Azanja

Azanja, also spelled Azania, is a historical toponym referring to a region of the southeastern coast of Africa. Its precise geographical extent has varied over time and depending on the source.

Historically, the term was used by Greco-Roman writers, particularly in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a 1st-century CE navigational text, to denote the part of the African coast extending south of Somalia (then known as Opone) down to, at least, Tanzania. This region was known for its trade in goods like ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and slaves. These were exchanged for imported items such as iron tools, glass beads, and textiles. The Periplus describes the people of Azania as having a degree of political organization with local rulers.

In later centuries, the term Azania became associated with a larger region of East Africa. It was often used as a poetic or literary term, not necessarily corresponding to a specific, defined political territory.

In the 20th century, "Azania" was adopted by some South African liberation movements, most notably the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), as the name they intended to give South Africa after apartheid was overthrown. This usage reflected a rejection of the colonial name and a desire to establish a truly African identity for the nation. The name “Azania” remains politically charged in South Africa, symbolizing the aspirations of some for a more radical transformation of the country beyond the formal end of apartheid. The African National Congress (ANC), the dominant political party in post-apartheid South Africa, ultimately retained the name "South Africa."