Anglo-African - Terminology

Terminology

Ethnicity is a politically loaded topic in South Africa. While some English speakers refer to themselves as "British", the phrase Anglo African is more generally used to refer to English speakers in Africa, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority live in South Africa and other countries in Southern Africa including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, Tanzania, Lesotho, and Swaziland. Many also come from Kenya, with smaller numbers residing in Nigeria. Though the majority of Anglo-Africans are of British and Irish descent, their numbers also include peoples of French Huguenot, Portuguese, Spanish, German, Jewish and Italian ancestry who speak English as their first language.

An early reference to Anglo African as a term for British settlers in Africa is Walter H. Wills' "The Anglo-African Who's Who and Biographical Sketchbook, 1907" which contains the details of nearly 2,000 prominent men and women of Edwardian Africa.

Unlike the Afrikaners, Anglo Africans have not constituted a coherent political or cultural entity in South Africa, hence the absence of a commonly accepted term, although 'English South African' or 'English-speaking South African' are much used.

An Afrikaans term for Anglo African is rooinek, which literally translates as "red neck" (can be considered derogatory depending on context) but is not the equivalent of the American term "red neck". It arose as a nickname in the early days of settlement. There are many theories to explain this epithet, such as it being a reference to the then red collars of British military uniforms, or that it stems from the red markings the British farmers put on their imported Merino breed of sheep, but the most commonly accepted theory is that it relates to the fact they sunburnt easily, because unlike the Afrikaners they were new to Africa and so dressed inappropriately (i.e. wore inadequate hats, e.g. sola topees (pith helmets), or no hat at all). This term is not related to the American term redneck (a derogatory term for certain segments of rural North Americans); although both are probably derived from the idea of a sunburnt neck, in South Africa it was due to the British being unused to the African sun, while in America it is probably due to the belief that "rednecks" spend much of their time working outdoors.