World Weather, Climate, and Society Projects |
Cape Town, South Africa Michele Barmash, Max Nigrosh, Mallory Young Introduction South Africa's Historical Complexity After having studied Cape Town, South Africa for the past months, I have had the opportunity to come face to face with a place whose culture and history outdoes most other places in the world. Their respect for their historical past and their want to preserve it is remarkable. In 1948, the South African government began to limit the freedom of black Africans. In fact, it was at this point in history that the government officially launched a system of apartheid. Given the fact that Cape Town is at the tip of continent of Africa, not only is the climate is very mild, similar to that of San Diego in the United States but it is actually bordered by two Oceans. On the left side of the city the Atlantic Ocean rests, and on the left hand side, the Indian Ocean. The temperatures between the two differ noticeable and this is even more shocking to believe because the distance between both coasts is within 5 driving minutes. As a result of this new system, under the leadership of Albert Lutuli and Johannesburg law partners Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela, the African National Congress organized a passive resistance campaign against the apartheid and issued the Freedom Charter. The government suppressed the movement and began to arrest the ANC leaders. In 1959 the parliament passed new laws extending racial segregation by creating separate homelands for South Africa ’s major black groups. With that being said, as a consequence, the two different Ocean coast catered to two different crowds. The Atlantic Ocean coast, with its perfect weather, beautifully white sandy beaches and sky blue water was available only to the white people. On the Indian Ocean side, even though the water was warmer, the beach itself was uncomfortably hot and humid and the sand was thick. All together, this side of the Cape Town was demonstrably less attractive. This was the beach that was reserved for the Colored and Black people. Due to the fact that the majority of the country is of color, the beaches on this coast were always crowded. What is really most fascinating about South Africa is that with all of its natural beauty and culture, the country itself was a horrific mess. In 1976, thousands of students in a small black township staged protests to demand that were to be taught in English rather than the Afrikaans. Police actually fired on the demonstrators and sparked nationwide riots and even more repression. By the end of that year alone, the police had killed more than 500 protestors. By 1984, it was declared that since 1983, dissidents has murdered 120 people, mutilated 25, raped 47 and committed 284 robberies. In 1984, Archbishop Desmond Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent campaign to end the Apartheid. By 1986, the European community and the United States imposed economic sanctions on South Africa. The United States went so far as to banning the import of South African agriculture, iron and steel, which make up a considerable amount of money for the country. By 1987, a strike that was lead by black railroad workers leads to the worst violence in South African since the government declared a national state of emergency in 1986. Eleven workers were killed and more than 60 trains were damaged or destroyed in the firebombs attacks before the government met workers’ demands. In 1989, as the tensions begin to alleviate, the president of South Africa steps down, leaving F.W. de Klerk to replace him. De Klerk is much more sensitive to the growing anti-apartheid movement and a year later he announced radical changed. First of all, Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years and basic apartheid laws and the nationwide state of emergency is ended. Things continue to improve over time and by 1991 the International Olympics Committee lifted a 21 year-old ban barring South African athletes from the Olympic Games. In 1993, Nelson Mandela, along with de Klerk and representatives from 18 other parties agree on an interim constitution that paves the way for historic all-race elections. All citizens over 18 are allowed to vote, and a long list of social and political rights are guaranteed. This eventually led Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk to win the Nobel Peace prize in that very same year. In 1994, history was made. Nelson Mandela’s political party wins 63 per cent of the vote in the April elections. World leaders gather on May 10 th as Nelson Mandela, a black man, is sworn in as president of the New South Africa. By 1997 however, Mandela decides that it is his time to step down and Thabo Mbeki replaces him. By 1999, South Africa ’s second all-race elections were scheduled for June 2 nd. Mbeki won by a landslide. By now, both the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean beaches are available to the public. All people of all races are allowed to enjoy whichever ones they want. I suppose that it is safe to say that it is safe to say that through the history of Cape Town and of South Africa as a whole, we have been able to see the effects of change. The country has seen its share of troubles and yet they have come back on track and have improved as a country. What was once a racist divide within beaches has now become a safe haven for all people. And so in this case, climate and society work hand in hand. There was a time where the temperature of the air dictated who attended which beach. It is nice to see how time has the power to change all things and that despite the plateau of the weather in Cape Town, things change around it and set new perimeters with it. Images
Websites The Official Cape Town Website References Part I – Myths and today’s weather One of the many unique aspects of South Africa is its intense cultural background and tradition. It is very common in South Africa to know several myths about different towns and cities and to pass the stories on to each generation. There are some myths that explain all sorts of various aspects of South African life, but more importantly, there are some that relate to the weather. One of these myths has to do with a weather pattern that occurs everyday in Cape Town, and is one of the great myths of South Africa. The myth has to do with Table Mountain, the central mountain in Cape Town. Although the myth has been around for many generations, the weather aspect it relates to is true and still happens today. To begin, one must understand that Table Mountain sits in the center of Cape Town, while the town inhabits a circular form around the mountain. Table Mountain has become a focal point of the city and attracts many tourists to see it and also some venture up via the cable car. It seems very fitting that this mountain would be the focus of a very famous story in South Africa. The story goes as follows (it is told in many variations, this is as told by Lauren Smith, who studied in Cape Town in the spring of 2004): Their once was a man in Cape Town who was very well known and respected. He would smoke his pipe more than anyone else in Cape Town. Every afternoon he would smoke on top of Table Mountain. No one could ever out smoke this man, he was simply too good. One day, someone approached him and challenged him to a smoking contest. He agreed, figuring there was no way anyone could possibly out smoke him and he would surely win. The two contestants went on top of the mountain and smoked and smoked all afternoon. They smoked so much that it created huge billows of smoke that collected atop of the men and rolled down the mountain towards the Cape Town. The outcome of the bet is somewhat insignificant in this, because it is the billows of smoke that relate to today’s current weather patterns in Cape Town. In any case, the man realized he was smoking against the devil because the devil wasn’t affected at all by the smoke he was inhaling. The man realized the devil could continue to smoke forever with no affects. Every afternoon clouds roll over Table Mountain and down over Cape Town (as seen in the following photos). As this is happening, people say, “the devil is having a smoking contest on top of the mountain.” While we know this is not true, the myth relates the actual weather events to a story that the people of Cape Town can tell to many generations. The cloud is actually a result of the surrounding oceans and the westerly moving air that prevails below the 30 ° latitude line. This daily event is not only an example of weather in Cape Town, but also a look into the culture of the city and South Africa.
While this myth is clearly not the only instance that humans have made up stories to explain natural phenomena’s in history, it is just one of the many that Cape Town still can enjoy today. And even though they know it is not true, it is an example of how people use stories, such as this myth, to explain things that were at one time mysteries. This little piece of history changes how the people in Cape Town think of their weather. Instead of dreading the clouds that come over everyday, they can appreciate it because it has meaning, despite it being mythical. Part II – Natural Disasters Natural disasters are a part of every country in the world. Whether it is fire, drought, flood, famine, hurricanes, or a number of other tragedies, there is no escaping these dangerous acts of nature. We have no way of controlling them, no way of fully protecting ourselves from the natural world we live in, and we simply become victims. South Africa is clearly no exception to this. The chart clearly shows that the most rain comes during May, June, and July (http://www.em-dat.net). But, the floods don’t seem to correlate with the rain and instead the floods come during December, January, and February. These results were very surprising to our study because it seems to go against intuition to have floods not correlate with the rainy season. We pondered why the rainy season didn’t correlate with the floods and how it was that floods were more likely to occur during the December through February portion of the year. Our conclusion is that the floods peak during the dry season, when rain instances are less, because the ground is dry. The floods don’t happen during the wet months, because the ground can absorb the water. Instead water buildup can only become a flood when the ground is hard and dry and therefore can’t absorb the water. This is yet another unique feature of South Africa. Works used
Early History of South Africa: A Climatological Case Study The early history of Cape Town shares little with the experience of the rest of Africa. The patterns of colonization and the relationship between black Africans and nationalized Europeans are unique to the area. The timing and speed of settlement were possible only because of the local disease environment. The system of racial interaction, a system of Apartide unique to the area, acted differently than other systems because of farming patterns dictated by the fertility of the land. The above are instances of the apparent adaptation of South African cultural development to its climate environment. They show the history and culture of the area are inseparable aspects of the climate in which they formed. Once the Portuguese had made the trip around the horn of Africa and had started to trade with the Indian Ocean world it was clear that a port capable of re-supplying and repairing the trading ships was necessary. Towns sprang to life up and down the West African coast, their numbers increasing as other European powers began to claim their share of the trade with India. In most of these towns, European mortality was horrendous. Even England, notorious for colonizing with Criminals, did not send its prisoners to the West African coast for long. Malaria and other African diseases killed them as effectively as a hangman’s noose. But there was one glaring anomaly: Cape Town. Here, Europeans could survive. The reason had everything to do with Climate. In addition to a favorable malarial environment, Cape Town also has a natural defense against disease and pollution. “the South-Easter (otherwise known as the " Cape Doctor ") arises as a spin-off from anticyclones deep in the Southern ocean. It arrives at the peninsula by way of False Bay, its velocity often being given a boos
While very clean, the colony of Cape Town was in no way capable of producing enough food to sustain the colony and all of the ships coming through its harbor wishing to re-supply. South Africa receives on average 21 inches of rain a year4. This is not quite enough to support the dense agricultural production necessary for the needed production without substantial irrigation. As a result, the farms surrounding Cape Town got larger and larger to compensate for the poor productivity of the land. Though most of the land was soon under Dutch control, its poor fertility disallowed high population densities. This led to constant interaction between the Bantu speaking natives and the Dutch Farmers. Over the Generations, the distances between European farmers and the intercultural interaction led to a new language (Africanz) and a system of rural subsistence farming heavily reliant upon slavery. This system was left in place until the Napoleonic wars left South Africa under British rule. The British abolition of slavery placed great hardship upon the shoulders of the Africanz speaking Dutch. The lifestyle of rural subsistence farming in such an environment required a lot of labor and little money with which to pay workers. Without their slaves, the farmers would not have been able to survive. In order to maintain their lifestyle, the Dutch moved north into new lands not under British rule. Their farming lifestyle remained much as it was until diamonds were discovered in the late 19 th century. The new industry drew both black and white workers. Accustomed to dominance over their black slaves, the white farmers refused to work side by side with their black coworkers. The system of racial segregation that developed lasted until 1994 and dictated the course of development in South Africa. Without the favorable disease environment, settlement would have most likely followed the patterns of settlement on the west coast of Africa. Here, settlements remained small and ineffectual. The African natives were able to maintain their own lifestyles, and the Europeans were prevented from expanding. This was not the case in South Africa, where insufficient rainfall forced the population to spread out and interact with the natives to such an extent as to alter their language. The divisions this interaction created were not easily thrown aside, and have persisted to modern times. Without the knowledge of the climate of the area, there would be no explanation for the unique nature of South African culture. Climate dictated the development of this culture. 1 http://www.cdc.gov/malaria/facts.htm Conclusion It is clear South Africa is a very diverse place with a rich history as well as a unique climate. It seems only appropriate that people often take time to study in Cape Town, as it is not only a sociological study, rich in history and traditions, but also a place full of unique climate conditions and daily weather patterns. It seems there is no better place to observe the connections between weather, climate, and society. |
Colby College | Science Technology & Society Department website design by Gerrit Lansing |
We decided to compare floods, drought, and fire, with the amount of rain in South Africa, as shown on the following graph. While the fires and drought patterns didn’t seem to yield any specifically surprising results, the instances of rain and the high flood seasons seemed to be surprising. 
One of the biggest causes of European mortality was Malaria. A parasitic disease carried by mosquitoes, Malaria has a high mortality rate among first exposure victims. Even today, it is the fourth most common cause for child mortality, accounting for 10.7% of all childhood deaths in developing countries
t by the "corner effect" round Cape Hangklip.” This strong wind, moving from the high pressure system off the coast of Africa to the pressure low over the city sometimes lasts for more than a week. It is said to behave “somewhat in the manner of a trapped tiger, careering around in the bowl between mountain and sea”. The ‘Doctor’ purges the air of any airborne pathogens, and any pollution that may have become trapped under the temperature inversion sometimes preset over the modern city.