AFRiK@ ARASTIMALARI ON-LiNE 

From Cinderella to Princess

From Cinderella to Princess*
Serhat ORAKCI

In 1838, Colonel John Henderson, a former British officer, imported the first Angora goats via India from the Ottoman Empire to the Cape. However, the goats were found infertile because the Turks did not want the breed to spread beyond the country. Luckily, one ewe gave birth to a ram kid during the voyage to the Colony and it was from these two that the first original Angora flocks in the Cape Colony were bred. “When Colonel John Henderson imported the first Angora goats to South Africa from Turkey in 1938 he planted a seed, the fruits of which he could not have foreseen.”1

The city of Angora (Ankara), now the capital of Turkey strongly resembles the up-country Karoo district of South Africa, in terms of geographical configuration, pasture, and climate. Not only the height above sea is similar, but also the hills and mountains especially around Somerset East and Cradock are densely filled with forest. In like manner, the similarity is borne out in the characteristics of abundant veldt, made up of dust, stones, and small dry scrub, of vast treeless flats dry as bone, and alluvial deposits descended from the hills.2 In addition to the abovementioned similarities between the natural home of the Angora and their new habitat in South Africa, the energy and the care of South African breeders paved the way for rapid growth of the Mohair industry in the Colony in the 19th century.

The fertile ram kid adapted to the climate and vegetation of the Eastern Cape well. He grew up and afterwards was mated successfully to selected ewes. The original ram had a long life and through careful selection several flocks were raised throughout the Colony. A single ram and ewe could not have any significant influence to the development of an industry if the second importation of Angora goats did not follow at least 15 years after the first one. Attempts were made by the Swellandam Agricultural Society to import some Angora goats from the Ottoman state as early as 1852.3 The society secretary F. W. Reitz asked for Government assistance in obtaining more Angora goats from the Ottoman state. It was difficult at that time to obtain any Angora goats from the Ottomans because the sultan placed an embargo on all Angora exports for a long time because Turkish adversity to the spreading of the breed beyond the country. Downing Street enlisted the cooperation of the British Ambassador to Istanbul who authorised the sale of an unlimited number of animals at 85 to 90 piastres4 for ewes and 150 to 200 piastres for rams. Therefore, the door for the importation of this attractive but little-known commodity was opened. During the second half of 19th century, Angora importation into the Colony continued. The British consular officials in Turkey played an important role in these imports. Agents from South Africa were sent to Turkey for better selection.5

The young Angora industry established international trade links within a short time. The first shipment of mohair left the Cape Colony for Britain in 1857 and in 1865 the first Angora goats were exported to Argentina. Angora shows also became commonplace in the Colony. In Port Elizabeth mohair exports comprised 97% of the total exports of the city in 1865; 94% in 1866 and 83% in 1876.6

By 1878 there were already more than 30 different purchasing houses for mohair in Port Elizabeth alone and 97,5% of the mohair was exported through Port Elizabeth, 2,2% through Cape Town, 1,9% through Port Alfred and 0,2% through Mossel Bay to different countries, especially Britain. During the 1880`s the number of Angora goats had risen substantial in the Colony thanks to further importation and cross-breeding programme. It was reported that there was two and a quarter million Angora goats in the Cape Colony in 1880.7

The period between 1882 and 1899 was expansion years for the mohair industry. By the year 1882 American and British authorities regarded South Africa’s mohair as equal to Turkey’s finest fleeces. The Zwarte Ruggens Farmers` Association (ZRFA) was formed to represent the interests of wool and mohair producers in 1883. In this period developments in the Cape mohair industry and an embargo on Turkish goat exports encouraged American interest in the importation of Angora goats from South Africa. In April 1894 the Angora Goat Breeders` Association was established. During this time the breeders of the Cape recognised the need for new, improved blood. The Cape Government allocated a sum of money for the private importation of Angoras by the Premier, Cecil John Rhodes. With the visit of Rhodes to the Ottoman Empire a concession was obtained from the sultan for the export of Angoras in 1895. By 1899, the quality of the Cape clip had surpassed Turkey. It had also grown to 56,3% of the total world production with Turkey producing 40,5%, 3,2% America and a very small quantity in Australia.8 It should be emphasised that mohair was an important export commodity for the Ottoman Empire. In 1899 mohair’s share in the Empire’s total exports was 6.7% with a value of 1,037,948 lira. However, after 1899 was a massive declining period for the Ottoman mohair industry. The Empire lost its monopoly on Angora giats and mohair industry.9 Owing to the superior intelligence and scientific methods of Cape breeders, the South African mohair industry turned from Cinderella to princess eventually.

Today, South African mohair is the purest and finest in the world. For the past few years, China has been the most important single destination for South African mohair. It was from a humble beginning that South Africa has become leadering country by producing 61% of the total world production of mohair at present.10

The success of the South African mohair industry reveals or general characteristic of South African farmers behaviour, especially the 1820 settlers during the 19th century. As immigrants from European countries, then experimented different crops to cultivate and animals to breed the best suited to their new circumstances. South African grown Turkish tobacco developed a very similar with the Angora goat industry. As happened previously in the mohair industry, from a very small beginning growers and farmers in the Cape opened the doors to a large industry unknown to them.

South African Grown Turkish Tobacco

J. F. Theron, a farmer from the Tulbagh district, was the first person formally applied to the Agriculture Department for a loan and assistance to grow Turkish tobacco on his plantation in 1909. Later, the De Meillon brothers from Stellenbosch asked for financial support from the Department to the cultivate Turkish tobacco. According to the report of the Department, De Meillon brothers had already undertaken small experiments on their farm ‘Ban Hoek’ with Turkish tobacco and the results were excellent. In the same year, a tobacco expert from the Department, Mr. Stella, visited some farms in Stellenbosch to establish a ‘Tobacco Experimental Station.’11 In 1910, at the request of Malan, Minister for Agriculture for the Cape Colony, the Ottoman Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent samples of Turkish tobacco seeds to Cape Town. According to the report of Ludwig Wiener, Ottoman Consul-General to Cape Town, one package ‘Samsun’ and two packages ‘d’Isketche’ were received and a third sample ‘De Cavalla’ was promised to be sent in a short time. These samples were requested by the Tobacco Experts for experimental purposes.12

The Department of Agriculture had been giving its attention to Turkish tobacco for some time and encouraging farmers, especially in Stellenbosch, to cultivate Turkish tobacco. It can be understood from the letter of the Department that from a very small beginning the industry expanded in a short time. During 1910, the Turkish tobacco crop was already about 70,000 lbs, a great deal of which had been sold to local factories at the auction sale of the Chamber of Commerce at very satisfactory prices. In 1911, South African Turkish tobacco growers were already seeking overseas markets for their production and there were many other growers as well as farmers who desired to grow Turkish tobacco.13 In 1917, the production of South African grown Turkish tobacco reached 150,000 lbs. per year and the first samples were sent to England and America for export purposes.14

South Africa was not the only country that cultivated Turkish tobacco. Some other European countries also used the Turkish seeds for cultivation. However, neither the importation of Angora goat nor the planting of Turkish tobacco seeds supports any regular and mutually based economic relation between the Ottoman Empire and South Africa at that time. In a very different nature, the Ottomans succeeded to establish some originated religious and political ties with the South African Muslim minority. The connection between the Ottomans and South African Muslim population commenced in 1862 with an alim (scholar), Abu Bakr Effendi, to teach and guide the Cape Muslim community.


* A title of a book explained the story of the Angora Goats in South Africa.
1 D.S. Uys: Cinderella to Princes, The Mohair Board, Port Elizabeth, 1988, p. 3
2 Men of the Times, the Transvaal Publishing Company, Johannesburg, Cape Town & London, 1906, p. 137
3 Cape Town Archives, KAB GH Vol. 23/23 Ref. 41; see also GH Vol. 1/231 Ref. 6
4 Originally a dollar size silver coin, the piastre served as the major unit of currency of French Indochina (Present-day Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos), and Ottoman Turkey. The kuruş, the subvision of the Turkish Lira, is commonly known as the piastre. 100 kuruş; equal 1 Lira.
5 Uys, P. 5-6
6 Ibid., p. 11-12
7 Ibid., p. 21-22
8 Ibid., p. 23-34
9 H.A. Erdem: Bir Başarı Öyküsü; Güney Afrika`da Tiftik Üretimi, Dış Ticaret Dergisi, Iss.: 13, April 1999. See online version: http://www.dtm.gov.tr/ead/DTDERGI/nisan99/gafrika.htm, (accessed 1 February 2006)
10 J.L. Rtief: Presidential Report, The Angora Goat and Mohair Journal, SA Mohair Growers’ Association, September 2005, p. 39
See online version of the journal, http://www.mohair.co.za/home/journal.asp?cat=samohair&id=18, (accessed 15 February 2006)
11 National Archives of South Africa, TAB TAD Vol. 1005 Ref. N780/2
12 National Archives of South Africa, TAB TAD Vol. 1007 Ref. N784
13 TAB TAD Vol. 1008 Ref. N829
14 SAB IMI Vol. 3 Ref. I5/5

AFRIKA RONESANSI

Afrika Ronesansi

1926`dan beri Amerika`da her subat ayi “Siyah Tarih Ayi” olarak kutlarir. Cocuklugunu maden ocaginda gecirip doktora egitimini Harvard`da tamamlayan ayni zamanda Amerikali bir kolenin oglu olan Dr. Carter G. Woodson onderliginde onceleri “Zenci Tarih Haftasi” olarak baslamistir bu akim. Kendisine neden Subat ayini sectikleri soruldugunda Woodson isin icerisine biraz da mizah katarak “En kisa ay oldugu icin.” diyerek anlamli bir mesaj vermistir. Alinda Subat ayinin secilmesi Amerika`daki siyah hareketine onemli katkida bulunan Abraham Lincoln ve Frederick Douglass`in dogum gunlerinin subat ayina rastlamasindandir. Ne rastlanidir ki Amerikan siyahi liderlerinden Malcolm X`in suikasta kurban gittigi tarih de (21 Subat) yine bu aya rastlamaktadir. Anlayis dergisinin bir ay gecikmeyle de olsa Mart sayisini Afrika`ya ayirmasi bu yonden onem arzetmektedir sanirim. Dileriz bu bir gelenek haline donusur ve bundan boyle her Subat sayisi Afrika`ya ayrilir.

Afrika`nin kita disindaki zihinlerde yaptigi ilk cagrisimlar genellikle olumsuz oldugundan kitada yasanan olumlu gelismeler bu yuzden cogu zaman gozden kacmakta. Mesela ozellikle son yillarda Isvec ve Norvec Nobel Akademilerinin sik sik Afrika`yi taclandirmalarina sahit olmaktayiz. Son olarak, geride biraktigimiz 2004 yilinda Nobel Baris odulu surdurulebilir kalkinma, demokrasi ve barisa katkilarindan dolayi Kenyali Profesor Wangari Maathai`ye verildi. Yine hatirlanacagi gibi ondan bir yil once yani 2003`te Guney Afrika`nin beyaz yazarlarindan John M. Coetzee edebiyat dalinda Nobel oduluyle taclandirilmisti. Guney Afrika`nin halen baskanligini yuruten siyahi lider Thabo Mbeki iktidara geldiginde Avrupa tarihinden oykunerek “Afrika Ronesansi” adini verdigi, tum Afrika kitasini icine alan bir zihinsel kalkinma projesi baslatmisti. Her ne kadar projenin ici tam manasiyla doldurulmamis olsa da bugun Afrika kitasinda ciddi bir zihinsel ve entellektuel kipirdanma yasanmakta. Ve son yillarda Afrika`ya gelen Nobel odulleri bunun onemli gostergelerinden biri.

1986 yilinda Nijerya`li yazar Wole Soyinka edebiyat alaninda Nobel odulu alan ilk Afrikali yazar unvanini alirken iki yil sonra 1988`de Misirli yazar Necip Mahfuz (Naguip Mahfouz) yine edebiyat alaninda Nobel odulu almistir. 1991 yilinda Guney Afrikali yazar Nadine Gordimer edebiyat dalinda Nobel kazanan ilk Afrikali kadin edebiyatci unvanina kavusurken yil 2003`e geldiginde Guney Afrikali yazar John M.Coetzee edebiyat alaninda odule layik gorulmustur.

Aslinda Nobel odullerinin Afrika kitasindaki tarihi cok daha gerilere gitmektedir. 1937 yilinda Robert Cecil Nobel Baris odulunu kazanirken Fizyoloji ve tip alaninda yaptigi calismalardan dolayi 1899 Guney Afrika dogumlu bilim adami Max Theiler 1951 yilinda tip alaninda odule layik bulunmustur. Yine 1960 yilinda Guney Afrika`nin onemli kabilelerinden Zulu`larin mensubu olan ve gencliginde Guney Afrika’nin 1994`teki ilk demokratik secimlerinde iktidara gelecek olan ANC partisinin (African National Congress-Afrika Ulusal Kongresi) baskanligini yapmis olan Albert John Lutuli Nobel Baris odulu almaya hak kazanmistir. 1978 yilinda Misirin Basbakanligini surduren Enver Sedat, Israil Basbakani Menachem Begin ile Orta Dogu’da baris saglanmasi icin Camp David`de iki ulke arasinda imzaladiklari anlasma neticesinde Nobel Baris odulunu paylasmistir. 1979 Nobel Tip odulu bilgisayar destekli tomografi calismasiyla 1924 Guney Afrika dogumlu Allan M. Cormack`a gitmistir.

Bu kadarla sinirli degil. 1984`te Guney Afrikali rahip Desmond Tutu Nobel Baris odulunu alirken. 1993`te unutulmaz nobel seromonilerinden biri yasanmistir. Yirmi yedi yil hapis cezasinin ardindan 1994`te Guney Afrika`nin ilk siyahi devlet baskani olacak olan Nelson Mandela, o donemin beyaz devlet baskani De Klerk ile Nobel Baris odulunu paylasmistir.

Guney Afrika`nin en buyuk siyahi yerlesim alanlarindan SOWETO`ya yaptigimiz bir gezide rehberimiz once bulundugumuz Vilakazi sokagin bir basidaki Desmond Tutu`nun evini sonrada diger basindaki Nelson Mandela`nin evini isaret ederek iki Nobel odulunu agrilayan dunyadaki tek sokagin orasi oldugunu soylemisti.

2001 Nobel Baris odulu Birlesmis Milletlerin 7. Genel sekreterligini yapan Gana`li Kofi Annan`a gitmistir. 2002 yili Nobel Tip odulu uce bolunmus ve ucte biri genetik alaninda yaptigi calismalardan dolayi Guney Afrika`li bilim adami Sydney Brenner`e verilmistir.

Edebiyat Profesoru Ngugi Wa Thiong 2003 yilinda, genc yasta faili mechule kurban giden ogrenci liderlerinden Steve Biko anisina yaptigi konusmada israrla Afrika Ronesansinin oncelikle kullanilan dil ile baslayacagini vurgulamistir. En basitinden Bati Afrika`daki Luo kabilesinin Namlolwe diyerek bahsettigi gol, artik Viktorya Golu olarak bilinmektedir. Thiong`a gore somurgeci devletler hatiralarini Afrikali insanlarin bedenlerine dil ile kazimislardir. Nguni James, Noliwe Margaret olmustur. Halen somurge dilleri ozellikle Ingilizce, Fransizca ve Portekizce Afrika kitasinda cok yaygin olarak kullanilmaktadir. Sonucta kita icerisindeki entellektuel ve bilimsel uretimin yuzde doksani bu dillerde verilmektedir. Ve Nobel odulu alan yazalar eserlerini ingilizce yazmaktadir.

Afrika`da dil devrimi ne zaman gerceklesir buna cevap vermek cok zor ama bu yonde calismalar surmekte. Apartheid rejiminin-irkci beyaz azinlik iktidari- 1994 ilk demokratik secimlerinde yikilmasindan on sene sonra Guney Afrika`da sokak, cadde, semt, kopru, sehir isimleri degismekte. James yerine Nguni, Margaret yerine Noliwe tabelalari asilmakta her gun. Hukumet paralarin uzerindeki bati dillerini Afrika dilleriyle degistirerek, Afrika dilleri uzerine calismalar yapan master ogrencilerine burslar vererek Afrika halkinin yarali bilinclerini onarmaya calismaktadir.

Ve bakalim 2005 Nobel odullerinden Afrika`nin payina ne dusecektir.

Serhat ORAKCI
serhatorakci@hotmail.com

SOUTH AFRICA-THE DECADE

SOUTH AFRICA – THE DECADE


The first decade has gone by; South Africa a country which marveled the rest of the world by the historical transition it undertook to achieve a democratic regime. A country (South Africa) which has been under Dutch east Indian company colonial rule, British colonial rule and apartheid regime close to three centuries. In all that period the majority of the people have been pacified, grossly robed of their self esteem, psychological and cultural identity as African people.

The developments that led to the transition to end injustice, inequities and captivity from a crippling system were made possible by a political will from both the leadership of the African National Congress and National Party in the early 1990’s. The Negotiation process named CODESA facilitated by the National Party government went underway and were ‘frank but cordial’, which led to the first democratic elections in the country. On the 10th of May 1994 Nelson Mandela was sworn as the first democratically elected President of South Africa..

President Nelson Mandela’s term was used to put in place the Policies of reconstruction and development and the introduction of the Truth and reconciliation commission to facilitate the confessions and exposure of politically motivated crimes and their pardons, With the intention of promoting reconciliation. However critics say that the commission discouraged rather than encouraged reconciliation because it was seen as being lenient towards the ANC leaders, the process none the less was hailed as a success both in South Africa and in the international community.

In 2004 the country went to the polls the for the third time to elect Thabo Mbeki (Nelson Mandela’s successor) as the president of South Africa, who will be serving his second and last term.

It is with this background that one will be able to contextually fully comprehend and understand the significance of the country’s achievements thus far in only ten years and challenges that are facing the country.

The ‘New South Africa’ is currently undergoing a historical restructuring process both internally and in relation to the African continent and the rest of the world.
Over the past ten years policies and measures were specifically put in place to address the imbalances caused by colonial and apartheid legacy. The existence of what is loosely coined the two economy (one poor the other rich), the attempt was to decrease the gap between the poor mainly the majority and the rich predominantly the minority.

One of the profound challenges facing the country is the stringent capacity to deliver efficiently and timely to its people and often used by critics and the opposition as failure of the ruling party to deliver. This is an unfortunate reality which must be addressed by both government in creating an enabling environment and the private sector in expanding the technical skills and personal capability.
Since 1994 South Africa went through a wave of an escalating reported crime largely coursed by lack of capacity and insufficiently trained police staff .According to statistics South Africa(mid year estimates 2004) there is nationally one police officer for every 415 citizen. It will take the efforts of government in improving the conditions, increasing the police force and a reasonable remuneration, civil society in assisting the police force to detect and arrest the suspects and an efficient court system in trialing and prosecuting them.

In recent years South Africa’s disturbing and a concerning scourge of HIV/AIDS epidemic, the scourge has led it to be both a political and a human issue. The government has rolled out AZT or Nevirapine to pragnent woman and infants. The former President Nelson Mandela has been an influential patron in making the public aware of the epidemic and endeavoring to remove the stigma of shame associated with the infection. His most recent display of his preaching was when he declared to the South African Public and the rest of the world that his only surviving son Makgatho Mandela died from an AIDS related illness.

When the country opened itself to the rest of the world, the country’s fiscal condition was in a bad shape. South Africa had a huge budget deficit, huge inequalities between the rich and the poor high level of unemployment.
Today South Africa as a strong middle power and an influential emerging economy enjoy low inflation rate of 3.6%,though what is seemingly relatively high interest rates at 11%, they have been falling from high levels of 17% a couple of years ago ,the country’s deficit leveling at around 3% and a Rand/Dollar exchange rate at around R5.84 to 1 dollar and a relatively stable foreign reserve account. The above achievements are attributable to the country’s economic fundamentals and the governments macroeconomic strategy labeled GEAR(Growth Equity And Redistribution) a stable political environment, a policy introduction of employment equity(its aim being to ensure proportional representivity in the work place),the facilitation of the introduction of black economic empowerment charters which its objective is often misunderstood, its aims are to redress the imbalances in the economy which in the past and to an extend today, the white minority have been dominating the economy (the details of the black economic empowerment will not be elaborated satisfactionately as it falls out of the scope and objective of the article) and of course favorable global economic conditions particularly in the emerging economies.
The critics of the government’s GEAR Policy have cited the shortcomings of the policy in reducing high levels of unemployment, reducing poverty and stringent labour laws which are seen as hampering the economic growth and employment.

South Africa’s relation with the rest of the world post apartheid regime and the beginning of the democratic era was somewhat ambiguous and almost undefined. The Ruling party’s close relation with the so called the ‘pariahs’ or ‘threats’ of the world like Cuba, Iran and Libya even concerned western powers to intervene and try direct the country’s diplomatic relations. The attempt by the United States to influence South Africa to distance itself from Libya failed dismally, the country asserted itself on the direction of its diplomatic relations. The assertion was mainly informed by the moral principle of maintaining a friendship dating back during the years of the struggle and the hospitality which the countries have given to the ruling party.
This however was not achieved without criticism both locally and internationally. They maintained that South Africa should not be associated with such countries as they will be alienated (both politically and economically) by pivotal critical western countries. The Lockerbie issue vindicated South Africa’s diplomatic relation with Libya, as it served as the catalyst to broker a deal of handing over the suspects to the United Nations.

South Africa’s foreign policy has been constructed from the premise of rebuilding relations with the Fellow African States and building new strategic partnerships in critical regions in the world.
President Thabo Mbeki’s administration foreign policy on the African continent is somewhat prudent and cautious. South Africa’s hegemonic position on the sub regional level and she being Africa’s wealthiest and well resourced country, she is cautious of being overbearing and dominating. At the same time endeavoring being a facilitator of solving conflicts on the continent and uniting the continent in order for it to speak with one voice, this is seen with south Africa’s presence in Democratic Republic of Congo Burundi Togo and Cote d’Ivoire, that may seem ambitious and idealistic but it’s a course to be pursuit by generations to come till its achieved.

South Africa’s relationship with its neighboring state Zimbabwe has sparked criticism towards Mbeki’s approach of quite diplomacy when dealing with the Zimbabwean issue. The proximity of the country, the close relationship between the ANC and ZANU-PF and President Robert Mugabe’s stature through the African continent makes the approach a complex diplomatic issue for South Africa to deal with. The Last thing South Africa needs is to publicly condemn and polarize Robert Mugabe and risk to loose the moral currency which the country so needs to obtain co operation with critical regions on the continent in order for it to push the African Union’ Agenda of reconstructing and rebuilding the continent.

South Africa is strategically using regional and global structures such as SADC (Southern African Developing Countries), UN and AU to pursue its diplomatic objective. It has opted to use the SADC in dealing with the Zimbabwean issue. It has formed strategic partnership with Brazil and India in creating strong lobby group to put forward the agenda of the poor developing countries on the western countries discussion tables.

South Africa, a decade has gone by; challenges are laying ahead, the country with enormous potential, a country full of opportunities. History will be the judge of today’s sociological and political events.




writer: Edward Phatudi
909907859@student.uj.ac.za