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Cultural Diversity
We have 11 official languages: Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, North Sotho, South Sotho,
Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. However, most South Africans speak English to a
greater or lesser degree, so you'll have no trouble being understood. Other languages, which are widely
spoken by South African citizens, but are not official, include Gujerati, Hindi, Arabic, Hebrew, Greek,
German and Portuguese. The Nama and Khoi-San people speak languages that are not widely recognised
outside their own communities.
Our diverse heritage has endowed us with a very interesting material culture. Our cuisine celebrates
influences from three continents; our wine borrows the best from the Old World, while imbuing it with the
freshness of New World influences. Our languages are colourful and borrow freely from each other in both
vocabulary and sentence structure. Our art and music displays a wild blend of the classical with the innovative,
of the tried and tested with the new and experimental. And our built environment is treasured as jealously as
we guard our precious natural resources.
So, the best way to appreciate our cultural diversity is to arrive with not too many preconceptions,
as we are bound to surprise you. We all - regardless of ethnic background - share aspects of each other's
cultures, and use phrases and words from each other's languages. Come share with us, celebrate with us, and
experience the adventure of living in a truly multicultural society - confusing as it can sometimes be.
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