With all of SA’s languages, why ‘Sex in Afrikaans’?

When other people talk about sex, it makes for great television. Throw in a bit of nudity, some controversiality and a bit of confession and it’s a recipe for ratings. The new Showmax show, Sex in Afrikaans serves up voyeurism on a silver platter, and it’s delicious.

The subtitled presentation comes in six installments and touches on sex work, fetishes and swinging amongst others, all narrated by Rian van Heerden. 

The series’ debut episode sees four couples and two singles who openly discuss their sex lives. It’s moderated by psychologist Bradley R Daniels. By the second installment, viewers are taken on a journey of discovering sex toys while a later episode takes a deep dive into fetishes.

“Sex in Afrikaans explores the world of sex by specifically focusing on the needs and wants of Afrikaans people.

Why Afrikaans people you ask?

Well, Afrikaans people are traditionally seen as more conservative when it comes to sex. But are they really?” said Van Heerden in a conversation with The Citizen.

“We take a closer look at subjects that are seen as taboo: From swinging to fetishes and everything in between.”

And while it may seem so on paper, the sensual revelations in the show are anything but hidden between the sheets. 

Van Heerden shared some highlights: “The interview with ‘Amanda’, she is a sex worker who was willing to show her face and reveal exactly what the ‘ooms‘ ask for when they visit her. And then there is the latex fetish where people become human dolls. Some of the details made my jaw drop.”

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“I think if you come out of a background where sex is considered only acceptable when it’s done in the missionary position for 15 minutes after Noot vir Noot on a Saturday evening, you definitely suffer from boredom,” said Van Heerden.

And therefore, the show is important. Not just for titillation and voyeuristic reasons. It’s the message, that sex is ok. After all, birds do it, bees do it… so do people. It’s time to tear off the panties of perception and get down to it.

Swinging couples

There are more than 40,000 registered swinging couples in South Africa, said the show.

There is an entire episode dedicated to the practice and according to Sex in Afrikaans, partner sharing and swinging is a growing phenomenon in the Afrikaans community.

For Van Heerden, it was one of the highlights during the production.

He said: “We had a lot of fun! There were too many moments to mention but I must admit, attending the Swaai Braai (swinging braai) was quite the experience!”

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He added that it seems that men and women are equally adventurous.

The six-episode run covers some of the most popular naughty pastimes but, said Van Heerden, he would have liked to cover the growing interest in nudism.

“Interest has grown exponentially in the last couple of years,” he said. 

And while the show explores a lot of sexual themes, Van Heerden believes that there’s still a long way to go when it comes to openness about sex.

“I think we are definitely less conservative than a decade ago. The reason seems to be more openness in discussions around sex and sexuality. We have, however, not reached the levels of openness that are needed.” 

Taking the conversation to television was a challenge, too.

“As you can imagine, most people are reluctant to talk about sex. Now imagine if you must do it on television! We did, however, try to be as diverse as possible, covering as many age groups as possible, levels of sexual experience, different sexual orientations, and different groups within the Afrikaans community,” concluded Van Heerden.