Category: 10th anniversary

Dr Schalk van der Merwe, extraordinary senior lecturer at Stellenbosch University (SU), is a published author and an experienced bass guitarist. He balances his academic career with his work as a professional musician and often draws on his own musical experiences to enrich his research. He taught history at SU from 2005 to 2017, with a focus on African history. Since 2019, he has been involved in the University’s International Office, where he teaches in various fields, ranging from South African political history to popular culture and identity.  

In his doctoral research, which he completed in 2015, he examined the political and cultural dynamics of Afrikaans music from early in the 20th century up to the post-apartheid era. 

That study led to his book, On Record: Popular Afrikaans Music and Society, 1900–2017, which covers themes like Afrikaner nationalism, censure during apartheid, class differences and racial politics on the post-apartheid pop music scene. Van der Merwe has contributed to various academic publications, including Fuck off! Fokofpolisiekar’s Afrikaans Punk in the Postcolony and Ghosts of the Popular: The Hidden Years Music Archive and the Interstices of South African Popular Music History (with Lizabé Lambrecht).  

He has been a regular guest lecturer at the Afrikaans language and culture course for Dutch-speaking students for several years, where he shares and discusses key events from South African history with students in a narrative style. As part of the 10-year celebrations of the course, we asked him a few questions.

Schalk, you offer two courses at Stellenbosch International as part of the Global Education Programme. Please tell us more about these courses. 

The one is Overview of South African History, which is an exploration of the important themes in our history, from the first people to the Government of National Unity (GNU). The other course is South African Popular Culture and Identity, which is more interdisciplinary, and explores, for example, how the intersections of language, race and culture are expressed in cultural practices. We quite often listen to music in class, from hip-hop, kwaito and amapiano to Afrikaans pop music. We also look at things like sites of memory, with specific reference to Sophiatown and District Six.  

You have been a regular guest for about three years at the Afrikaans language and culture course, where you present a guest lecture that focuses on an overview of the history of South Africa.  In your opinion, what is the relationship between history and origins when it comes to the formation of a specific culture and identity? Why, do you think, can one form a better understanding of a culture by learning more about the history of that culture? 

It feels like I’ve been involved much longer! Oh, I think the two go hand in hand. Narratives like ‘who I am/who we are’ are formed in, and in reaction to, specific historical circumstances. One has to understand these circumstances if you want to understand culture and identity. A good local example – and South Africa has an abundance of such examples – is the development of an Afrikaner national identity (that is, their identity as a volk) and the concomitant Afrikaner culture. The way in which most of us interpret/understand these terms was never a given outcome. The idea of a ‘volk’ was deliberately created under the banner of Afrikaner nationalism as it took hold in the politics of the early twentieth century. There were other ideologies going around as well, but they started having less influence as time went by. The fact that so much was invested in, particularly, white Afrikaans school curricula primarily focused on national identity was instrumental in its fairly robust continued existence today.  

Dr Van der Merwe with exchange students from Belgium and the Netherlands in the Afrikaans language and culture for Dutch speaking students course in 2017.

What would you say are the most important aspects of our complex history that international students should understand – particularly as far as the history and origins of Afrikaans-speaking people are concerned? 

When I work with international students – who mostly come from Europe – it is important to take care to explain colonialism and its consequences to them. They do not come from colonial and post-colonial worlds. In their world, the construction of, for example, race is not such a central historical factor, whereas it is a core element of the history of South Africa. As far as the history and origins of Afrikaans is concerned, it is essential to portray the language’s diversity, as well as how it was utilised in service of social change. I usually highlight the slaves’ influence to clarify the development of the language and its cultural elements that are still visible today. The fact that Afrikaans came into existence in unique circumstances and that it is one of only four languages that were standardised in the twentieth century are also important talking points. Finally, I feel that, for a young language, Afrikaans has already seen a lot of life. It has been a language of conflict and a language of oppression, but also one of protest and hope. The Afrikaans literature is rich, and the realms of the Afrikaans imagination are deep and beautiful.  

Finally, I feel that, for a young language, Afrikaans has already seen a lot of life. It has been a language of conflict and a language of oppression, but also one of protest and hope. The Afrikaans literature is rich, and the realms of the Afrikaans imagination are deep and beautiful.

Dr Van der Merwe (left) with course lecturer Helga Sykstus (second from left) and a group of students from Belgium and the Netherlands at the ‘Eet Kreef Herleef!’ concert at Woordfees, 2022.

– by Helga Sykstus

This year, it will be ten years since Helga Sykstus, lecturer and coordinator at the SU Language Centre with more than 20 years of experience, had launched the Afrikaans language and culture for Dutch-speaking students. This course offers exchange students from the Netherlands or Belgium the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Afrikaans language and culture. It is, therefore, so much more than just a language course – it is more of a 3D experience of Afrikaans within the South African context: from the literature, history and politics, to the arts, music, recipes and ‘false friends’ that make Afrikaans so diverse, rich and lekker to listen to, read and speak.

In celebration of the tenth year of existence of this unique course – which attracts many interested students from the Low Counties – we talked to Helga about this special offering.

Why did you decide to start this very specific course in 2015, now ten years ago? How does this course differ from the Language Centre’s courses for local and international participants from countries other than the Netherlands or Belgium, who do not speak Afrikaans at all?  

The courses in Afrikaans offered to foreign students as part of the Global Education Programme (GEP) by SU International, the international office of the University, have been an institution for more than two decades. A course specifically aimed at Dutch speakers had, therefore, existed before 2015, but the course was focused more on literature, and we had to suspend the course for about three years, due to costs and the lack of a presenter. At the start of 2015, a former colleague, Karlien Cillie, and I then decided that we would like to start the course once more, but with a somewhat different approach and flavour. Both of us spent some time in the Netherlands and Belgium as part of our studies, so we didn’t just know the language, but also had the privilege to experience some aspects of the cultures. We felt that simply offering a traditional language course for Dutch speakers would be too limiting and that we could achieve so much more with a course that also has a strong focus on the culture of the people who speak the language. The seed was planted, our proposal was accepted and in Julie 2015, we had our first group of students from the Netherlands and Belgium. 

What are the main differences between Dutch and Afrikaans? 

The differences we deal with in the course are mainly differences in the meaning of words and concepts, as well as grammatical structures such as pronouns, articles, verbs and tenses. I love showing students that despite Afrikaans seemingly being so similar to Dutch, there are many differences between the languages. They are not only learning a ‘new’ language by acquiring these words and concepts, but are also learning something about the culture. This opens up a new world to them. Students are exposed to loan-words such as “gogga”, “kierie”, “piesang”, “baklei”, “sambreel” and “kombers”, and then we also focus on the many ‘false friends’ between Afrikaans and Nederlands such as “amper”, “boodskappe”, “mug”, “geit”, “kaal”, “motor”, “stoep”, “vies” and “vaak”. And then there are the many words that we use differently or that do not exist in Dutch; for example, “besig”, “oplaai”, “vervelend”, “bobbejaan”, “spookasem” and “hoendervleis”. The list is extremely long!  

To what extent (and how) is culture involved in this course? How does this connect with your view on the role of the language lecturer?  

I believe that, if one chooses to live in another country for some time, one should make the effort to be able to communicate, on a basic level at least, with the local people in their language. After all, you want to become part of the community and one of the best ways of doing so is through language – even more so if you are a Dutch speaker living in an Afrikaans community. However, it is not just about communication. By learning the language, you also start becoming part of the culture, a culture that is much, much more than braai and rugby and the big five. Language is the key to culture, especially in a country such as South Africa.   

A visit to the Afrikaans Language Monument in Paarl. 

Language is the key to culture, especially in a country such as South Africa.   

A tour of the colourful Bo-Kaap, where a number of variations of Afrikaans can be heard, and Cape Malay foods like koesisters and bobotie rule. 

Which themes and activities do you involve in this course? 

Apart from the language component, I focus on topics such as the origins of Afrikaans, the communities that speak Afrikaans and the various forms of Afrikaans. Students are also given a synopsis of South African history, with reference to specific important moments in our history. We look at Afrikaans music and how music may be used as cultural text. Another theme is our relationship with the land and earth. All these themes are used to gain a deeper understanding of South African culture, but more specifically, the complex and diverse Afrikaans culture and identity. Apart from these critical discussions, we also go on a number of outings. I take students on guided tours to the Stellenbosch Village Museum, the Afrikaans Language Monument and the District Six Museum. And I always invite a stalwart guest speaker to come and speak to the students about their field or experiences. Everything in Afrikaans, of course.   

All these themes are used to gain a deeper understanding of South African culture, but more specifically, the complex and diverse Afrikaans culture and identity.

The course places a lot of emphasis on identity. Why? And how do you tackle explaining to your students what is generally regarded as characteristic of the Afrikaans culture? 

Well, we are all born into a certain culture or cultures, but identity is something that is then formed and influenced by various factors. And I think that it is problematic to just talk about culture without involving identity. It is important to me that students are able to distinguish between something like Afrikaans culture (quite complex in its own right), and how it differs from identity.

I encourage students to reflect on their own identities and the factors that play a role in the formation of and possible changes to identity. 

The 2023 group visiting Vergelegen Wine Estate. 

For example, language constitutes a large part of the identity of many South Africans and Afrikaans speakers in particular, while this is not necessarily the case for the average person from the Netherlands or Belgium. Belgians who speak Flemish also generally have a stronger relationship with language than people from the Netherlands. Similarly, your origin, or where you grew up, also plays a role in the formation of identity. Students say time and again that the conversations about culture and identity we have in the course are often the first time they are asked to reflect on those topics.  

It is important to me that students are able to distinguish between something like Afrikaans culture (quite complex in its own right), and how it differs from identity. I encourage students to reflect on their own identities and the factors that play a role in the formation of and possible changes to identity. […] Students say time and again that the conversations about culture and identity we have in the course are often the first time they are asked to reflect on those topics. 

What, in your opinion, are the most important outcomes of the Afrikaans language and culture course for students from the Netherlands and Belgium? 

Developing an understanding and appreciation of the diverse and complex Afrikaans culture in all its forms within the broader context of South Africa. 

Have you experienced that international students have been able to achieve these outcomes over the past ten years? Are there other insights and experiences that you have noticed students who complete this course take with them to the Netherlands or Belgium? 

Yes, I think the outcomes are definitely achieved! 

A number of years ago, Liselotte Voets, a Belgian exchange student from the Catholic University Leuven (KU Leuven), who was at SU as part of her master’s degree in philosophy, took the Afrikaans course for Dutch-speaking students while she was in South Africa. After the course, she shared her thoughts about freedom in Afrikaans in a Language Centre blog and it warmed my heart that she was also one of my students.  

I also received the following in writing from one of my other students last year. This more or less sums up the feedback I regularly receive: “Baie dankie vir al die moeite en toewyding wat jy in ons Afrikaanse klasse insit. Ek het nie net soveel oor Suid-Afrika en sy kultuur geleer nie, maar ook baie oor myself. Die lesse en aktiwiteite het my gehelp om dinge op ’n nuwe manier in perspektief te sien en my wêreldbeskouing te verbreed. Ek waardeer die ruimte wat jy skep vir openhartige gesprekke en vir die geleenthede wat ons het gehad om die land en sy mense op so ’n unieke manier te ervaar. Met opregte waardering.” (Thank you so much for all the effort and commitment you put into our Afrikaans classes. I not only learned so much about South Africa and its culture, but also much about myself. The lessons and activities helped me to see things in perspective in a new way and to broaden my world view. I appreciate the space you create for frank discussions and for the opportunities we had to experience the country and its people in such a unique manner. With sincere gratitude.) 

Read more about the Afrikaans language and culture course for Dutch-speaking students at SU here.

Musician Frazer Barry (right) is one of the regular guests that Helga (centre) invites to talk to students about Afrikaans music, culture and identity.

– by Andréa Müller and Helga Sykstus