Media Studies Class
King's College
Otahuhu
So today we are researching context for the upcoming film we are studying - Tsotsi, we are looking into the population, economic growth, HIV/Aids, apartheid, tribal culture, Johannesburg, polotics, crime and gender roles in South Africa where the film is set to help us find a sense of context. Here is some info I have gathered.
Population- 51 million people,
black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)
Estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Population in Major Cities
Johannesburg 3.607 million; Cape Town 3.353 million; Ekurhuleni (East Rand) 3.144 million; Durban 2.837 million; PRETORIA (capital) 1.404 million (2009)
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Economic Growth-
South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that is the 18th largest in the world; and modern infrastructure supporting a relatively efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. Growth was robust from 2004 to 2007 as South Africa reaped the benefits of macroeconomic stability and a global commodities boom but began to slow in the second half of 2007 due to an electricity crisis and the subsequent global financial crisis' impact on commodity prices and demand. GDP fell nearly 2% in 2009 but recovered in 2010-12. Unemployment remains high, at nearly one-quarter of the work force, and outdated infrastructure has constrained growth. State power supplier Eskom encountered problems with aging plants and meeting electricity demand necessitating "load-shedding" cuts in 2007 and 2008 to residents and businesses in the major cities. Daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty, lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups, and a shortage of public transportation. South Africa's economic policy focuses on controlling inflation, however, the country has had significant budget deficits that hamper its ability to deal with pressing economic problems. The current government must contend with the impact of the global crisis and is facing growing pressure from special interest groups to use state-owned enterprises to deliver basic services to low-income areas and to increase job growth.
HIV/Aids-
5.6 million living with aids.
0.06% in NZ
over 15% in South Africa
In 2010, some 280,000 South Africans died of HIV/AIDS. In the aughts, between 42% and 47% of all deaths among South Africans were HIV/AIDS deaths.
HIV/AIDS is more prevalent among female adults under the age of 40 in nearly all age groups. Roughly 4 in every 5 people with HIV/AIDS aged 20–24 are women, and only one third of people with HIV/AIDS aged 25–29 are men.Although prevalence is higher among women in general, only 1 in every 6 HIV/AIDS infected people with multiple sex partners are women.Slightly more than 50% of sexually active South Africans have ever had at least one HIV/AIDS test. The spread between male and female for this statistic is roughly even.In 2008, life expectancy at birth was 41 years for males and 46.5 years for females.
Apartheid-
Apartheid is"the status of being apart", it was the system of racial segregation enforced through legislation by the National Party governments, who were the ruling party from 1948 to 1994. Under this government the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and white supremacy and a black african minority rule was maintained. Apartheid was developed after World War II by the Afrikaner-dominated National Party and Broederbond or white brotherhood organisations forced Apartheid which was administered by South African government.
Tribal Culture-
Languages:
IsiZulu (official) 23.82%, IsiXhosa (official) 17.64%, Afrikaans (official) 13.35%, Sepedi (offcial) 9.39%, English (official) 8.2%, Setswana (official) 8.2%, Sesotho (official) 7.93%, Xitsonga (official) 4.44%, siSwati (official) 2.66%, Tshivenda (official) 2.28%, isiNdebele (official) 1.59%, other 0.5% (2001 census)
Religions
Protestant 36.6% (Zionist Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%), Catholic 7.1%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)
Johannesburg-
Johannesburg also known asJozi, Jo'burg, Joni, eGoli or Joeys, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa.The city is one of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the world, and is also the world's largest city not situated on a river, lake, or coastline.It claims to be the lightning capital of the world, though this title is also claimed by others.
Johannesburg was affected by urban blight. Thousands of poor, who had been forbidden to live in the city proper, moved into the city from surrounding black townships like Soweto and many immigrants from economically beleaguered and war torn African nations flooded into South Africa. Many buildings were abandoned by landlords, especially in high-density areas, such as Hillbrow. Many corporations and institutions, including the stock exchange, moved their headquarters away from the city centre, to suburbs like Sandton.
Polotics- 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape
mixed legal system of Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, and customary law
chief of state: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jacob ZUMA (since 9 May 2009); Deputy President Kgalema MOTLANTHE (since 11 May 2009)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 6 May 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: Jacob ZUMA elected president; National Assembly vote - Jacob ZUMA 277, Mvume DANDALA 47, other 76
Crime- Crime is a prominent issue in South Africa. South Africa has a very high rate of murders, assaults, rapes (adult, child and infant), and other crimes compared to most countries. Most emigrants from South Africa state that crime was a big factor in their decision to leave.The South African Police Service is responsible for managing 1115 police stations across South Africa.
Gender Roles-
From a current observation of African society, women are generally banished from the public spheres of power. When they are urged to participate in the political life of their countries through civil and political authority, for instance, they often become indebted to the "chief" to whom they owe their "promotion". Women can pay back this debt in a humiliating way. Outside of the political arena, however, African women demonstrate their merits in another way. This ambivalent role is disclosed through the figures of mother, spouse and educator. Through these eminent and unique roles, whereby women hold the indispensable function of life giver and peacekeeper, they exercise the power to protect life in dignity and pride more so than anyone else in African society.
http://interuwcmag.wordpress.com/2011/11/10/gender-roles-and-south-africa/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_South_Africa
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apartheid_in_South_Africa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV/AIDS_in_South_Africa
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannesburg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_South_Africa
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