Cape of Storms, Land of Hope

Description More than 500 years ago, the first Europeans landed on the southern tip of the African continent. They found a Garden of Eden and called it the “ Cape of Good Hope. ” But the land was not uninhabited. The people who lived here did not know how to write, but they were far more civilized than the Europeans believed them to be. The distinctions between them and the natives were super-ficial – underneath their skin, they shared 99 percent of their DNA. We all belong to the same species, and we share the same prehistoric past: Africa is, indeed, the cradle of humanity. But the first White settlers felt superior to the Black natives – a fatal misconception. It marked the beginning of a history of great conflict and tragedy that still imposes a heavy burden on South Africa today. But apart from these problems, there are also positive aspects to modern-day South Africa: It represents the model of a culturally diverse industrialized nation, a “ rainbow nation ” that might well indicate the future of our planet.