Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town, South Africa

Although the apartheid era continues to cast its shadow on Cape Town, many of its neighborhoods have been enjoying a renaissance as tourist destinations.
The Constitutional Court of South Africa

At South Africa’s Constitutional Court, a Democracy Brick by Brick

The themes of truth and reconciliation echo throughout the Court’s design, evoking the democratic values of post-apartheid South Africa.
Walter Rubusana

How Walter Rubusana Paved the Way for Nelson Mandela

Rubusana was the first Black politician elected to office in colonial South Africa.
Schoolchildren in Soweto, South Africa

Kids’ Games in South Africa

Formal education in language and music is important for children, but as one scholar found, so is their own play involving gesture, slang, and pop songs.
South African police beating Black women with clubs after they raided and set a beer hall on fire in protest against apartheid, Durban, South Africa, 1959

The South African Experience with Changing the Police from Within

In states transitioning from authoritarianism to democracy, resistance to police abuses can make or break the larger democratic project, explains one social scientist.
Release, by Marco Cianfanelli and Jeremy Rose.

Nelson Mandela’s Lasting Image

Since his death in 2013, Nelson Mandela has achieved icon status. Why is his image so ubiquitous, reproduced everywhere from tourist kitsch to high art?
Coetzee self portrait

J. M. Coetzee’s Newly Discovered Apartheid-Era Photographs

Much has been written about South African novelist J. M. Coetzee, but his newly found photographs offer a news lens through which to consider his writing.
Janet Jackson in concert

The Lasting Power of Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone”

Twenty years ago, Janet Jackson released her single "Got ‘Til it’s Gone." Today, we celebrate the layered artistry that led to the video's timeless appeal.
Children behind barbed wire

How Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White Showed Apartheid to Americans

Photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White dedicated her life to photography, including a trip to South Africa during the "dawn of the anti-apartheid era."
General strike, Spain

The Curious Character Who First Called For a General Strike

The idea of a general strike is to shut down all but essential services in a city, region, or nation. America has had its share. A Briton invented the idea.