X-Nico

6 unusual facts about Afrikaans


Die Grafsteensangers

The 12 members of the group, with ages varying between 18 and 83, sing mostly old Afrikaans songs with straight faces and in old costumes.

Die Heuwels Fantasties

It is their first release since the song "Doodegewone Aand" was featured on the soundtrack for the Afrikaans film Bakgat 2.

Eskom

It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie (EVKOM).

Herman Blaschke

He displayed his talent in his late teens at Thistles FC playing with his younger brother Gustav Blaschke who was known as "Ou Reus" which means "Old Giant" in Afrikaans.

Josef Marais

He toured as a concert violinist for several years and when he heard that His Master's Voice was eager to record songs in Afrikaans for the South African market, he offered his services.

Teboho MacDonald Mashinini

A move by South Africa's apartheid government to make the white, colonial language Afrikaans an equal mandatory language of education for all South Africans in conjunction with English was extremely unpopular with black, Bantu and English-speaking South African students.


André Brink

These writers sought to use Afrikaans as a language to speak against the apartheid government, and also to bring into Afrikaans literature the influence of contemporary English and French trends.

Anne Provoost

Her work, originally published in Dutch, has been translated into many European languages as well as Afrikaans, Amharic, Arabic and Turkish.

Bay 13

The first such instance occurred on Boxing Day, 2005, when Bay 13 directed racial taunts in Afrikaans at South African fast bowler André Nel.

Boer Republics

The Boer Republics (sometimes also referred to as Boer states) were independent self-governed republics created by the northeastern frontier branch of the Dutch-speaking (proto Afrikaans) inhabitants of the north eastern Cape Province and their descendants (variously named Trekboers, Boers, Afrikaners and Voortrekkers) in mainly the northern and eastern parts of what is now the country of South Africa.

Subsequently a number of its Dutch-speaking (proto-Afrikaans often called "die taal" the language) inhabitants trekked inland in 1835 in order to escape British administrative control in a movement that became known as the Great Trek.

Bouwer

Alba Bouwer (1920-2010), a South African Afrikaans-writing journalist and author

Brasse Vannie Kaap

Ironically, many black working class artists from townships, like Mitchells Plain and Bonteheuwel, have yet to convert their cultural expression and art into the sort of commercial success that is now enjoyed by Die Antwoord in the international arena, which has been fascinated by Die Antwoord's performance of coloured and white Afrikaans working-class stereotypes.

Brixton, Gauteng

The popular Afrikaans rock-band Brixton Moord en Roof Orkes ("Brixton Murder and Robbery Band") is named after this squad.

Cacadu District Municipality

The municipality is a new, multi-ethnic administration, formed by the ANC government through the merging of the predominantly Afrikaans-speaking western part of the Eastern Cape, together with Xhosa areas near the Fish river, and the English district of Albany (with its own distinctive local culture, dating back to the 1820 settlers).

Chamois

In Afrikaans, the name "gemsbok" came to refer to a species of Subsaharan antelope of the genus Oryx, and this meaning of "gemsbok" has been adopted into English.

Crowbar

Koevoet (which is Afrikaans and Dutch for crowbar), a South West African Police counterinsurgency unit

Currie Cup

Falcons (Afrikaans: Valke) - the East Rand and other municipalities to the east and south of Johannesburg (home matches in Brakpan)

Daniel Hugo

He has translated several books by the following writers from Dutch to Afrikaans including Tom Lanoye, Herman de Coninck, Harry Mulisch, Herman van Veen, Karel Glastra van Loon and David van Reybrouck.

Danish language

Similar constructions are found in German, Dutch, Afrikaans, certain varieties of Norwegian, Slovene and Arabic as well as in archaic and dialect English (compare the line "Four-and-twenty blackbirds" in the old nursery rhyme.)

Diep River, Cape Town

The suburb is named after the Diep River or Dieprivier in Afrikaans, that runs through the area.

Eben Dönges High School

Eben Dönges High School (Hoërskool Eben Dönges) is a government-funded, Afrikaans-medium high school in Kraaifontein, Western Cape, South Africa.

Education in South Africa

This decree was unpopular with learners and teachers alike, particularly in towns like the Johannesburg township of Soweto, where practically no-one spoke Afrikaans.

Elisabeth Eybers

Her poetry was mainly in Afrikaans, although she has translated some of her own work (and those of others) into English.

Etienne Leroux

Etienne Leroux (1922–1989) was an influential Afrikaans author and a key member of the South African Sestigers literary movement.

Foto na Dans

Foto Na Dans (English: Photo After Dance) is a five piece Afrikaans progressive rock band from Bellville, South Africa, fronted by singer/songwriter Le-Roi Nel (vocals, guitar).

Grey rhebok

The Afrikaans/Dutch spelling, reebok, is responsible for the name of the British sportswear manufacturing company Reebok.

Hanglip

Hanglip (Afrikaans for hanging lip) is a prominent mountain peak near Louis Trichardt, South Africa.

Hochland Park

Approximately a third of them are English (Goshawk Street, Kingfisher Road), Afrikaans (Hamerkopweg, Kestrell Straat), and German (Raben Road, Falkenweg), respectively.

Hoërskool Voortrekker

Jamie Uys (30 May 1921 – 29 January 1996) Afrikaans and International Film producer/director

Hoërskool Wonderboom

Hoërskool Wonderboom also known as Wonnies, is an Afrikaans-medium public high school situated in the city of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, on the southern slopes of the Magaliesberg.

Ingrid Jonker

Thereafter she became known as one of the Die Sestigers, a group that also included Breyten Breytenbach, André Brink, Adam Small and Bartho Smit, who were challenging the conservative Afrikaans literary norms at the time.

Jack Parow

The first single from this album, Hosh Tokolosh featuring Gazelle and DJ INVIZABLE became the first Afrikaans-language single to ever reach number 1 on the 5FM radio station's Top 40 list in South Africa.

Jim Neversink

Additional examples (all from Skinny Girls are Trouble) are: in "Hope", the protagonist, a young girl, jumps off Van Stadens Bridge, known to attract suicidals; Emmarentia Dam which sets the scene for "Tambourine" is a recreative area in Johannesburg; and Steve Hofmeyr mentioned in "Durban City Hall" is a popular singer of Afrikaans pop.

Jo-Ann Strauss

During her reigning year as Miss South Africa, she started her media career with the Afrikaans magazine programme Pasella before anchoring the English lifestyle magazine show Top Billing, for which she has interview the likes of Charlize Theron, Antonio Banderas and George Clooney.

Kings of the Water

Kate Saunders in The Times (November 2009) reviewed it as follows: "Superbly written, thoughtful and unflinching, this terrific novel explores the mentality of the Afrikaner male — with wonderfully poetic use of the Afrikaans language."

Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees

The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (Afrikaans for Little Karoo National Arts Festival and usually abbreviated to KKNK) is an Afrikaans language arts festival that takes place yearly in the South African town of Oudtshoorn.

Languages of South Africa

In terms of linguistic classification, the official languages include two West Germanic languages (English and Afrikaans) and nine Bantu languages.

Lost in the Desert

For example, the Afrikaans version starts with a scene showing Dirkie's father Anton Hayes, who is a concert pianist, playing Frédéric Chopin's Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 (posth.) before an audience.

Moraea aristata

Moraea aristata (Blue-eyed Uintjie or Blouooguintjie in Afrikaans) is a critically endangered species of plant in the genus Moraea, that is endemic to the city of Cape Town and is now restricted to the grounds of the Observatory in the Cape Town suburb of Observatory.

Natalia da Rocha

A regular on the tour circuit at shows such as the Afrikaans dominant Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (Afrikaans: Little-Karoo National Arts Festival, KKNK) and Cedarberg Arts Festival.

Rhus leptodictya

Rhus leptodictya is known as Mountain Karee in English, Bergkaree in Afrikaans, and Mohlwehlwe in Sotho.

Rhus pentheri

Rhus pentheri Common Crowberry (English) Gewone Kraaibessie (Afrikaans) iNhlokoshiyane (isiZulu) Mutasiri (baVenda).

Sonja Herholdt

Herholdt was born in the small Gauteng mining village of Nigel, Gauteng and at the age of three made her first singing performance at the local community recreation hall, singing the Afrikaans lullaby Slaap, my Kindjie.

Herholdt subsequently decided to start a school for hearing and linguistically impaired Afrikaans children, this was housed in the pre-primary section of Bryanston Primary School.

Table View Primary School

"Table View Primary School" or "Table View Primary." (Afrikaans : Laer Skool Table View) is a parallel medium school located in South Africa, Table View.

Takalani Sesame

It incorporates all of South Africa's 11 national languages, including Afrikaans, English, Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele, Sesotho, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda.

The Movement For a Democracy of Content

The Johannesburg group, founded by Afrikaans poet and activist Vincent Swart and his American wife Lillian, experienced particular success campaigning against the Apartheid government on several local issues.

Twyfelfontein

The area was uninhabited by Europeans until after World War II, when a severe drought caused white Afrikaans speaking farmers (Boers) to move in.

Waterkloof Ridge

Hoërskool Waterkloof, large Afrikaans high school situated between Waterkloof Ridge and Erasmuskloof.


see also