor Noah gives a post-apartheid view of Black and mixed-race townships. Anglo-Afrikaans literature by J.M. Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer, explores psychological relationships to the land as whites must cede privilege. Bessie Head and Zake Mda explore sustainable traditional and modern approaches to development.