Today helped me ground an understanding of the Afrikaaner identity in past and modern day South Africa. Cailyn and I went on a winelands tour through Paarl, Franschhoek, and Stellenbosch. I was really excited to see Franschhoek because of it was settled by the French Hugenots. (Below, is a picture of the French Hugenots' memorial). I do not have a lot of understanding
about the Hugenots except that they are part of my heritage and left France because of religious persecution. How do I identify myself? I am curious about my heritage but do not feel a strong connection most of the time. We have been talking about history a lot but in a larger context. If myself as an individual does not identify with a history, do South Africans? Shafiek says he just lives his life and does not focus on the TRC. Does that mean he does not dwell on the past or his ancestry? Perhaps, I am confusing two different things. Could South Africans have a stronger connection to past and ancestry than Americans? Why would that be so? In Paarl, the Afrikaans Language Monument acknowledges Afrikaans. Our tour guide described Afrikaans as the world’s youngest languages, which is still older than the United States. Interestingly too, the monument is one of two language monuments; the other recognizes Swahili. Afrikaans is NOT Dutch. It was born in South Africa and feels appropriate to be recognized.
I bought a poster of a painting in Stellenbosch that commemorates March 6, 1707. The painting depicts a young man who after drinking a bit dramatically declared himself not Dutch but South African. The painter Laurens Barnard described the young man as a true rebel. The painter, who was Afrikaans, told me that he paints a painting everyday on March 6th. To the Afrikaaners, this day celebrates a day of separation from the Dutch and recognition of an African identity. Barnard told me that in Stellenbosch they dress up and celebrate every year on March 6th.
The three wineries that we visited were beautiful. One was operating since the 1600s and another had only been operating since 1999. I asked the tour guide about ownership today of the wineries because of the colonial history. He didn’t seem to think it was a problem and said that they were expensive to buy and difficult to manage. Perhaps, the Afrikaaners have a place in the identity of South Africa by building its identity as a wine producing country. We went by the University of Stellenbosch, which is known for its viticulture programs. The university almost exclusively teaches in Afrikaans, which continues the Afrikaans-wine making connection.
With so many groups of people having such vibrant cultures, South Africa can be a ‘Rainbow Nation.’ However, how do you promote inclusion of all these peoples? I am sensing a binary between the ANC and the NP, which I translate to a dialogue between the Xhosa and Zulu and the Afrikaaners. Where does that leave the other African tribes, other Europeans, like the British, and the Indians and other Asians? How do you bring people together as South Africans?
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