South Africa Vocabulary

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to South Africa's apartheid history and significant figures.

Apartheid

The system of laws in South Africa aimed at separating the races, a social and political policy of racial segregation and discrimination enforced by white minority governments.

Afrikaners

Dutch, French, and their German descendants who settled in South Africa.

Afrikaans

The South African language which is a blend of Dutch, other European languages, and some native languages.

Boers

South African settlers and farmers who moved inland when British settled the coast in the 1800s and displaced native Africans living inland.

Townships

Crowded clusters of tiny homes that black South Africans were forced to live in during apartheid; often far from where blacks had to work.

Homelands

Forced relocation of African tribes in South Africa into certain areas, which did not have good farmlands or resources.

Embargo

A ban on trade with a particular country.

Sanction

A threatened penalty for disobeying a law or rule.

Civil Disobedience

The act of not following certain laws as a means of protest.

Regime

Another word for government or rulers of a country.

Suffrage

The right to vote.

African National Congress (ANC)

A Black South African organization that was outlawed by the white South African government, mainly using nonviolence.

Nelson Mandela

A key anti-apartheid leader imprisoned in 1964 for 27 years; became the first Black South African leader and won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Steve Biko

A Black South African political activist fighting to end apartheid who died under police torture in 1977.

Desmond Tutu

South African reverend active in fighting against Apartheid and key figure in reconciliation efforts.

F.W. De Klerk

Prime minister of South Africa from 1989-1994, who transitioned South Africa away from apartheid and won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Soweto Uprising

An uprising for freedom of speech led by at least 10,000 students, resulting in more than 400 deaths.

Sharpeville Massacre

A protest against passbooks in 1960, where police killed 69 people during a demonstration.