#colouredpeople #capetown #southafrica
The colored people of South Africa are the most genetically mixed people in the world, with genetic heritage from the Bantu, Khoisan, South East Asian, European and Middle Eastern. Mitochondrial DNA studies have demonstrated that many maternal lines of the Coloured population are descended from Khoisan women. As a consequence of Apartheid policies and despite the abolition of the Population Registration Act in 1991, Coloureds are regarded as one of four race groups in South Africa.
Thank you and welcome to Afroartista Films. The Coloured community has a rich history that dates back to the arrival of the first Dutch settlers in the 17th century. These settlers brought with them slaves from Indonesia, Madagascar, and other parts of Africa, and through intermarriage, a new mixed-race population was formed. The Coloured people were considered a separate group from the white settlers and the indigenous black population, and were subject to different laws and policies under apartheid.
About twenty percent of the Coloured speak English as their mother tongue, mostly those of the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Virtually all Cape Town Coloureds are bilingual. About 13.5% of the South African population, around 7 million people, speak Afrikaans as a first language, making it the third most common natively-spoken language in the country. This is the language that most Coloured people speak. It evolved from early Dutch spoken by the first immigrants from Holland and despite obvious similarities with Dutch, it is today considered as a distinct language. Here is a sample of the language.
Coloureds are mostly found in the western part of South Africa. In Cape Town, they form 45.4% of the total population. The various subgroups of the coloured people are the Cape Malays, The Griqua, Cape Colored as well as any other mixed race broadly labelled as others. Cape Coloureds identify as black in every other country besides Namibia. The reason is because the racial classification in other countries is different from South Africa and Namibia's racial classification and other countries don't have the racial classification "coloured".
The Coloured community faced significant challenges throughout history, particularly during the apartheid era. They were denied many basic rights and faced discrimination in areas such as education, employment, and housing. The end of apartheid in 1994 brought significant changes for the Coloured community. They were no longer legally classified as a separate group and were granted the same rights as other South Africans. However, many Coloured people still face economic and social challenges, particularly economic inequality, Education disparities, Health disparities, Housing crisis, racial discrimination, Political under–representation and violence and crime.
Despite these challenges, the Coloured community has remained a vital and vibrant part of South African society. They continue to make important contributions to the country's culture, economy and politics. They have played a prominent role in the country's music, arts, and sports, and have produced many notable figures such as Alex la Guma, Trevor Noah, Peter Abrahams, Abdullah Ibrahim, AKA rest in Peace, Sho Machozi, and Zola Budd among many others. The Cape Malay coloured people are responsible for one of the most vibrant South African subcultures which can be seen in their unique Afrikaans dialect, foods and entertainment.
In conclusion, the Coloured people of South Africa are a diverse and resilient group that has played a significant role in the country's history and culture. They have faced many challenges throughout history, particularly during the apartheid era, but have remained a vital and vibrant part of South African society. It's important that we continue to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of the Coloured community, and to work towards addressing the on-going challenges they face. Thank you for watching and see you again.
