‘There is a place for Afrikaans’

MANDLA RADEBE WRITES:

After the Heritage month and the Luister documentary about Afrikaans/ racism at University of Stellenbosch (US), we all need to digest on the future of Afrikaans in this country. Whenever this issue arises, there is confusion, pain and guilt-tripping directed to the Afrikaner group. Equally worrying is the constant association of Afrikaans with racism as its antagonists declare it a racist language, an instrument of racial exclusion and, as recently seen in US, demand for its abolishment as a language of instruction.

Differences concerning language and cultural preservation are like sandpaper friction against flesh, especially when exercise of power and bullying tactics influences them.

June 16, 1976, taught us how forcing a language using law changed the country’s history. We need not be told how similarly taking away from those who cherish it can painfully change our future.

The currently exchanged conversation, for US Afrikaans abolishment, exposes racism perpetrated by the tiny minority of Afrikaans-speaking students from this minority group. However, no evidence suggests that Afrikaans-speaking people are overwhelmingly perpetrating racism against black Africans everywhere. Moreover, the majority of Afrikaans-speaking US students wants to be taught in Afrikaans.

Two separate facts, but let’s deal with the truth. Who exactly speaks Afrikaans? Evidence shows, it is not limited to white Afrikaners, but extends to coloureds and a few African blacks as a preferred language of formal communication. Does their use of Afrikaans perpetrate racism?

Maybe, but by how many? So, does Afrikaans perpetrate racism? Not the language, but few people of diverse languages do. A racist doesn’t need a particular language or colour to express a sick-heartedness of racism. As a matter of fact, there is at least one racist in each South African language group.

Therefore racism, not language, is the problem we all must solve irrespective of who perpetrates it. Actually, Luister proved existence of racism, but not an exclusive racist language.

Afrikaans is a well-developed language with ability to express itself technologically at university level. For obvious reasons African languages are not. However, groups like “Open Stellenbosch” don’t really demand development of African languages to the same level, they want Afrikaans to go, the reason being its association with racism, by the few.

That, my fellow South Africans, is throwing the baby out with the bath water, lacks big picture thinking and solves nothing. Freedom for South Africa’s previously disadvantaged never meant disadvantage for the former privileged, but freedom for all. I am a friend, a colleague and even a church mate with Afrikaans-speaking people, and I fail to count to five the ones I have found to harbour racism. Instead, I find one thing in common among them; they all love their language, just like you love yours. They speak, think and pray through it. Is that sinful?

Reports of racism in primary and high schools are equally shocking. Is this a real thing entrenched in the young minds? Maybe, but if it is, it’s surely influenced by very few, just as racism in the community is.

Two problems makes racism look real in any school environment; a constant accusation that Afrikaans schools turned into dual medium invest poorly in the English class than they do in the Afrikaans class; and the accusation that English medium learners, especially black, are more tolerated than embraced as part of the school community, almost like unwanted visitors.

That’s been proven and not proven in different cases. It’s painful, but complicated by their alleged behaviour. Surely, we are bigger and stronger than that evil. We can create a loving environment for children to be motivated to release their creative minds and become who God, not language, created them to be. Racism can be beaten and Afrikaans is NOT racist. To conquer this common enemy will take old-fashioned and under-rated courage of; loving God, loving ourselves, knowing who we are, loving, trusting and embracing each other.

That action will never be complete without Afrikaners and their freedom to express themselves without undue guilt. A few people messed up our history, fixing our future will take all of us. Will you be part of the solution?