Contemporary Afrikaans Research Articles

Die afbakening van die kern van die Afrikaanse poësiesisteem (2000–2022)

A core/periphery structure is a concept often used in various disciplines to examine the structure of different systems. In the study of Afrikaans literature, this structural facet is also a well-known topic and one that has already been written about extensively. It is generally assumed that actors within the core of a system are more important, authoritative, established and stable, while actors on the periphery often fulfill less important roles, are more dynamic and are also often newcomers. However, the question arises how it can be determined scientifically which role players function within the core of the system, and how the core can be demarcated. In this article, a network analysis of the contemporary Afrikaans poetry system is undertaken, and with the help of network concepts such as the k-core and eccentricity, it is shown how and where the core and the absolute core of the Afrikaans poetry system can be delineated. This approach provides an objective and scientific way to examine the structure of the poetry system. As such, the study connects to previous studies of the Afrikaans poetry system as a system and as a network, but the current study applies new criteria to a new data set and delineates the core of this system.

Die bepaling van ons mees geliefde Afrikaanse kerklied - 'n metodiese ondersoek

In hierdie artikel word 'n uiteensetting gegee van die proses en die resultate van die gebruik van 'n self-geadministreerde aanlyn opname en vraelys om die mees "geliefde" kerklied in Afrikaanssprekende gemeentes in Suid-Afrika te bepaal. Daar word aandag gegee aan aspekte soos die keuse van metode, steekproefneming van respondente, vraelysontwerp en die statistiese ontleding van response. Sommige van die risikoverminderingstrategieë wat die navorser gebruik, word ook uitgelig. Uit die ontleding van die data is dit duidelik dat gemeentes 'n voorkeur toon vir kerkliedere uit die Liedboek en Psalmboek, maar dat daar duidelik ook 'n liefde is vir liedere uit beide die VONKK- en FLAM-genre. Dit is verder ook duidelik dat die Psalms (al is dit net 'n paar) in die amptelike Afrikaanse Liedboek steeds 'n belangrike rol speel in die spiritualiteit van baie van die Afrikaanssprekende gemeentes in Suider-Afrika. Hierdie artikel dra by tot die metodologiese debat in die navorsingsveld van kerkmusiek.

In a burning sea. contemporary afrikaans poetry in translation (Red. Marlise Joubert)

In 2014 verskyn die Engelse bloemlesing in burning sea by Protea Boekhuis - eietydse Afrikaanse gedigte in Engelse vertaling. Hierdie tweetalige publikasie (met die Afrikaanse bronteks en die vertaling naas mekaar) van ongeveer 170 vertalings poog om die moderne beeld van Afrikaanse poesie plaaslik en in die buiteland groter blootstelling te gee, vandaar die insluiting van digters van wie daar in die afgelope 5 jaar (2005-2011) ten minste 'n tweede bundel verskyn het. Soos Andre P. Brink in die inleiding tot die bundel beklemtoon, is die publikasie a way of affirming the modern world, but also kind of tribute tot the very origins of South African poetry (18).

Stabilising determinants in the transmission of phonotactic systems: Diachrony and acquisition of coda clusters in Dutch and Afrikaans

The phonotactic system of Afrikaans underwent multiple changes in its diachronic development. While some consonant clusters got lost, others still surface in contemporary Afrikaans. In this paper, we investigate to what extent articulatory difference between the segments of a cluster contribute to its successful transmission. We proceed in two steps. First, we analyse the respective effects of differences in manner of articulation, place of articulation and voicing on the age at which a cluster is acquired by analysing Dutch acquisition data. Second, we investigate the role that these articulatory differences play in the diachronic frequency development from Dutch to Afrikaans. We demonstrate that large differences in manner of articulation between segments contribute to a cluster’s success in acquisition and diachrony. In contrast, large differences in place of articulation have impeding effects, while voicing difference shows a more complicated behaviour.

Screening the church: A study of clergy representation in contemporary Afrikaans cinema

The church-funded CARFO or KARFO (Afrikaans Christian Filmmaking Organisation) was established in 1947, and aimed to ‘[socialise] the newly urbanized Afrikaner into a Christian urban society’ (Tomaselli 1985:25; Paleker 2009:45). This initiative was supported and sustained by the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC), which had itself been part of the sociopolitical and ideological fabric of Afrikaans religious life for a while and would guide Afrikaners through tensions between religious conservatism and liberalism and into apartheid. Given Afrikaans cinema’s ties with Christian religious and political conservatism, we explore the role – even the centrality – of the Afrikaans church in cultural activity before 1994, and then after 1994. Here, Afrikaans church is an inclusive term that brings together various denominations of Afrikaans-speaking churches, but which mainly suggests the domination of the DRC. After establishing the role of the Afrikaans church in the way described above, we move towards the primary focus of our study: exploring the representation of clergy in the contemporary Afrikaans film Faan se Trein in order to describe certain theological implications of this representation. With reference to Faan se Trein, our article notes and comments on the shifts that have occurred in clergy representation in Afrikaans cinema over the past decades. Osmer’s four tasks of practical theology, namely, descriptive, interpretive, normative and strategic are used for theological reflection. With due contextual reference to Afrikaans film dramas such as Broer Matie [Brother Matie], Saak van Geloof [A Matter of Faith], Roepman [Stargazer], Stilte [Silence], Suiderkruis [Southern Cross] and Faan se Trein, we arrive at some preliminary conclusions about the representation of clergy in mainly contemporary Afrikaans cinema.

‘An entangled bank’: Evolusionêre patrone in die Winterbach-tweeluik Klaaglied vir Koos en erf

The novels of the contemporary Afrikaans writer, Ingrid Winterbach, display a distinctive predisposition towards naturalhistory and Darwinian ideas. Her fictionalisation of a nineteenth-century worldview is underpinned by an imaginative (neo- Victorian) exploration of Darwinian concepts such as growth, metamorphosis, transformation and evolution. In his study on the Darwinian imagination in Victorian fiction, George Levine identifies a gestalt of ideas (both detectable in novels and in science) which can be regarded as central to the Darwin project. Darwin’s metaphor of an entangled bank (which depicts life as an overcrowded space where numerous species compete, diversify and reproduce in a struggle for survival) will be specifically assessed in this evocritical reading of Winterbach’s earlier publications, Klaaglied vir Koos (“Dirge for Koos”, 1984) and Erf (1986).

Globalisering, modernisme en postmodernisme: In stede van die liefde (2005) van Etienne van Heerden

In the 1990s postmodernism as a literary phenomenon led to the development of a lively literary discourse in Afrikaans. However, in contemporary narrative criticism postmodernism rarely features as a theoretical framework for studies of new Afrikaans writing. In poetry criticism postmodernism still enjoys some currency, whereas some critics hold the position that there should be stronger acknowledgement of modernist elements in the development of Afrikaans poetry. In an effort to grasp the manifestation of postmodernism in contemporary Afrikaans prose, this article focuses on globalisation and modernism as two unique challenges to thinking about postmodernism that prevail in Etienne van Heerden’s novel In stede van die liefde (In Cities of Love, 2005). The article identifies three problems in theoretical reflections about postmodernism, namely a too narrowly conceived view of postmodernism, a lack of recognition of the continuities between modernism and postmodernism, and the resulting neglect of modernism. Furthermore, the article offers a critical interrogation of globalisation in its guise as a new master narrative in the light of recent developments in the postmodern era. Through a reading of Van Heerden’s novel, the interrogation focuses on the motifs of slippage and substitution in In stede van die liefde. The representation of space in the novel includes both the urban and the rural and points to ‘glocalisation’, a term that refers to the interconnection between the local and the global. The author proposes that globalisation in the guise of a diffuse and multidimensional master narrative, produces a yearning for older master narratives leading to the reaffirmed presence of modernist elements in a manifestly postmodernist novel such as In stede van die liefde. The challenge is to acknowledge modernist elements in contemporary literature using a theoretical approach that exhaustively accounts for the link between postmodernism and globalisation – new manifestations of modernism can no longer be examined with outdated theories about modernist literature.

Meditations in a churchyard: An exploration of Afrikaans graveyard poets and graveyard poetry

The term ‘kerkhofgedig’ (‘churchyard poem’) does not feature in academic discussions on Afrikaans poetry, neither does it appear in Cloete’s authoritative work of reference, Literêre terme en teorieë (1992). There are mainly three reasons for this omission in Afrikaans literature. In the first place the Afrikaans word ‘elegie’ (elegy) has become a superordinate for most poems dealing with grief or melancholy about a certain event or condition, for example, a lamentation, obituary poem, dirge, requiem, et cetera. Secondly, graveyard poetry is associated with (English) poems and poets from the 18th century, not with more contemporary Afrikaans poets. In the third place, the elegy and the churchyard poem are related poetic forms which share many characteristics, making it difficult to distinguish between the two genres. In Afrikaans literature the churchyard poem is therefore not regarded as an independent poetic form with unique features, as is the case with churchyard poetry in English, French, German and Dutch. Nevertheless, a number of Afrikaans poets have written churchyard poetry over the decades. In this article it will be determined whether Afrikaans graveyard poetry does in fact exist. This will be accomplished by providing a historical background to graveyard poetry and by comparing traditional graveyard poems to modern poems. Then churchyard poetry will be compared to the elegy. In conclusion a clear definition for graveyard poetry will be formulated. The following questions will consequently be answered: What is graveyard poetry and does it exist in Afrikaans?

Classical Dialogue: Allusion and intertextuality in Charl-Pierre Naudé’s Against the Light

The contemporary Afrikaans poet Charl-Pierre Naudé is one of the most promising voices in South African poetry today. Following two award-winning Afrikaans collections, Naudé s debut collection in English, Against the Light (2007), demonstrates learned intertexual references to classical literature, particularly the Roman poets Horace and Catullus. These Latin poets become competing models for Naudé’s own poetics, either passionate and personal, or political and pastoral. In post-apartheid South Africa, after a period of dramatic social change, ultimately Catullus offers himself as the more compelling poetic model for this South African writer.

‘Van vandag af is jou naam Februarie!’ Naamgewing en naamstroping in tekste van Diana Ferrus, I. D. du Plessis en Rayda Jacob

This article examines naming as the core of identity and how the stripping of a name can lead to the loss of identity. In South African history the colonisation of the Cape Colony since 1652 is considered the start of forced labour and slavery. Although slavery had a major impact on South African history, limited slave narratives about their personal and life experiences are available. Their identity was hardly of interest to the colonists and it is therefore not surprising that the colonists were not concerned about the effects and consequences of name stripping on the marginalized slave. Naming is an ancient practice which deserves to be explored in its relation to identity. Naming and identity are inextricably linked. Richard D. Alford found that no single society exists which does not bestow personal names on its members. A personal name leads to individualisation and once it occurs naming enters the realm of identity. The effects of name stripping still surfaces centuries later with many descendents being unable to trace their family roots. Despite extended postcolonial research on various related fields, not much emphasis has been placed on naming and/or name stripping of personal names in South Africa. This article explores the cognition of naming and the consequences of name stripping in contemporary Afrikaans literary texts. It argues that by stripping individuals from their names, they are torn from their history, place and culture. It specifically highlights naming techniques such as pejorative, calendar, classical and biblical names used to dehumanise and disempower slaves. These techniques will be examined in texts from three literary genres, the novel, The Slave Book by Rayda Jacobs, short stories in Drie Wêrelde [“Three Worlds”] by I. D. du Plessis and the poem, “Ons komvandaan” (“My Ancestry”) by Diana Ferrus.

Die hedendaagse Afrikaanse poësiesisteem: Op soek na die mees verteenwoordigende wiskundige model van die rolspelerverhoudings daarbinne

Die sisteemteoretiese benadering tot die literatuurstudie is reeds deeglik gevestig, ook in Afrikaans. Sisteme kan as netwerke gemodelleer word en sedert die vyftigerjare van die vorige eeu is 'n groot aantal netwerkmodelle binne die wiskundige grafiekteorie ontwikkel. Die huidige studie vergelyk die hedendaagse Afrikaanse poësiesisteem en die Afrikaanse literêre sisteem van ander tydperke met twee netwerkmodelle ten einde te bepaal watter netwerkmodel die juisste voorstelling van Afrikaanse literêre netwerke verteenwoordig. Twee van die belangrikste netwerkmodelle in die wiskundige grafiekteorie, naamlik die lukrake netwerkmodel van Erdös en Rényi (1959; 1960 - voortaan die ER-model) en die skaalvrye netwerkmodel van Barabási en Albert (1999 - voortaan die BA-model), word bespreek en met behulp van Pearson se korrelasiekoëffisiënt word die korrelasies tussen die skakelverspreidingspatrone van Afrikaanse literêre netwerke en hierdie twee netwerkmodelle bereken. Daar word aangetoon dat sowel die hedendaagse Afrikaanse poësiesisteem as ander Afrikaanse literêre netwerke akkuraat met die BA-model gemodelleer kan word. Die betekenis van hierdie modellering word bespreek, veral met betrekking tot hoe die groei van die literêre netwerk daar uitsien, dit wil sê, deur Barabási se beginsel van selektiewe skakelvorming op die hedendaagse Afrikaanse poësie van toepassing te maak.

“Theatre as a Memory Machine”: Magrita Prinslo (1896) and Donkerland (1996)

Theatre, as a simulacrum of the cultural and historical process itself, seeking to depict the full range of human actions within their physical context, has always provided society with the most tangible records of its attempts to understand its own operations. It is the repository of cultural memory, but, like the memory of each individual, it is also subject to continual adjustment and modification as the memory is recalled in new circumstances and contexts. (Carlson 2004: 2) Introduction In Jill Fletcher's well-known book on the history of South African theatre, entitled The Story of South African Theatre: 1780-1930 (1994), she gives a fascinating overview of the establishment of a theatre tradition in South Africa during the 18th and 19th centuries. The influence of certain historical events and the impact of various political regimes at the Cape of Good Hope during this period all left traces on the development of such a tradition. The colonisation of the Cape of Good Hope first by Dutch settlers (1652-1806) and then the more prolonged colonisation of the Cape and South Africa by the British (from 1806 till 1961) led to the development of two mainstream European theatre traditions in South Africa: one that was mainly influenced by the British theatre tradition, and one that was clearly to a greater extent influenced by the European (Dutch, German, French) tradition. Afrikaans drama and theatre developed from the latter tradition. I want to highlight in this article the importance of only two plays in this tradition, namely S.J. du Toit's Magrita Prinslo (1896) and Deon Opperman's Donkerland (1996). Whilst du Toit's play is scarcely known or remembered by contemporary Afrikaans audiences and is relegated to the annals of South African/Afrikaans theatre history, Opperman's play is well known, has received the most prestigious Afrikaans (literary) award (namely the Hertzog Prize) and is today widely studied by students, scholars and researchers. The discussion will be placed within the broader context of a contemporary interest in drama and theatre studies, namely a focus on the relationship between theatre and memory. This interest is evident in a number of recent studies (notably Marvin Carlson's The Haunted Stage: The Theatre as Memory Machine). A comparative reading of these two Afrikaans plays, namely Magrita Prinslo (1896) and Donkerland (1996), will focus on the theme of Afrikaner nationalism as a common theme linking these two historical plays. The main concepts and ideas associated with this theme as highlighted in this discussion are: the (re)interpretation of certain events within Afrikaner history and the relationship with the indigenous people of this land; the Afrikaans language; and the volksmoeder theme. 1 Two Afrikaans Plays: Magrita Prinslo (1896) and Donkerland (1996) 1.2 Magrita Prinslo by S.J. du Toit (1896) The significance of du Toit's play lies mainly in the fact that it is considered by most theatre historians (Bosman, Binge, Fletcher) to be the first published play in Afrikaans (1) in South Africa. Magrita Prinslo is on one level just a simple love story, namely the story of Magrita's loyal and unshaken love for Pieter Botha, even after she is wrongly informed by his love rival, Koos Potgieter, that he has died. The historical context in which this romantic love triangle is set, that is, the Great Trek, can, however, be seen as the main focus of this play. The romantic intrigue plays out against the backdrop of important events associated with the Great Trek, namely the infamous Slagtersnek incident (where the British hanged 6 so-called Boer traitors in 1816 in public); Commandant Hendrik Potgieter's Trek to Natal (1838), and Commandant Piet Retief's murder at the hand of the Zulu King, Dingaan (17 February 1838). These historical events are all regarded as important events within Afrikaner history and became the focus of many historical studies of the period. …

’n Alfabeties-akrostiese klaaglied

An alphabetic acrostic lament Laments date back to the start of mankind and are known among all peoples, languages and nations. Laments are often spontaneous and unstructured, but sometimes they are structured in poetic form. The biblical book of Lamentations is structured according to the alphabet. The alphabetic framework that forms the foundation of the book indicates that it has a cognitive advancement/build up, and consists of a logically-anticipated inception/beginning and conclusion. It starts with the first letter of the alphabet and concludes with the last. According to Jewish rabbis the alphabetic acrostic structure indicates that the lamentation was completed in full – from start to finish. With the constant development of Afrikaans a need exists for a contemporary Afrikaans Bible translation. This article is an attempt to present the book of Lamentations in a contemporary alphabetic acrostic Afrikaans translation. The message and structure of the book form a cognitive unit that must be preserved as much as possible. A cognitive unit indicates that the reader anticipates the logical build-up and it makes sense to him/her. The acrostic structure is considered to be not only an inherent part of the poem itself, but it could also be insightful and illuminative to the reader.

Die stand van psalmsang in die NG Kerk

The status of psalm singing in the Dutch Reformed ChurchOver the past three decades, there have been consistent and increasing signs that psalms are disappearing from the repertoire of hymns that are sung in the Dutch Reformed (DR) Church. In an attempt to turn this tendency around, research was undertaken to determine the seriousness and the cause of the current situation. An empirical study was done to determine the frequency of use and the functionality of psalms, and to identify the practical factors that influence these.Results confirmed the low application frequency, dysfunctionality, unpopularity and sparse liturgical employment of psalms, and showed that most psalms that appear in the hymn book of the Church, Liedboek (2001), have not become part of the repertoire of hymns of the DR Church. Respondents also provided valuable information in their explanations of why psalms are out of touch with the needs of congregations in contemporary Afrikaans culture.The research concluded that psalm singing is falling into disuse in the DR Church in South Africa. Only a small number of psalms stand a chance to survive, and then only in congregations where the singing of psalms is propagated, where well-known psalms are sung regularly and where new psalms are being learned.

Die tyd van die triekster: <i>identiteit</i> in enkele hedendaagse Afrikaanse prosatekste

The time of the trickster: identity in selected contemporary Afrikaans prose textsThis article focuses on the various ways in which “identity” figures in Afrikaans novels from 1996 to 2006, particularly with reference to the way in which diasporic displacement and death can be connected to the problem of identity. The various options that are identified in the texts are connected by means of the structuralist idea that meaning is produced as “a system of differences with no positive terms”. The figure of the trickster, as it appears in one novel from this time, namely “Niggie” by Ingrid Winterbach, is used as heuristic framework for the study, and as a provisional way understanding the production of the variety of identity options in the novels.

Gemeenskapstoneel deur Robert J. Pearce: aspekte van bewussyn ('n eerste verkenning)

Extended English Summary - Community Plays by Robert J. Pearce : Expressions of Consciousness (An Initial Examination) This article is a preliminary examination of reflections of consciousness in plays by Robert J. Pearce. The examination departs from ideas suggested by Daniel Meyer-Dinkgrafe (2005) in his monograph titled Theatre and consciousness: explanatory scope and future potential, Peter Malekin and Ralph Yarrows' (2001) exploration of relationships in an article on ''Imagination, consciousness, and theatre'' published in the journal Studies in the Literary Imagination, Pierre Nora's (1989) ideas on places and spaces of memory published in the journal Representations, and Julian Smith's (1987) arguments in his unpublished thesis titled Kontemporere swart Afrikaanse gemeenskapstoneelaktiwiteit in die Kaapse Skiereiland: 'n ideologies-kritiese besinning (Contemporary black Afrikaans community theatre found in the Cape Peninsula: an ideological and critical reflection). The discussion initially proceeds from Meyer-Dinkgrafe's distinction between reflections of ''conventional'' and ''altered'' states of consciousness in plays. Smith's classification of SAG (Swart Afrikaanse Gemeenskapstoneel / Black Afrikaans Community Theatre) serves as an additional point of departure. He distinguishes between socio-political, religious-didactical, and sentimental-romantic plays in Black Afrikaans Community Theatre.

Maar my voete wil nou sing

In this article the author takes a closer look at biblical erotica through the eyes of poetry on the one hand and contemporary Afrikaans poetry on the other. By way of conveying some thoughts on texts in Song of Songs (along with other assorted scriptural texts) the ideas regarding sexuality encountered therein are made to converse with a careful selection of a number of Afrikaans poems to express in homiletical fashion something about the wonder and mystery of this greatest of Heaven’s gifts bestowed upon the human condition – the divine spark.

Afrikaanse plaas versus Antilliaanse plantage. Ruimte, lokaliteit en identiteit in Mijn zuster de negerin van Cola Debrot<sup>1</sup>

Propositions formulated with reference to one literary tradition could have a stimulating effect on research conducted in another. This contribution is aimed at establishing whether it is possible to analyse Dutch Antillean literature with Afrikaans literary concepts. To illustrate this, Cola Debrot’s (1902-1981) Mijn zuster de negerin (My sister, the Negress, 1935) will be placed within the framework of the Afrikaans plaasroman (farm novel). This historical subgenre of the South African novel came to full bloom in the 1930s and 1940s. Central to the plaasroman is the farm-experience. The fact that contemporary Afrikaans authors are still interested in this novelistic mode testifies to its viability, which derives from the ample scope it provides for giving expression to problems concerning identity and locality. Mijn zuster de negerin, a true classic of Dutch literature, is studied here through the prism of the most typical elements of the plaasroman, for example the close connection with the soil and with nature, the space of the rural districts, the “plaas” as an idyllic place, the motif of the prodigal son, the rejection and acceptance of an inheritance/a legacy, the motif of the ancestors and rebellion against the older generation or the patriarchal order. Special emphasis is placed on the motif of house/homestead and barnyard, as the experience of these spaces contains the quintessenceof all the other important motifs. Since the issue of identity and locality is central also to Debrot’s novella, the Afrikaans plaasroman provides an expansive framework within which this Dutch story can be interpreted.

André P. Brink en de marxistische literatuuropvatting

In 1990 the Cape literary critic Ampie Coetzee published a thought-provoking essay under the title Letterkunde en Krisis. 'n Honderd jaar Afrikaanse Letterkunde en Afrikaner-nasionalisme. ("Literature and Crisis. One Hundred Years of Afrikaans Literature and Afrikaner Nationalism"). Coetzee appeals for a Marxist appraisal of Afrikaans literature from the past up to the late 1980s. In Coetzee's opinion the notions of class warfare, of base and superstructure, of materialism and dialectics are essential to an understanding of historical development. Not many literary works in Afrikaans meet these requirements. Authors like Elisabeth Eybers and N.P. van Wyk Louw find no favour with Coetzee in spite of the innovations in their poems and plays. But, what about Andre Brink? Does he conform to Coetzee's criteria? The South African Publication Board pursued his novels on the grounds of their subversive, revolutionary nature. Even Brink's novels do not find favour with Coetzee. Brink's literary criticism demonstrates a profound knowledge of Marxist philosophical and Marxist cultural practice presuppositions in so-called socialist countries. He however refuses to write fiction within the framework of "socialist realism". He is aware of the complex relationship between material and mental production and he has taken notice of the derailments within Marxist cultural politics. On the other hand, in order to improve social conditions in South African society, Brink, in his novels Looking on Darkness (1973/1974), A Chain of Voices (1982) and Rumours of Rain (1978), is deeply concerned with social analysis. His novels do not make class distinctions but distinguish between the brave and the craven during the years of social and political opposition. This leads to another observation. It struck the author of this essay that the subject matter of human labour, including that of actual production and the social relations of labour in factories and on the mines, plays a lesser role in contemporary Afrikaans literature. Most authors have academic backgrounds; they tend to write about human life outside the place of industrial work.

’n Perspektief op ironie in die hedendaagse Afrikaanse taalgebruik

A discussion of irony in contemporary Afrikaans The purpose of this article is to investigate the nature of irony as used in contemporary Afrikaans language. A common feature of the irony that shows up consistently in contemporary Afrikaans, is some form of duality or contrast, such as between a reality and a perception. Special attention is given to the distinguishing features of verbal irony and the different semantic contrasts which could occur. Various signals indicating irony, and functions of irony in contemporary use are also examined.