South Africa - an example of cultural diversity

When did the current South African flag become the official flag?

• 1910

• 1961

• 1994

• 2013

Answer explanation

It became the official flag after the first free/general elections on April 27th, 1994.

Due to the colourful nature of the South African flag, its nicknames include the "Rainbow Flag" and the "Seskleur" (‘Six Colour’),“Unity Flag”, the “Southern Union”, the “Mandela Flag”, “Rainbow Salad”...

Archbishop Desmond Tutu coined the term " (a)   nation" to describe the post-apartheid South Africa.

Answer explanation

South Africa is called the "rainbow nation" because of its multicultural diversity.

The South African motto (in the Khoisan language)

literally translated means "diverse people unite".

How many official languages are there in South Africa?

• 2

• 4

• 8

• 11

Answer explanation

South Africa has 11 official languages: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.

IsiZulu is South Africa’s biggest language, spoken by almost a quarter (23%) of the population.

English is only spoken by 10%.

The lyrics of the National Anthem of South Africa are in...

• English, Afrikaans, and Zulu

• English, Xhosa, and Sesotho

• Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and English

• Xhosa, Zulu, Sesotho, and English

Answer explanation

The lyrics are in the five most widely spoken of South Africa's eleven official languages – Xhosa (first stanza, first two lines), Zulu (first stanza, last two lines), Sesotho (second stanza), Afrikaans (third stanza), and English (final stanza). The lyrics are sung in these languages regardless of the native language of the singer.

Nelson Mandela was awarded the Nobel (a)   Prize for 1993.

Answer explanation

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and F. W. de Klerk "for their work for the peaceful termination of the apartheid regime, and for laying the foundations for a new democratic South Africa" .

Fun fact: both Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela, Nobel Peace Prize winners, lived on the same street in Soweto.

How many capital cities has South Africa got?

• 1

• 2

• 3

Answer explanation

South Africa has three cities that serve as capitals: Pretoria (executive), Cape Town (legislative), and Bloemfontein (judicial).

Parliament meetings take place 6 months in Cape Town and 6 months in Pretoria.

What's the South African name for barbecue?

• Boerewors

• Braai

• Biltong

Answer explanation

"Braaievleis", shortened to "braai" comes from the combination of the Afrikaans words "braai" meaning "to grill" and "vleis" meaning "meat" (grilled meat).

Boerewors = a traditional South African sausage.

Biltong = Biltong is a form of dried, cured meat (AmE = jerky)

In this picture you can see representative elements of the (a)   culture.

Answer explanation

The Zulu tribe, the largest ethnic group in South Africa, is known for their strong fighting spirit which has fashioned renowned warriors in history like Shaka Zulu who played a prominent role in various Zulu wars.

Trditionally men wear animal skins and women wear skirts with beads.

In this picture we can see a typical...

• Xhosa hut

• Cape Dutch house

• Swazi shade

• Zulu hut

Answer explanation

Traditional Xhosa huts were made of wood and saplings, thatched grass, and a mud and dung mixture.

The Xhosa people are onother ethnic group in South Africa, that were mainly cattle herders.

The Zulu hut is different (in the picture).

The most popular sports in South Africa are cricket, soccer and (a)   .

Answer explanation

The national rugby team is known as the Springboks (the name of a native antelope).

The South Africa national soccer team is nicknamed Bafana Bafana (The Boys/Go boys go boys).

The South Africa national cricket team, is also known as the Proteas. Its nickname derives from South Africa's national flower, the "King Protea".