Many Africans, such as these in a South
African gold mine, left their farms and
families behind to work in the mining
centers. As a result, new towns developed
and existing ones greatly expanded.The European owners built
railways and roads to connect the
mining centers, bridging the huge
distances between villages and
towns in South Africa.The migrant labor system that
developed as a result of the mines
would have a great impact on
South African society and culture.772 Chapter 27
How would you react to
the colonizers?
You are a young South African living in the 1880s. Gold and diamonds
have recently been discovered in your country. The European colonizers
need laborers to work the mines, such as the one shown below in an 1888
photograph. Along with thousands of other South Africans, you’ve left your
farm and rural village to work for the colonizers. Separated from your
family and living in a city for the first time, you don’t know what to expect.EXAMININGtheISSUES
• What advantages and disadvantages might colonizers bring?
• What does the photograph suggest about colonization?
Discuss these questions with your classmates. In your discussion,
remember what you have already learned about conquests and
cultural interaction. As you read about imperialism in this chapter,
look for its effects on both the colonizers and the colonized.