South African President Jacob Zuma visited India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a diplomatic and economic matter. The two countries hope that bilateral trade will stimulate the economies of both countries. India and South Africa share some commonalities like poverty, British colonialism and AIDS. The history of India and South Africa are closely linked.

For example, Mohandas Gandhi led his first disobedience protest against the British in South Africa. From his experiences in South Africa, Gandhi was able to led an Indian movement against the British. Some people have even compared Gandhi as the Indian Nelson Mandela. The first Indians immigrated to South Africa in the 1700s. Many of the immigrants came as laborers to work in textile factories and plantation farms. Pictured below is a group of Indian laborers in South Africa :

Like the South African natives, Indians in South Africa also experienced apartheid. However, after apartheid Indians in South Africa still faced further discrimination. Black South Africans believed that they were the only legitimate citizens of South Africa. Unlike the Black South Africans, South African Indians had to wait until the 1990s to obtain their status as equal citizens. Some notable Indians like Ebrahim Patel were able to secure government positions, and the new laws enabled South African Indians to run successful businesses.

The South African Indian youth of today face identity issues. The South African Indian community grapples with questions like what it means to be Indian or African. The community still struggles to claim their place in society, but conditions are much better than what they were before. Perhaps it’s time to face the realization that Indians and South Africans have a shared past, and that we must work together for the sake of the future.