Culture | Language in South Africa
An official mess
South Africa's 11-language policy is generous in theory, but an ineffective mess in practice
By S.A.P. | JOHANNESBURG
I QUIZ myself once in a while: How many official South African languages can I name? There are eleven—Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu—but I usually get stuck around six or seven. I often wonder how the South African government can keep track of them all. It turns out that they really can’t.
What to watch this weekend
Stories of assassins, detectives and singer-songwriters
The second world war changed Budapest for ever
How a city that once nurtured intellectuals and artists lost its lustre
Museums should open up their storerooms
The V&A is putting more of its collection on show. Others should follow suit
How an agonising relationship with his dad shaped Xi Jinping
The most powerful man on Earth had a grim childhood
Rhyme, once in its prime, is in decline
Readers like it. So why do poets eschew rhyme?
“American Dirt”, and how commerce beats cancel culture
The author of a controversial smash-hit novel is back