The Naval War Colleges Naval Staff Course requires that its students - - PDF document

The Naval War College’s Naval Staff Course requires that its students prepare a country presentation. Every Monday at 1200 two countries present. Presentations are 20 minutes each with 10 minutes Q&A. On completion, all guests (approximately 100) proceed to the wardroom where food is served. We have to prepare dishes representative of our countries’ cuisines. So this weekend while I was banging away at my presentation Vicky was cooking for a hundred people! 1

First up was Hector Cortes from Mexico. Here he’s answering a tough question. 2

Getting Nervous? 3

Capt Turner introducing me to the audience. 4

Joules was there too 5

Sanibonani, Molweni, Goeie Middag, Hallo, Dumela, Avuxeni, Ndaa, Lotjhani, [sign language] I am Hendrik from South Africa and I am here to tell you about my country - South Africa. This is my wife Vicky who prepared all the food for today – take a bow. And this is Joules from Reunion. 6

I will cover 4 topics: A short history of the rainbow nation South Africa today Our flora and fauna And our food 7

Where is South Africa? It is on the continent of Africa. 8

TIA - This Is Africa. And here is South Africa, the southern most country in Africa 9

South Africa is a perforated state and completely surrounds Lesotho. South Africa has 7 bordering countries: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and … 10

France. These are the South African Prince Edward Islands – pretty much uninhabited other than by birds and scientists; and these are the French Southern and Antarctic Lands with which we share a sea border. 11

South Africa is know as the Rainbow Nation. 12

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But where did the Rainbow Nation come from? 14

Khoi-khoi and San, better known by their unifying name Khoisan, are the indigenous people of Southern Africa. They lived in this very general area. During the time period indicated, Bantu expansion in central, western and eastern Africa was occurring. [ADDITIONAL INFO] "Khoisan" (/ˈkɔɪsɑːn/; also spelled Khoesaan, Khoesan or Khoe–San) is a unifying name for two groups of peoples of Southern Africa, who share physical and putative linguistic characteristics distinct from the Bantu majority of the region. Culturally, the Khoisan are divided into the foraging San, or Bushmen, and the pastoral Khoi, or more specifically Khoikhoi, previously known as Hottentots. The San include the indigenous inhabitants of Southern Africa before the southward Bantu migrations from Central and East Africa reached their region, which led to Bantu farmers replacing the Khoi and San as the predominant population. The distinct

• rigin of the Khoi is debated. Over time, some Khoi abandoned pastoralism and

adopted the hunter-gatherer economy of the San, probably due to a drying climate, and are now considered San. Similarly, the Bantu Damara people who migrated south later abandoned agriculture and adopted the Khoi economy. Large Khoisan populations remain in several arid areas in the region, notably in the Kalahari Desert. 15

The Bantu expansion led to the settlement of Southern Africa by Bantu tribes by 1,000 Common Era [ADDITIONAL INFO] Bantu peoples is used as a general label for the 300–600 ethnic groups in Africa who speak Bantu languages.[1] They inhabit a geographical area stretching east and southward from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes region down to Southern Africa.[1] Bantu is a major branch of the Niger-Congo language family spoken by most populations in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are about 650 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility,[2] though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages. 16

During the 1400s Spain and Portugal lead the Age of Exploration. In 1492 Columbus, funded by Spain, landed in America. In 1497 Vasco da Gama, funded by Portugal, circumnavigated the southern tip of Africa, landing in St Helena Bay close to Cape Town, Mossel Bay and Durban Bluff. One of the Portuguese explorers was Joao da Nova, a Spaniard funded by Portugal, who discovered Ascension and St Helena Islands in 1501 and established several trading posts along the southern coast of Africa from 1501 - 1509. I am a direct descendant of Joao da Nova so my family was one of the first European families in Southern Africa. It would however take my Dutch forbearers another 150 years to reach South Africa and settle. 17

So Vicky said that my presentation was getting a little drab and boring here and needed colour, so she took over a bit here. 18

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In my country we have tiny shopping carts 20

Back to business The Dutch under Jan van Riebeeck landed in the vicinity of what is now Cape Town on 17 Des 1652 to set up a half way station to India for the Dutch East India Company. French Protestant Huguenots under François Villion (or Viljoen) landed in Cape Town iot escape religious persecution in France. Together with the Dutch East India Company they established a rich wine industry. British soldiers under Francis Farewell landed in the vicinity of that is now Durban in 1824 to establish a British settlement. 21

Many Indians settled in Durban and Malaysians in the Cape during the 1800s and contributed greatly to our cuisine and languages. I’ll talk a bit about this later. 22

So that is how the rainbow nation came to be. 23

South Africa today. So I learnt quite a bit about my country when I put these next few slides together. South Africa has 51.8 million people, 51% of whom are women. Black Africans make up 79%, Coloured or Mixed Race 9%, White 9%, Indian and Asian 2.5% and other (including Khoisan) 0.5% South Africa is primarily a Christian country. [All information here is based on the 2011 census] 24

We have 11 official languages. In order of 1st language speakers: Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Tswana, Sotho, Tsonga, Swazi, Venda and Ndebele Some cool phrases that I like Walala Wasala, which is Zulu for “you snooze, you loose” Ndizokupoqa wena eyowala eChina Town which is Xhosa for “I will take you down to China Town” Xe ecara Xe which is South Africa’s motto and means “Diverse People Unite” in the /Xam language of the Khoisan. 25

Thanks to the fact that Afrikaans allows for grammatical compounding – or the rule that 1 idea equals 1 word – Afrikaans has the 4th longest word in the world: Tweedehandse motorverkoopsmanne vakbondstakings vergadering sameroepers toespraakskrywers persverklaring uitreikings mediakonferensie aankondiging Which of course means: issuable media conference's announcement at a press release regarding the convener's speech at a secondhand car dealership union's strike meeting. 26

These are our national symbols: The secretary bird which is also depicted on our emblem, the springbok which means jumping gazelle and the king protea. The protea is my favourite flower. This is South Africa’s emblem. Our moto is in the /Xam language of the Khoisan. We felt that latin is the language of ancient Europe and to be more representative of Africa we have a motto in the ancient language of Southern Africa. 27

This is our flag. 28

Officially we are called the Republic of South Africa. We area a unitary constitutional parliamentary republic. Our 3, yes 3, capitols represent the 3 arms of government: executive, judicial and legislative. Our election this year concluded with the African National Congress taking 62% of the votes and the opposition Democratic Alliance 22%. This is Jacob Zuma, our president. He has 4 wives: Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo, Nompumelelo Ntuli, Thobeka Mabhija and Gloria Bongekile Ngema Gertrude Sizakele Khumalo (1973–present) Kate Zuma (1976–2000) Nkosazana Dlamini (1982–1998) Nompumelelo Ntuli (2008–present) Thobeka Mabhija (2010–present) Gloria Bongekile Ngema (2012–present) 29

South Africa’s main export goods are gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment. Our main export partners are China, the US, Japan, Germany, India and the UK. 30

We import machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments and foodstuffs from China, Germany, the US, Saudi Arabia, India and Japan. 31

The SANDF, safeguarding South Africa’s borders and participating in Africa with the United Nations and the African Union. 32

These are South African built armament and ships. The Oliphant main battle tank The Rooivalk attack helicopter, jip, that’s flying upside down SAS JOB MASEGO. This is an Israeli designed Sa’ar 4 that was built in Durban. 33

Also South African built are The G-6 Howitzer with a maximum range of 50 km (31 mi). The Cheetah fighter aircraft, developed from the French Dassault Mirage III. And the SAS DRAKENSBERG, the SAN’s replenishment and auxiliary oiler. She was commissioned on 11 Nov 1987, so we just celebrated her birthday 6 days ago. 34

The SANDF participates in UN and AU mission in Africa. Here are SAA engineers clearing mines in CAR. This is my and Capt Nkomonde’s ship, SAS ISANDLWANA, performing anti-piracy missions in the Mozambique Channel. 35

The SAN has 7,700 active duty personnel. The USS George H.W. Bush has 5,680 sailors and airmen. Just a small comparison. As you can see we are a small navy, but we have a whole lot of sea and a big mission. The SAN operates mainly out of Simon’s Town and Durban. These are our ships 36

This is me, bringing SAS ISANDLWANA alongside in Le Port, Reunion – it was a pretty tight squeeze but we made it alongside safely. We picked up an interesting stow-away on our last day in Reunion – Joules. 37

Some famous South Africans Shaka kaSenzangakhona, commonly known as Shaka Zulu. This is a picture of Henry Cele who portrait Shaka in the 1986 TV series Shaka Zulu Shaka united the Zulu tribes and formed the Zulu Kingdom. He was an important tactician and innovator. In my opinion, his greatest legacy were his tactics and the stabbing assegai that were utilised at the battle of Isandlwana on 22 January 1879. This battle was the first major encounter in the Anglo–Zulu War between the British Empire and the Zulu Kingdom and occurred 11 days after the British commenced their invasion of Zululand. The battle was a decisive victory for the Zulus and caused the defeat of the first British invasion of Zululand. The British Army had also suffered its worst defeat against a technologically inferior indigenous force to date. SAS ISANDLWANA was named after this battle in which valour was shown on both sides of the battle field. 38

JRR Tolkein, albeit being a British citizen and having lived in England almost his entire life, was born in Bloemfontein, in 1892. 39

Jan Smuts was an important general during the South African War of 1899 - 1902. He was one of the two principal drafters and architects of the covenant of the League of Nations in 1920. He is photographed here with Winston Churchill, who was a war correspondent for The Morning Post and eventual POW during the South African War. 40

Job Masego was a South African soldier during World War II in the Native Military

• Corps. He was captured by the Germans in North Africa and held as a POW in Tobruk,

Libya. There he constructed a bomb, using a milk tin, cordite and a fuse and, with the help

• f fellow prisoners Andrew Mohudi, Sam Police and Koos Williams, managed to hide

the device on a German cargo boat at the docks of Tobruk. The boat was destroyed in the explosion. Job Masego was awarded with the Military Medal for his valour and courage. 41

Christiaan Neethling Barnard was a South African cardiac surgeon who performed the world's first successful human-to-human heart transplant on 03 Dec 1967 at Groote Schuur in Cape Town. The operation took 9 hours. 42

Being a musician myself, I think that these are some of our best exports: Johnny Clegg and Juluka (sweet) / Savuka (revived) were important anti-apartheid

• activists. Their songs remain widely popular in my country.

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Saron Gas became very successful in South Africa. In 2002 they relocated to the USA, but due to legal reasons in the wake of 9-11 they renamed the band Seether. They have released 6 albums in the USA. 44

Dave Matthews, even though not considered South African, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1967. 45

And the Kongos. Their name signifies "K" for Cool, "O" for Awesome, "N" for Knowledge, "G" for Jenius, "O" for Artistic, "S" for spelling. Vicky and I met at a music concert and the Kongos was one of the bands that played there. I heard one of their songs on the radio this Friday and then discovered that they are touring the USA next year and are playing in Providence on 13 Feb 2015. 46

Arnold Vosloo is best know for his role as Imhotep in the Mummy. He also played Colonel Coetzee in Blood Diamond. 47

Charlize Theron. Pronounced Tron. So she played in a couple of movies, most notably The Devil's Advocate, Mighty Joe Young and The Cider House Rules. She has won the Academy Award, Silver Bear, Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actress among several other accolades. 48

And our most famous South African, Rolihlahla Mandela, more commonly known as Nelson Mandela. Rolihlahla is a Xhosa name colloquially meaning “troublemaker” but for us he was the peace maker – those are Vicky’s beautiful words. He was a lawyer, anti-apartheid activist, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. Check the handsome beard. 49

He was imprisoned for political crimes and was freed after 26 years in 1990. 50

The first time he ever voted he voted for himself and won. 51

These are scenes from our 1994 election – the first free and democratic election in South Africa. Here is Nelson Mandela as president with F.W. de Klerk his vice-president. 52

Now for some movies about my country. This is a serious movie string Samuel L Jackson. In my Country. It is about the illegal love of 2 reporters in South Africa during apartheid. [The term “my friend” and “in my country” have become catch phrases in our class, so everybody loved this] 53

Stander: good cop, great criminal. This is a cool movie based on the true story of Andre Stander, a South African cop who robbed banks during his lunch breaks in the 80s 54

Blood Diamond is not about South Africa, but it involves South Africa. Arnold Vosloo among other South Africans act in it and many scenes were filmed in South Africa. 55

District 9 was a huge commercial success in the USA and around the world. It was filmed entirely in Johannesburg, South Africa. Wikus van der Merwe’s accent is the best depiction of an Afrikaans accent that I have ever heard. The plot is based loosely on the history of District 9, a township in Johannesburg during the apartheid era. 56

Invictus was a great movie about the 1995 rugby world cup that was held in South Africa and which our national team, the Springboks won. This is the actual photo of Nelson Mandela handing the world cup to Francois Pienaar, the Captain of the Springboks. The event was significant because it united our nation like nothing else after the 1994 elections. And of course we beat the favourites; the All-Blacks. 57

This is a movie which details the efforts of two Cape Town fans in the late 1990s to find out whether the rumoured death of American musician Sixto Rodriguez was true

• r not.

Rodriguez's music played an important role in the anti-apartheid movement in South

• Africa. His music had become wildly popular in South Africa and he sold more records

than Elvis, but little was known about him there. This was despite the fact that his music never took off in the US. 58

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a must see movie about the life of Nelson

• Mandela. If you can read the book too – do it , it is a fascinating and inspiring read.

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So, why should you visit South Africa? We all know this map of the world at night. But do you know what this image shows me – it shows me that parts of Africa have been unspoilt by the advances of modern life and still possess the beauty of nature. There are few nights as beautiful as a dark night in the Eastern Cape, seeing the stars at their brightest – the way God created them – they way they were intended to be seen. 60

This is Cape Town with Table Mountain – one of the new 7 natural wonders of the world. This is the mother city, my city. 61

This is rooibos, or red bush. When toasted it turns red and makes the typical tee of South Africa. We will be serving it at the wardroom after this with a touch of honey and lemon. Rooibos only grows in South Africa. It is very popular here, in Canada and Europe and is imported from South Africa via Germany. If you are interested you can buy it at Empire Tea and Coffee on Broadway. These are proteas, my favourite flowers. 62

This is the Namaqualand in Spring. Jakaranda blossoms in Johannesburg in October And fynbos in the mountains of the Western Cape. 63

You can see all of the big five in South Africa The big five are the 5 most dangerous animals in Africa. And they are printed on our bank notes. Don’t worry, when you see them on Safari it is safe. And they don’t roam our streets. The lion. When it’s feeding time the male eats first. Explicit content! But don’t let this picture fool you; did you know that when lions finish mating the female gives off a powerful mighty roar and the male gives off a pewtry little whimper! 64

So animal mating behaviours seem to be a past time for South Africans Also interesting to watch are tortoises By interesting I meant very slow and very long. 65

Elephants move in huge herds and the cows take very gentle care of their calves. Elephants are of the most loving and affectionate animals in Africa. Cute right? Guess again 66

Don’t EVER get out of your car when on Safari! Oh: elephants hearts weigh 2 kg and their manhood 3 kg! 67

Leopards are the most difficult of the big 5 to sight. They are very shy. If you look for them you are likely to have been seen several times before you see one of them. 68

Don’t anger them though, you won’t get away… in time! 69

Buffalo are unassuming but extremely powerful and dangerous, as you can see here. 70

Don’t confuse them with Bison. The only Buffalo in the US is the city. Sorry Bison Bill. 71

Rhino are beautiful and majestic but are being poached into extinction for only their

• horns. As for elephants, any rhino product is illegal.

For the record, the rhino’s horn does not posses any magical ingredients. It is made up entirely of keratin and is thus just a huge skin callus. This is the white rhino, named not for its colour but for its wide mouth which it uses to crop grass. The Black Rhino has a soft tortoise like mouth which it uses to forage trees and bushes. 72

A special shout out to my two favourite animals – meerkate, or suricate, and baby cheetahs with their little afros. 73

And now lastly – our food. 74

Unfortunately the logistics behind a braai are too great, so this is the one thing that I will mention but not serve. What is the difference between a braai and a bbq? Braai’s are almost always over open coals of wood. Gas is not considered as a braai at all. Braai’s are social events connected to sport and every one is always around the fire with a TV close at hand. No one leaves the braaier alone and no one tells him what to do – he is the king. We even have a national holiday for braaing – braai day – on 24 Sep 75

And we braai everything 76

The rest of the dishes are representative of the vast influences to our cuisine. Bobotie is a malay carry dish with raisins adding sweetness. 77

Boontjiesop or bean soup is of British influence. Don’t confuse it with Mexican bean soup, this is more mild. 78

Pannekoeke are a favourite desert and are typical of Dutch influence. Vicky prepared them with lemon, brown sugar, cinnamon and honey. 79

This is an interesting desert from Durban of Indian influence. Grilling them brings out the sweetness which is contrasted wonderfully with a slight dusting of curry. 80

Fluit, fluit my storie is uit. I am done. Ngiyabonga kakulu, Enkosi, Dankie, Thank You, Ke a leboha, ndzi khense ngopfu, Ndi a livhuwa, [sign language] If you ever want to visit South Africa, even 20 years from now, send me an e-mail and I will do all that I can to help you and inform you. 81

Questions. 82

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Quite a long queue in the wardroom 84

Here is Mahmoud from Egypt trying some of our cuisine. 85

All the wives help each other with serving and preparing on the day. From right to left: Stella from Panama, Rosario from Mexico, Vicky, Daniele from Brazil and Catharina from Norway. 86