rainbow nation

British  

noun

1. an epithet, alluding to its multiracial population, of South Africa

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Etymology

Origin of rainbow nation

C20: coined by Nelson _Mandela following the end of apartheid

Example Sentences

MK's disbandment came ahead of South Africa's first democratic election in 1994, and what was seen as the miraculous birth of a "rainbow nation" under the presidency of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2023

Ms. Witbooi’s activism straddled South Africa’s transition from racist pariah to the so-called rainbow nation it became in 1994 after the election of Nelson Mandela as president.

From New York Times • Jan. 25, 2023

The Academy’s new, diverse membership is super-keen to show that things have changed now, hence this year’s rainbow nation of nominees.

From The Guardian • Feb. 16, 2019

“South Africa is a rainbow nation for me,” said Semenya, who carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics.

From Washington Times • Oct. 17, 2018

Tangasha was part of the generation that would profit from the rainbow nation, his grandmother remembers thinking.

From Washington Post • Feb. 12, 2016