Human Rights & Social Justice
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Traces of Colonialism: Bushman
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2026.01.13
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What comes to mind when you hear the word, "Bushman"? It could be the delicious bushmen bread eaten as appetizers, or a certain old movie where a man is holding a bottle of Coke. But did you know that behind this familiar word, lies a history of distortion and descrimination on Africa?
During the 17th century, when the Dutch, currently known as the Boere, first arrived in Southern Africa, they labeled the indigenous people as "Bosjesman (man of the bush, voyager)." The Boere massacred the indugenous people and pushed them out of their own homelands. The derogatory term, Bosjesman, was used to erase the identity of the African people, and to brand them as "uncivilized people".
In the present, the term Bushmen is slowly being expulsed from official news and educational materials. However, in Korean society, we can still see that this term is being used as a proper noun used day-to-day.
On the Outback Steakhouse menu, they serve a signature bread named the 'Bushman Bread.' Through the usage of the term 'Bushman,' they are unintentionally reinforcing the public's stereotypical mindset of thinking that "Bushmen refer to indigenous people who are as 'wild and course' as the Bushmen Bread' as a marketing tool.
When you search for the term "Bushmen," on the Naver Korean Dictionary, the definition it provides is: "남아프리카 칼라하리 사막에 사는 흑인종의 하나". Which roughly translates to: "One of the black races that live in Souther Africa's Kalahari Desert." What is interesting is that in the Naver's English-English dictionary, the term is coined as 'offensive,' yet we do not see that in the Korean dictionary. This demonstrates a lack of awareness of the offensive and anachronistic meaning of this word.
Like the 1980's movie,, our modern society continues to portray the indigenous people of Africa as caricatures that are cut off from modern society.
In South Africa and many other African countries, the term "Bushmen" was determined as racist, and it is widely-known that the indigenous people prefer to be called by the names of the tribes they belong to, and that the term "Bushmen" has been replaced by "San", which is the true name of the hunter-gatherers that lived through the first colonization by European explorers. It may seem like just one word, but if used carelessly, it can become an act of violence and, for some, reawaken the indelible scars of colonial rule.
We are not only seeking to change a single word or name, but rather to improve perception of the [African] continent.
Therefore, we request the following:
1. The Ministry of Education should replace the term "Bushman" in elementary, middle, and high school textbooks with "San," a local honorific that respects the African people.
2. The Korea Communications Standards Commission should recommend that companies that use derogatory terms for commercial purposes change their company names and establish guidelines for the use of racist terms.
3. The Ministry of Science and ICT, which manages the National Institute of the Korean Language and major portal sites, should insert warnings in its online dictionaries and encyclopedias about the racist origins of the word "Bushman," and prioritize the use of correct terminology.
Now is the time to correct our current "distortion of Africa." Africa is not a laughing stock or an object of pity, but an equal partner who will create and transform our future together. A single click or suggestion from us will be the beginning of breaking down outdated prejudices about the African continent and opening the door to true coexistence.
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