The Universal Declaration of Human Rights after WW2 (Page 170 - 171)
The United Nations proposes a Declaration
WW2 ended in 1945
Horrors from the Holocaust and violence led to the formation of an international
organisation called the United Nations Organisation (UNO) OR United Nations (UN)
The aim of UNO was to promote a better world through international co-operation
The UNO wanted to: The emblem of
Keep peace among the countries of the world UNO is a map of
the world in a
Promote human rights wreath of olive tree
Improve living conditions branches, a symbol
of peace.
A Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1948, UNO wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
UDHR sets the universal standard of how human beings should behave towards one
another so everyone’s dignity is respected
Human rights start with all humans being born equal
Because of this, all of us have certain basic rights which can’t be taken away by anyone
What are human rights?
UDHR set out the basic rights that should make it possible for everyone to live free and
equal lives and be treated with respect and dignity - no matter who they are
This means rights belong to everyone on this planet, to all people everywhere, because
they are human
Rights aren’t earned or bought
We all have rights from the moment we’re born until we die
Human Rights in South Africa
When UDHR was accepted at UNO in 1948, SA was entering its most racist time in history
The National Party was in power, and they put into practice a policy of racial
discrimination, called Apartheid
Black South Africans were denied basic human rights recognised in the UDHR
The South African Apartheid government didn’t sign the UDHR, but remained a member of
UNO
The United Nations declared Apartheid a ‘crime against humanity’
After the 1994 democratic election, a new non-racial constitution was drawn up. It included
the Bill of Rights, which is based off of UDHR
“The world is too dangerous to live in - not because of the people who do
evil, but because of the people who sit and let it happen” ~ Albert Einstein
Definition of Racism (Page 174 - 176)
Human evolution and our common ancestry
The issue of ‘race’ still affects South Africans today
Most people take it for granted that all humankind can be divided into ‘races’
Understanding human evolution helps us to understand that ‘race’ doesn’t exist
The study of human evolution shows us that all humans share a common ancestry – we
are all African in the sense that we all descended from ancestors who lived in Africa as
recently as 100 000 years ago
The concept of human ‘races’ isn’t scientific
Physical features such as skin colour, hair type and facial shape don’t relate in any way to
how people think or behave
The genes that determine the colour of our skin are as unimportant as the genes that
determine the shape and size of our toes
We’re not the same but we are all equal
Human beings of different religions and cultures do behave differently but their behaviour
is learned not inherited
The misuse of the term ‘race’ to classify people has gone hand in hand with disregard for
human rights
, This has resulted in cruel behaviour towards those regarded as inferior
Apartheid and the Myth about Race
Apartheid ideology used skin colour and other physical characteristics of South Africans to
classify people into ‘race groups’
The Apartheid system was built on racism
Racism is the false idea or myth that certain groups of people are better than others
Racists divide the human race into different ‘race groups’ and believed it was acceptable
to exclude or dominate certain of these groups on the grounds of their ‘race’
Apartheid ideology said that light-skinned people were superior to dark-skinned people
This ideology was used to justify the oppression of black South Africans
The Afrikaans word ‘Apartheid’ means ‘apartness’
Apartheid was an inhuman policy which kept white South Africans separate from black
South Africans
Black South Africans were referred to as ‘non-whites’
‘Non-whites’ were divided into categories called ‘Native’ / ‘Bantu’ / ‘Coloured’ and Indian
Even though scientifically ‘race’ doesn’t exist, our history is tied up with the way in which
South Africans were classified
Racial categories have become part of our identities and how we think about ourselves
And because the Apartheid laws were applied according to these racial categories, it is
impossible to write a history of South Africa without using racial labels
How the South African population was divided up
The National Party Apartheid government didn’t use the term ‘African’ because the
translation of the word ‘Afrikaner’ is ’African’
They called Africans ‘Natives’ or ‘Bantu’
Both these terms are insulting
The Apartheid government found it hard to define race, especially when it came to what
they called ‘coloured’ people
Divisions in South Africa's
Population in 1948
Indians
Coloureds
Whites
Africans
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Percentage
1948 The National Party and Apartheid
Racial Segregation before Apartheid
Apartheid was a continuation of a system of racial segregation that was created long
before 1948
In South Africa’s cities and on farms, racism and racial segregation had been practiced by
whites for decades
The Land Act 1913
The Natives’ Land Act was passed in 1913
African people were allowed to own about 13% of the land
The rest of the land was to be kept for white ownership and occupation, although whites
were only about 20% of the population
The black ‘reserves’, as they were called, were widely scattered pieces of land mainly in
the east of the country
The United Nations proposes a Declaration
WW2 ended in 1945
Horrors from the Holocaust and violence led to the formation of an international
organisation called the United Nations Organisation (UNO) OR United Nations (UN)
The aim of UNO was to promote a better world through international co-operation
The UNO wanted to: The emblem of
Keep peace among the countries of the world UNO is a map of
the world in a
Promote human rights wreath of olive tree
Improve living conditions branches, a symbol
of peace.
A Universal Declaration of Human Rights
In 1948, UNO wrote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
UDHR sets the universal standard of how human beings should behave towards one
another so everyone’s dignity is respected
Human rights start with all humans being born equal
Because of this, all of us have certain basic rights which can’t be taken away by anyone
What are human rights?
UDHR set out the basic rights that should make it possible for everyone to live free and
equal lives and be treated with respect and dignity - no matter who they are
This means rights belong to everyone on this planet, to all people everywhere, because
they are human
Rights aren’t earned or bought
We all have rights from the moment we’re born until we die
Human Rights in South Africa
When UDHR was accepted at UNO in 1948, SA was entering its most racist time in history
The National Party was in power, and they put into practice a policy of racial
discrimination, called Apartheid
Black South Africans were denied basic human rights recognised in the UDHR
The South African Apartheid government didn’t sign the UDHR, but remained a member of
UNO
The United Nations declared Apartheid a ‘crime against humanity’
After the 1994 democratic election, a new non-racial constitution was drawn up. It included
the Bill of Rights, which is based off of UDHR
“The world is too dangerous to live in - not because of the people who do
evil, but because of the people who sit and let it happen” ~ Albert Einstein
Definition of Racism (Page 174 - 176)
Human evolution and our common ancestry
The issue of ‘race’ still affects South Africans today
Most people take it for granted that all humankind can be divided into ‘races’
Understanding human evolution helps us to understand that ‘race’ doesn’t exist
The study of human evolution shows us that all humans share a common ancestry – we
are all African in the sense that we all descended from ancestors who lived in Africa as
recently as 100 000 years ago
The concept of human ‘races’ isn’t scientific
Physical features such as skin colour, hair type and facial shape don’t relate in any way to
how people think or behave
The genes that determine the colour of our skin are as unimportant as the genes that
determine the shape and size of our toes
We’re not the same but we are all equal
Human beings of different religions and cultures do behave differently but their behaviour
is learned not inherited
The misuse of the term ‘race’ to classify people has gone hand in hand with disregard for
human rights
, This has resulted in cruel behaviour towards those regarded as inferior
Apartheid and the Myth about Race
Apartheid ideology used skin colour and other physical characteristics of South Africans to
classify people into ‘race groups’
The Apartheid system was built on racism
Racism is the false idea or myth that certain groups of people are better than others
Racists divide the human race into different ‘race groups’ and believed it was acceptable
to exclude or dominate certain of these groups on the grounds of their ‘race’
Apartheid ideology said that light-skinned people were superior to dark-skinned people
This ideology was used to justify the oppression of black South Africans
The Afrikaans word ‘Apartheid’ means ‘apartness’
Apartheid was an inhuman policy which kept white South Africans separate from black
South Africans
Black South Africans were referred to as ‘non-whites’
‘Non-whites’ were divided into categories called ‘Native’ / ‘Bantu’ / ‘Coloured’ and Indian
Even though scientifically ‘race’ doesn’t exist, our history is tied up with the way in which
South Africans were classified
Racial categories have become part of our identities and how we think about ourselves
And because the Apartheid laws were applied according to these racial categories, it is
impossible to write a history of South Africa without using racial labels
How the South African population was divided up
The National Party Apartheid government didn’t use the term ‘African’ because the
translation of the word ‘Afrikaner’ is ’African’
They called Africans ‘Natives’ or ‘Bantu’
Both these terms are insulting
The Apartheid government found it hard to define race, especially when it came to what
they called ‘coloured’ people
Divisions in South Africa's
Population in 1948
Indians
Coloureds
Whites
Africans
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Percentage
1948 The National Party and Apartheid
Racial Segregation before Apartheid
Apartheid was a continuation of a system of racial segregation that was created long
before 1948
In South Africa’s cities and on farms, racism and racial segregation had been practiced by
whites for decades
The Land Act 1913
The Natives’ Land Act was passed in 1913
African people were allowed to own about 13% of the land
The rest of the land was to be kept for white ownership and occupation, although whites
were only about 20% of the population
The black ‘reserves’, as they were called, were widely scattered pieces of land mainly in
the east of the country
