Education
Apartheid also made its mark on education in South Africa. The government spending on black education has increased since the mid 1980’s. At the end of apartheid, the amount spent of white pupils was four times what was spent on black pupils. The teacher to student ratio was one to sixty for blacks in urban areas, one to ninety for blacks in rural areas and one to thirty, or less for whites. 41% of black students passed the secondary school final exam in the early nineties. You needed to pass this exam to go to university. 96% of white students passed, 95% of Indian students passed and 83% of Coloured students passed. The black literacy rate is less than 50%, while the white literacy rate is almost 100%. As apartheid was cancelled, more non-white students began to attend educational institutions, that were only attended by whites before. Most blacks that attend these schools are well off.
Culture
There are distinct cultural developments. The English culture is the dominant influence. The distinction between Afrikaners and English is diminishing, especially with young people. The Afrikaner culture is strongest in rural areas. There has been a new sense of self pride in the Coloured community. They have found expression in writing, theatre and music.
Libraries & Museums
Almost all cities in South Africa have public libraries. The largest is the Johannesburg Public Library, with more than 1.6 million books. The National Museum in Bloemfontein has archaeological, paleontological and anthropological connections. The Africana Museum in Johannesburg has historical and ethnological connections. There are many other museums too.
Literature
There are three main literary traditions in English, Afrikaans and Bantu languages. In 1883 The Story of an African Farm was published. After that authors who wrote in English, wrote about South African land and people and especially the country’s political problems. Some novelists are Laurens van der Pest and Alan Paton, the short story writer. The novelist Nadine Gordimer won the 1991 Nobel Prize in literature. Athol Fugard was a playwright. Poetry is represented by names like Roy Campbell, F.T. Prince and Roy McNab. A lot of poetry is written in Afrikaans. Blacks have a long oral tradition. When whites came, their traditional themes were given written expression. In recent years, black authors have made a significant contribution to South African literature.
