How to protect Afrikaans history?
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Three days ago Alana Bailey published an article on the preservation of Afrikaans history. It was in connection with South Africa’s so-called Heritage Month which has become a month to push majority culture. While the Anglos have generally speaking given up on protecting their history, the Afrikaans and Coloureds have been much more resilient against the tyranny of the majority.
This year we have seen more attempts to re-write Afrikaans history. One example is the proposed renaming of Kruger National Park. On 23 September, the Mpumalanga legislature passed a motion supporting a name change. Although the body lacks the authority to implement such a decision, the move has stirred public debate.
In response AfriForum has begun mobilising opposition, circulating petitions and collecting testimonies from those likely to be affected, in anticipation of a possible public consultation process.
Bailey offers a more personal response to the erosion of Afrikaans history. The preservation of cultural knowledge, she writes, begins in the home. Families, she suggests, should ensure that younger generations are educated about their past so that they can identify and resist historical revisionism.
Citing Winston Churchill’s quote that “history is written by the victors,” Bailey states that the renaming process has been used to destroy cultures in the past. However in our case this does not have to be the end of Afrikaans history. Attempts to crush those who lose will succeed only if we surrender.
While I am sympathetic to Bailey and find her words moving, they are not enough. The broader dilemma of a shrinking Afrikaans population and increasingly hostile state remains unresolved. Efforts to preserve Afrikaans heritage through advocacy and education may, at best, slow the pace of change.
In the absence of some form of real political autonomy or self-determination, I am not sure if the Afrikaans will be able to preserve their history and culture in the long-term. The way to protect Afrikaans history is partition. However this has to happen now and it means giving up on the unitary South African state and perhaps even the Springboks.
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