Annie Erickson en haar gesin
Die onderstaande brief is geskryf deur Annie Erickson, ʼn Amerikaner wat die afgelope sewe jaar in Suid-Afrika woon. In dié brief aan Maroela Media vertel sy hoe Afrikaanssprekendes in die afgelope sewe jaar haar met nuwe oë na die situasie in Suid-Afrika laat kyk het. Ons publiseer die brief in Engels, soos Annie dit oorspronklik geskryf het, om die essensie van haar boodskap oor te dra soos sy dit bedoel het. Annie is egter tans besig om Afrikaans te leer praat en het ons onlangs laat weet sy is tans besig om elke dag een Afrikaanse Kerslied se woorde te leer, sodat sy Kersfees kan saamsing in Afrikaans. – Red
I confess that when I first moved to South Africa, I thought Afrikaners were the “bad guys”. Because I was never required to study African history in school, I knew only what the American media had taught me, which was that Afrikaners were responsible for Apartheid and therefore the bad guys. Six months after moving here, I realised how incorrect my initial assumptions were. Everyone in South Africa is both a “bad guy” and a “good guy”, and so it is with the rest of the world (for such is human nature).
The following two years were spent reading every book I could get my hands on regarding South Africa. If one wants to understand a culture, I reasoned, then one must study their art, music, literature, cuisine, and history. And so I did just that – not only for the Afrikaans culture, but for other South African cultures as well.
At the end of those two years, I felt a keen remorse for having been so arrogant in the beginning. I now knew enough to understand that I knew very little, if anything. I enrolled in university (again) to study pastoral counselling, with the intent of learning how to listen and ask better questions. After I finished my studies, I enrolled in another three-year programme to study spiritual accompaniment, which teaches one how to journey with people on a spiritual level as they wrestle with issues of faith. I have two years left of this course, which brings me to the present moment.
Having lived in South Africa for seven years now, my desire is to walk humbly and respectfully with the people here, to forever be a student of the land, languages and cultures, and to serve where I can to help build this nation. This nation, however, will never reach its potential so long as any one people group is being marginalised or oppressed. The point of this letter is to share with you what I have observed among the Afrikaners, as well as my hopes and dreams for them.
I see a people group who are being slowly squeezed out. I see a people group with no political representation. I see a people group whose younger generations are forced to carry the weight of the mistakes of their forefathers (which begs the question: how long does one punish a people group for the sins of the past?), whose older generations are frustrated, disillusioned and often angry with current situations, and whose middle generations struggle to find work and bridge the gap between the old and new South Africa, though they are desperately trying. I see a people group who are surviving at best, barely coping at worst, yet rarely thriving as they should be. I see a people group emigrating in large numbers. In short, I see a cultural crisis among the Afrikaners, as well as a great struggle to belong and be accepted in their own country. And this grieves me.
In the seven years I have had the privilege to live in South Africa, I have come to love the Afrikaners. I love all of the cultures here – truly I do – but there is a soft spot in my heart for the Afrikaners. Not because I am also white, certainly not because I am racist, but because I see the strengths of their culture, and I believe those strengths should be celebrated. Afrikaners have an amazing ability to persevere despite the odds. Afrikaners have a strong work ethic. They also have a unique ability to improvise, make do, and find a way around their obstacles (‘n Boer maak ‘n plan!).
I have learned much from the Afrikaans culture. One thing that especially touches me is the way Afrikaners pray. In the seven years that I have been here, nearly every prayer I have heard begins with “Dankie, Here”. To begin a prayer with heartfelt thanks despite present challenges is something that moves me deeply. In my own culture people nearly always being prayers with, “Dear God, would You please do such and such…?” I no longer pray that way, and I have the Afrikaners to thank for that.
Another thing that I admire is the concept of a “lekker kuier”. It is more than a visit, more than a quick cup of tea, and can often interrupt schedules or to-do lists. In a kuier I am welcomed, heard, given priority over time’s looming deadlines, and valued. It doesn’t matter if my house is messy, my hair is not perfect, or what my plan for the day was. I thought I knew what hospitality was before I moved to South Africa, but I was wrong. I learned about hospitality from many a kuier, and I have the Afrikaners to thank for that.
One of my favourite things about Afrikaners is the Afrikaans language itself. I studied German and American Sign Language in school, but I confess that learning another language as a middle-aged woman was a bit daunting. Even so, as an immigrant I believe it is respectful to learn the language of one’s host country. I chose Afrikaans to begin with because my children have to learn it in school, and I wanted to be able to help them with their homework. And what a delightfully descriptive language! With words like “spookasem”, “stofsuier” and “trapsuutjies”, how can one not love Afrikaans? It is a young language, it does not have a large vocabulary, but it is marvellously expressive and inventive. I came to appreciate the Bible all over again after I began to read it in Afrikaans, and I have the Afrikaners to thank for that.
I long for the day when Afrikaners can hold their heads high and be proud of their culture and their heritage. I long for future generations to be in awe of their ancestors who fought bravely in the Anglo-Boer war or contributed toward the many inventions that are uniquely South African. I long for the Afrikaans language to persevere and continue to be relevant. And yes, while I long for Afrikaners to learn from the mistakes of their fathers and grandfathers (as I must learn from the mistakes of mine), I also long for the day when they no longer have to apologise for being Afrikaans but can celebrate their contribution to this great nation. No one should have to be ashamed of their culture or ethnicity, no matter what happened in the past.
I would like to end this letter by saying the following to the Afrikaans people: I see you. I value you. And I would like to respectfully journey with you in helping this nation to reach its great potential.
• Annie Erickson en haar man is Amerikaners wat die afgelope sewe jaar in Suid-Afrika woon. Sy doen navorsing oor die Afrikanergeskiedenis en leer tans Afrikaans. Haar studierigting en belangstellingsveld fokus op gemarginaliseerde vorms van rou, en ook spirituele begeleiding, en is daarop toegespits om ruimte te bied aan mense om hul verliese te betreur in gemeenskappe wat nie die nodigheid daarvan insien nie.
Dear Mrs Erickson – As a fellow countrywoman of top genocidal expert Dr Greg Stanton of GenocideWatch.com, do you agree with his frequent warnings over the years that the Afrikaners and in particular the farmers, are on the verge of a genocide? And if this is so – what can be done to rescue this valuable nation? He’s tried every pro-active means he can to influence the ANC-government and international organisations so that this government will stop their constant stream of hatespeech and incitements to kill ‘the Boere” – but the hatespeech doesn’t only NOT stop, but has increased in ferocity from government officials and opposition-party leaders alike. As a Dutch-South African medical journalist who used to work for the Sunday Times of Johannesburg amongst others, I have been logging the incredible hatecrimes being carried out in South Africa – which include the many hatecrimes against the Afrikaner families. I’ve logged them on several sites since 1989, the latest nearly 3,000 incidents over the past two and a half years on http://www.censorbugbear.org/farmitracker/reports. Loving the Afrikaner people, as I was raised amongst the Afrikaner community in Kimberley, my one goal in life has now become to save as many of these misunderstood people as I can. Your letter has moved me deeply. Thank you for having the courage to write it. It’s not fashionable to love Afrikaners. May God bless you for your Menschlichkeit.
Thank you Annie and Adriana. It is such a relief to know that some people do understand what is happening here.
Ek het menigmaal gewens dat ek n towerstaffie kon swaai en alle Suidafrikaners kon kry om hande te vat en saam te staan, deur almal se vertroue vir mekaar te kan wen en te glo saam kan ons n magtige nasie word. Maar vertroue ontbreek by elke verskillende kultuur dis so geweldig jammer, mmar dit is deur baie jare gekweek in ons binneste en sal onmoontlik oornag kan verdwyn. Burgeroorlog gaan nie help nie geen oorlog bring ooit uitkoms nie, kyk maar in die geskiedenis. My hart en siel reik uit na elke Suidafrikaner ongeag van kleur of kultuur, daar is net een uitweg volgens my en dit is dat ons terugkeer na ons Skepper Heer, n nasie wat eens trotse Christene was het weg gedraai van hul God kyk maar hoeveel van ons kerke staan leeg of is verkoop vir gebruik as n moskee. My hart bloei as ek die blanke plakkerskampe sien, net so vir die swart en kleuriling plakkershutte .Waar sal ons heengaan as ons nie ons terugkeer neem tot ons God nie???9
Ek het menigmaal gewens dat ek n towerstaffie kon swaai en alle Suidafrikaners kon kry om hande te vat en saam te staan, deur almal se vertroue vir mekaar te kan wen en te glo saam kan ons n magtige nasie word. Maar vertroue ontbreek by elke verskillende kultuur dis so geweldig jammer, mmar dit is deur baie jare gekweek in ons binneste en sal onmoontlik oornag kan verdwyn. Burgeroorlog gaan nie help nie geen oorlog bring ooit uitkoms nie, kyk maar in die geskiedenis. My hart en siel reik uit na elke Suidafrikaner ongeag van kleur of kultuur, daar is net een uitweg volgens my en dit is dat ons terugkeer na ons Skepper Heer, n nasie wat eens trotse Christene was het weg gedraai van hul God kyk maar hoeveel van ons kerke staan leeg of is verkoop vir gebruik as n moskee. My hart bloei as ek die blanke plakkerskampe sien, net so vir die swart en kleuriling plakkershutte .Waar sal ons heengaan as ons nie ons terugkeer neem tot ons God nie???
Annie – this literally brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, and God bless you.
“I see a people group with no political representation”.
Sad to say, Annie, but that is entirely of their own choice. They don’t deem it necessary to vote for the Freedom Front Party en masse to become a stronger force in Parliament.
Mind-boggling, I agree.
I agree with every sentiment expressed by Annie Erickson. In my experience, Afrikaners are warm, spontaneous, funny, affectionate, generous people who I enjoy immensely and who enrich my life as an individual and the cultural diversity of South Africa as a whole. I love the Afrikaans language and, as a soutie, it’s one of my life’s missions to speak it more fluently. I find it tragic that Afrikaners are leaving the land of their birth to live in countries where their culture becomes diluted and their unique identity lost. I would like to join Annie by saying that I too value Afrikaners and I too would like to journey with you all in helping Afrikaners and our nation reach their great potential.
Om my te onderskei van my naamgenoot,( hoewel ons baie dinge dieselfde sien) sal ek my naam nou bietjie anders skryf! Dit daar gelaat, is dit met ‘n warm gevoel om my hart wat ek die brief gelees het; ek wens so meer van die anderstaliges in ons land wil ons Afrikaanse mense “raaksien”. Dan sou ek ook wou dat ons Afrikaanse mense andere in ons land ook so “raaksien”. Dinge kan dan soveel anders wees in ons land…
What a nice read. I will continue in Afrikaans as you would find the Afrikaans probably more learn some and perhaps a little more enjoyable. Dr. Chris Barnard was die eerste kardioloog wat suksesvol ñ menslike hart kon oorplant. Hy was ñ Afrikaner. Hy het Amerika toe verhuis. Die betekenis daarvan is veel dieper as wat dit op die oog af lyk. Afrikaners het ook ñ hartoorplanting ondergaan. Sommiges het in die buiteland gaan aansterk, andere tuis en andere het nie die nuwe hart aangeneem nie en soos mis voor die son weggekwyn en verdwyn. Die wat oorleef, het met ñ Suid-Afrikaanse hart oorleef……..maar nie geleef nie. Nie soos voor die hartoorplanting nie. Die nuwe hart, pols nie meer so sterk en vurig soos die ou hart nie. Die Afrikaner bloed druis nie meer so sterk deur die are nie en ja, die vuur en die vlam het ook maar verdoof. Miskien sal die liggaam van Afrikaners weer sterk word, maar dit sal nie weer met hul Afrikaner hart wees nie…….nee, dit sal wees met ñ Suid-Afrikaanse hart wat vlouer pols as die oue. Die ou hart is dood…….die ou hart is gedaan…….die ou hart is nie meer nie, en ons rou…….want dit was ñ lekker hart. Miskien sal ons die nuwe hart beter oppas en minder drink, minder vet van die vleispotte eet en ons nuwe hart meer oefening gee. De Klerk het ons ou hart uitgeruk, Mandela het die nuwe hart geplant, Mbeki het die borskas toegewerk. I don’t believe Afrikaners are in mourning I do believe they are learning to live with the new heart. The new heart, the foreign heart, the American heart will prolong our inevitable death (for death is certain and comes to us all) and all that remains is but a distant memory of what once were and never will be again. We will need Americans like yourself to come and teach us how to live with this foreign heart because live we must and live we will. Chris Barnard transplanted the first heart and then moved to America. We have lost our heart doctor we will need a new one.
Pieter,
Kry jou feite reg! Chris Barnard het in die VSA gaan werk en teruggekeer na Kaapstap om hier in sy tuisland die eerste hartoorplanting te doen.
He was a great heart surgeon, but lost the plot when he became famous. Died in SA.
Your philosophy is all mixed up. How many Americans do you propose we import to fix SA? And will Obama be one of them?
OK, so where is my post then? Are the moderators so baised that they delete posts based on what they do and do not believe?
There’s one of the problems right there; as soon as you ask Afrikaners questions about their religion they get militant.
Magtag!!! So bek moet Jam kry!! :)
Annie, baie dankie! Jy sê wat ons al eeue lank nodig het om te hoor. Dankie daarvoor. Dis sulke woorde wat gesond maak. Dankie, dankie, dankie!
“I see a people group who are being slowly squeezed out. I see a people group with no political representation…………..I long for the day when Afrikaners can hold their heads high and be proud of their culture and their heritage….”
Is this what Afrikaners want? It is difficult to believe judged by our “politically correct” voting tendencies and the voluntary acceptance of intensifying Anglo American cultural assimilation. This is not altogether negative because adaptability is a strong point that stands to benefit many individuals.
Many parents encourage their children to prepare themselves as best as they can to leave our shores permanently rather sooner than later and they must be applauded.
One thing is however clear to me and that is that most Afrikaners are not supremacists that expect special treatment or an honorary privileged position on top of the pecking order, which has in any event always been reserved for some of our detractors.
We are more than awake to the reality that some national groups suffer due to violent crime, rampant unemployment, mismanagement of the economy by elitists and serious corruption in both the public and private sectors that the government of the day are apparently unable to control.
Afrikaners as a collective are effectively marginalised and can unfortunately do nothing decisive about this sorry state of affairs.
The murder rate of 31.0 per 100 000 members of the general population in South Africa (33.8 and 38.0 in Swaziland and Lesotho respectively) whilst the international average is 6.2/100,000 gives some indication of how dangerous our neighbourhood actually are. The murder rate in South Africa is “54 per 100 000 for police officers and an alarming 132,8 per 100 000 for farmers…”
I don’t think the white minority in South Africa will survive this brutal environment over the long to medium terms (25 to 50 years) unless something dramatic happen very soon. I get the impression that, as and when the world economy recovers, more members of the younger generations will chose to rather emigrate and start new lives elsewhere and nobody can/should blame them.
I am not yet ready to declare that standard Afrikaans and that part of Afrikaans culture closely associated with Calvinism is dead, but it is a fact that the chances for the higher functions of Afrikaans to hold its own, let alone grow, are minuscule. This, together with the fact that many of us are banned for life from entering or re-entering the labour market due to racist labour legislation, is a sad reality.
Communism, pan-Africanism and feudal tribalism (see the ANC Strategy and Tactics and NDR documents as well as sections 143 (1) (b), 211, 212 and 219 (1) (a) of the Constitution, 1996) will most probably dominate existence in South Africa in the near future.
In short Afrikaners and standard Afrikaans, forever burdened with the baggage of our version of the Jim Crow laws, again lost a struggle for survival and it will again take a Miracle to undo the damage.
Thank you for the kind words of encouragement. But I don’t think that I am overly pessimistic to suspect that our future is most probably not in Africa or in the conservation of Afrikaans.
We are rightfully or otherwise regarded by the majority of our fellow South Africans and the international community as criminals that stole everything and racist oppressors.
We hope our children and grandchildren will somehow escape this injustice by distancing themselves from South Africa and their thoroughly and irrevocably demonised heritage.
Barry,
It baffles me that you talk about a man named Calvin who was someone who was sincere in elucidating what the Scripture says about our God, his redemptive plan for mankind which is Jesus, and Him crucified. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that is worthy of mention. In these modern times many are guilty of talking and fighting over Calvinism as if the man was a deity? He was not but he was according to the church history a man who read the Scriptures with a regenerated heart.
Methinks: “Ons Afrikaners het meestal weggedwaal van die onwrikbare geloof van ons voorvaders. Sonder die besef “van ‘n hart van klip” wat deur die genade van God getransformeer kan word in ‘n “hart van vlees” is die noem van Kalvyn en ander Christene se name “woorde in die wind”. Wat ons nodig het is die woord van God wat die swaard van die Heilige Gees is. Die bybel is die weg na regverdigheid in God. Hoe bekom ‘n mens hierdie “regmaking”.
Sekerlik deur die genade van God, en dit deur geloof wat bewerkstellig word deur die werking van die Heilige Gees. Moenie dink omdat jy by ‘n groot byeenkoms was waar ‘n “ertappelkoning” ‘n klomp stories uit sy mou pluk en duisende mislei met ‘n valse evangelie wat morele waardes uitstip sonder om jou sonde bloot te stel aan die Skrif. Stories van ertappels wat in die droogte groei is slinkse verkoopstegnieke vir tientalle boeke. Lees die bybel as jy soekend is. As jy nie smag na die waarheid nie sal jy dit nie vind nie.
Politiek is een ding, maar die koningkryk van God is iets heel anders. Soek eers die koningkryk van God en al die ander dinge sal helder word”.
Die sondes van ons vaders! Ek weet van geen sondes nie!
Ons verkeer wel deeglik in rou. Ons is deur ons leiers verraai. Ons het het ‘n oorlog verloor sonder om een skoot te skiet. Ons word daarom ook behandel soos alle ander volkere in die verlede wat oorlogsnederlae gely het.
Egter, om op die Joodse Gode te wil vertrou as ons hoop en redding, is ‘n illusie. Die Joodse Gode het ons al tydens die Anglo-Boereoorlog gedrop. Die Joodse Gode drop ons nou weer. Terloops ons het Bloedrivier nie gewen danksy die hulp van die Joodse Gode nie, maar danksy ons Boere-krygsvernuf. Die Joodse Gode het ons dus nog nooit gesteun nie en sal dit ook nooit doen nie.
As ons ons eie bas wil red moet ons die Joodse Gode los en die bul by die horings pak!
Hi Annie, thanks for your kind comments, especially on behalf of so many great Afrikaans people (So many great English guys around as well, by the way). Pity about some “bitterbekke” amongst us, as you can see in the comments. Always something negative to say. Still, I’d like to think, I believe, that most of us are well-meaning towards everyone in the country, despite us sometimes being frustrated with all the nonsense going on in SA at the moment, and saying as much. Not planning to go anywhere. Planning to survive all the nonsense. God is in charge, not us.
This is such a glowing, sympathetic article – thank you and bless you for that.
But the simple truth is that we are war-weary. We are like a knocked-out boxer, flat on the floor. Our spirit is broken. This land brought us only centuries of war, poverty, drought, crime, deceit and treachery. We do not trust any leaders, the church, or even our own. We have collectively decided to call it a day and to run for cover.
Tough, but true, alas.
Beslis nie waar nie! Die oorlog het nog nie eens begin nie. Geen barbaar gaan verewig oor my rgereer nie!
In total agreement with Du Toit Maritz
Thank you nevertheless for your observations about a country which will inevitably lead to the failure of yet another tragic Sub Saharan African state.
Dankie vir jou vriendelike woorde en die boodskap vervat daarin. Die land en sy mense staar vreeslike uitdagings in die gesig, maar met mense soos jy, kan hierdie land net beter. In hierdie Christus fees tyd het jou boodskap my waarlik aangeraak. Ek is trots Afrikaans, buig of bars die Land moet dit net maak.
Afrikaanses is hulle eie ergste vyand, met meestal negatiewe en pessimistiese sieninge oor die wereld rondom ons, dit is egter dieselfde siening wat deur sekerlik alle ander rasse groepe ook gedeel word. Daar is elke dag oorlog nie net in Suid-Afrika nie, maar regoor die wereld :
– Op die geloofs veld beveg almal die Muslim / Islam golf;
– Op die besigheids en ontwikkelings veld beveg almal die Ooste en veral China se goedkoop arbeid agterbakse strattegieë om ‘n fondasie op al ons natuurlike hulpbronne te sit, met goedkoop produkte wat ons eie vervaardigde produkte tot niet dryf, maar oor naweke is Plastiek “Fabrieke” en die Chinese Malls propvol Afrikaanse mense wat soek vir ‘n Bargain;
– Op die Politiese veld veg ons natuurlik die regering van die dag, want hulle was van die begin af nie bekwaam en geskool in die etiese en nederige bestuur van ‘n land nie. Kyk na die Kaap, en hoe pragtig alles in stand gehou word deur die Regerede party – Geen Potholes, en Stads sisteme wat hulle werk doen, waarvoor hulle betaal word.
Daar is talle ander daaglikse oorloë wat elke dat reg oor die wêreld op persoonlike vlakke geveg word, en die Afrikaner se stryd is nie uniek nie. Net soos wat die Regering van die dag nie meer agter Apartheid kan wegkruip en die skuld vir ons land se probleme gee nie, is dit hoog tyd dat die Afrikaanse mense weer soos al ons Boere hand aan hand met alle ander Suid-Afrikaners werk om ons land voorentoe te vat, deur fisiese arbeid, nie deur Brandewyn praatjies om die braai vuur wat ons almal vet en sinies maak nie. Die wat oorsee wil gaan wegkruip, moet so doen, maar ek wil niks hoor van hulle hartseer of verlange nie, ek wil niks hoor van hulle woede en verontgeregtheid nie. Dit is nie net die Afrikaanse mense wat lei in Suid-Afrika nie, daar is derduisende minder bevoorregte mense wat baie swaarder gebuk gaan onder werkloosheid, misdaad en die daaglikse moord en doodslag op ons nasionale paaie.
Word wakker Afrikaans sprekendes.
Kyk na die Kaap, rol julle moue op en maak ‘n plan. Hou op om agter julle Here weg te kruip, en kry bietjie julle hande vuil, soos wat ons voorvaarders hulle hande vuil gekry het om vir ons ‘n lewe in Suid-Afrika te bewekstellig. Ek glo dat Afrikaans sprekendes en ons Afrikaaners deur ons kennis en vindingrykheid ‘n dinamiese en kern nasie van ‘n nuwe Suid-Afrika is, soos wat die oorspronklike brief teregtelik vir ons almal herinner. Die oorlog is lankal hier, dit is ons elkeen se besluit hoe ons elke dag gaan bestuur op die pad, hoe ons elke dag ons mede-mens gaan behandel en beskou, en hoe ons elke dag nederig en voor God se oë die wêreld waarin Hy ons geplaas het, ‘n beter plek vir ons kinders en hulle kinders se kinders gaan maak! Die keuse is elkeen se eie, maar vat gerus nog ‘n slukkie, eet nog ‘n onnodige happie, deel nog ‘n onnodige siniese perspektief, of word deel van die oplossing.
‘n Boer maak ‘n Plan!
Annie, thank you, thank you. Howled & howled. My uncle was killed on his farm in Middelburg. Am busy with a novel which attempts to highlight complexities and paradoxes within concept of Human Rights. Eg: liberation of the enslaved and the enslavement of the liberated. Take care
Hallo Annie.
Ek verstaan jou bekommernis oor die Afrikaners, maar tog rou jy oor iets wat nog glad nie dood is nie.
Ek skryf die kort brief in Afrikaans uit respek vir jou poging om die taal te leer, maar tog omdat dit my moerdertaal is en waarvoor my voorvaders geveg het om dit te behou. AsSeblief moet net nie rou oor iets wat nie dood is nie.
Ek myself beskou my as ‘n Boerseun, wat tog verskil van die “Afrikaners”. Ongelukig as jy hier oor wil uitbrei raak dit polities en dus nie gepas by jou brief nie.
Daar is heelwat dinge wat jy genoem het in jou brief, waarvan jy ongelukkig nog niks van weet nie, maar dit maak jou brief baie negatief. Tog wil jy simpatie betoon. Baie dankie daarvoor.
Een daarvan is die berou oor die doen en late van my voorvaders: Jammer jy is so verkeerd en daarom het ek geen berou nie. Dit is hoofsaaklik die VVO wat ons gebrandmerk het met apartheid, omrede hulle ons nie kon dwing tot slawerny van die geld mag nie. Die apatheids brandmerk het ontstaan toe Suidafrika vir die wereld bewys het dat ons die vermoee het om wel kernwapens te kan vervaardig en Amerika en Engeland dit wou verhoed het, maar veral die lafhartige Amerika. As jy goeie naforsing doen, sal jy agterkom dat die burgers of mense van Suidafrika nooit apartheid toegepas het nie.
Ek het baie antwoorde vir jou oor jou opmerkings, maar vir nou ‘n laaste een nl.
Kom wys my ‘n nasie in die wereld wat sy KOP so hoog kan hou soos die Boerenasie, Gaan kyk net hoe suksesvol ons mense is in die buiteland is. In 1838 toe die trekkers van uit die Ooskaap binneland toe getrek het, was die land spreekwoordelik donker, ons mense is letterlik uitgemoor in die nag, maar tog was daar nie keer aan die trekkers nie. Binne 60 jaar het ons voorvaders die land opgebou tot die vinnigste groeiende land in die wereld en weet jy wat? werk en kos voorsien aan almal in die land,
Nou is dit nie so donker nie, gaan kyk net hoeveel ligte en lig is in die wonderlikke land. Ek reis heelwat in die buiteland en glo my vry, daar is nie ‘n beter land as Suidafrika nie. Ek was so pas in Suid Amerika gewees, hulle kan by ons kom leer en dit sluit Amerika in.
Neem die vrymoedigheid om vir my te skryf, want vir al jou negatiewe sienings is daar wonderlikke antwoorde.
Dankie dat jou oe oop gegaan het en NOOI, BESTUDEER DIE WETTE VAN DIE NATUUR EN JY SAL ‘N ANTWOORD KRY VIR ELKE DING OF PROBLEEM.
TROTSE GROETE.
RUDOLF
Hallo Annie.
Ek verstaan jou bekommernis oor die Afrikaners, maar tog rou jy oor iets wat nog glad nie dood is nie.
Ek skryf die kort brief in Afrikaans uit respek vir jou poging om die taal te leer, maar tog omdat dit my moerdertaal is en waarvoor my voorvaders geveg het om dit te behou. Asseblief moet net nie rou oor iets wat nie dood is nie.
Ek myself beskou my as ‘n Boerseun, wat tog verskil van die “Afrikaners”. Ongelukig as jy hier oor wil uitbrei raak dit polities en dus nie gepas by jou brief nie.
Daar is heelwat dinge wat jy genoem het in jou brief, waarvan jy ongelukkig nog niks van weet nie, maar dit maak jou brief baie negatief. Tog wil jy simpatie betoon. Baie dankie daarvoor.
Een daarvan is die berou oor die doen en late van my voorvaders: Jammer jy is so verkeerd en daarom het ek geen berou nie. Dit is hoofsaaklik die VVO wat ons gebrandmerk het met apartheid, omrede hulle ons nie kon dwing tot slawerny van die geld mag nie. Die apatheids brandmerk het ontstaan toe Suidafrika vir die wereld bewys het dat ons die vermoee het om wel kernwapens te kan vervaardig en Amerika en Engeland dit wou verhoed het, maar veral die lafhartige Amerika. As jy goeie naforsing doen, sal jy agterkom dat die burgers of mense van Suidafrika nooit apartheid toegepas het nie.
Ek het baie antwoorde vir jou oor jou opmerkings, maar vir nou ‘n laaste een nl.
Kom wys my ‘n nasie in die wereld wat sy KOP so hoog kan hou soos die Boerenasie, Gaan kyk net hoe suksesvol ons mense is in die buiteland is. In 1838 toe die trekkers van uit die Ooskaap binneland toe getrek het, was die land spreekwoordelik donker, ons mense is letterlik uitgemoor in die nag, maar tog was daar nie keer aan die trekkers nie. Binne 60 jaar het ons voorvaders die land opgebou tot die vinnigste groeiende land in die wereld en weet jy wat? werk en kos voorsien aan almal in die land,
Nou is dit nie so donker nie, gaan kyk net hoeveel ligte en lig is in die wonderlikke land. Ek reis heelwat in die buiteland en glo my vry, daar is nie ‘n beter land as Suidafrika nie. Ek was so pas in Suid Amerika gewees, hulle kan by ons kom leer en dit sluit Amerika in.
Neem die vrymoedigheid om vir my te skryf, want vir al jou negatiewe sienings is daar wonderlikke antwoorde.
Dankie dat jou oe oop gegaan het en NOOI, BESTUDEER DIE WETTE VAN DIE NATUUR EN JY SAL ‘N ANTWOORD KRY VIR ELKE DING OF PROBLEEM.
TROTSE GROETE.
Annie, thank you for seeing the Afrikaner in a less biased manner than most. Comments about a generic faith is morally correct. A true faith in a living God is what everybody on this planet needs. When an Afrikaner prays and starts with “Dankie Here” he acknowledges the mediator Christ Jesus, and Him crucified?
You mention that pastoral counselling is what you do amongst other things? Helping persons by counselling in your case is what? Is it genuine “Christ is Lord” type of counselling or a generic “faith” perspective type of counselling?
One commentator writes about a “heart transplant”, but he does not mention the most valuable “heart transformation” that is required to become a child of God. Let no man fool you that we all (Afrikaner and others) need the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel is a pearl of great price. The price was paid by our savior Jesus Christ and Him crucified and risen.
The faith of some ( only God knows the heart of man) has resulted in a heart of flesh filled with compassion for a lost world, and many of them are “my volk” and suffer as we all do until we have hope beyond the trials and tribulations of this world.
My gebed is dat my volk sal terugkeer na hul eerste liefde en dat kerkinstansies gesuiwer sal word van generiese geloof – selfs die duiwel glo en probeer ons keer om Christus ons Here te maak!
“Maak ons, O God, burgers van U Koningkryk in die naam van ons verlosser Jesus Christus”
Annie, kom kuier asseblief!
Thank you Annie – die trane het geloop terwyl ek die artikel wat ek per epos ontvang het, gelees het. Ek gaan dit deel met al my familie en vriende. Jou skrywe het net bevestig wat ons so lank al weet maar nie in woorde kon uitdruk nie – ons treur en is magteloos, ons vlug en die wat nie kan nie, moedig die jong geslag aan om dit te doen. Ons bly stil want woorde gaan dit nie verander nie. Baie dankie dat jy kon sien wat in ons harte skuil, hoe ons skouers hang,
Dear Annie,
Before I started reading your letter I thought ” Great, another one ready to shun the Afrikaner for what happened in the past.” but then I stated to read this refreshing and honest letter. I have never in my life been so moved by words. I couldn’t stop crying, perhaps because your perspective of our nation is so spot on. We are broken, despite some saying that we aren’t. I guess it’s that “Afrikaner-trots” showing face….again.
I am a 25 years old and an Afrikaans lady. In 1994 I was 5 years old and my family did not immigrate and we are still living in South Africa. At that stage I had no idea how the world and especially black South Africans felt about the Afrikaans nation. I grew up in a “Boerehuis”.
I have read numerous blogs where people (not everyone but most) from overseas ( Australia, England, USA) basically say that we deserve whats happening and that they don’t want the Afrikaner in their countries because they might bring their Apartheid mentality with them. It’s not the bests feeling in the world to be part of a nation where a small group of extreme people caused the majority of the world to hate the rest of the Afrikaners.
Honestly, I would love to go back to my European roots but those countries aren’t exactly welcoming us back or making it easy for us to get into. And I don’t think I can face a new life, in a new country where people are still going to play the Apartheid card every time they hear I’m actually from South Africa. Truth is, Apartheid will never be forgotten in South Africa because It’s a good excuse for our current government to mask their incompetence in.
The majority of South Africans (black and white) are genuinely good people . Is really sad that just a few blacks and just a few whites want to make it such a living hell for the rest of us.
I am Afrikaans and wish I could believe that there is hope for us – but it’s really hard to keep your chin up with everyone throwing mud in your face.