Recipe and Craft Guide to South Africa

Book excerpt: Welcome to South Africa, the Rainbow Nation, a diverse country with a troubled history but a bright future. You can explore this country’s story through a series of colorful crafts and tasty recipes. For a glimpse into the region’s prehistory, paint your own version of ancient rock art and taste a local grain called millet. Next, visit the colonialist era, when slaves brought by European explorers created the unique Cape Malay cuisine and began a colorful New Year’s Day tradition called the Cape Minstrel Festival. Journey through the painful period of apartheid—strict racial segregation—and taste a street food that was created because black people were not allowed to sit in restaurants alongside whites. Finally, step into the present day and toot a vuvuzela—a long, noisy horn used for cheering—as you learn about South Africa’s transition to equality and democracy.