Afrikaners ( Afrikaans : Afrikaners, pronounced [afrəˈkɑːnərs, afri-] ) are a Southern African ethnic group descended from predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th century. Their identity as Afrikaners developed much later, after assimilation with various other European, Asian and indigenous peoples and the development of a common language. Afrikaners dominated South African politics from 1948 to 1994. Afrikaans , South Africa's third most widely spoken home language in 2011, is the mother tongue of Afrikaners. Afrikaners made up approximately 5.2% of the total South African population, based on the number of white South Africans who spoke Afrikaans as a first language, in the 2011 South African Census.
For 150 years, the Dutch were the predominant foreign influence in South Africa. However, in 1795, Britain gained control of the country, and many British government officials and citizens settled there. The British angered the Afrikaners by freeing their slaves. Due to the end of slavery, border wars with natives, and the need for more fertile farmland, in the 1820s, many Afrikaner “Voortrekkers” began to migrate northward and eastward into the interior of South Africa. This journey became known as the “Great Trek.” The Afrikaners founded the independent republics of Transvaal and the Orange Free State.
A typical recipe for boerekos consists of meat (usually roasted in a pan or oven), vegetables such as green beans, roots or peas, and starch such as potatoes or rice , with sauce made in the pot in which the meat is cooked. The dish can also use pumpkins or sweet potatoes , and some of the ingredients may be further processed into pampoenkoekies (“pumpkin biscuits,” pumpkin baked in a kind of puff) or plaasboontjies ("peanuts") consisting of green beans cooked and crushed with potatoes and onions. Afrikaners eat most types of meat such as mutton, beef, chicken, pork and various game species, but the meat of draft animals such as horses and donkeys is rarely eaten and is not part of traditional cuisine.
East Indian influence emerges in dishes such as bobotie and curry and the use of turmeric and other spices in cooking. Afrikaner households like to eat combinations such as pap-and-sausage, curry (meat) and rice and even fish and chips (although the latter are bought rather than self-prepared). Afrikaners also love biltong , droëwors , koeksisters, melktert , and a variety of traditionally homemade but increasingly storebought pastries.
Music is probably the most popular art form among Afrikaners. While the traditional
Boeremusiek ("Boer music") and Volkspele ("people games") folk dancing enjoyed popularity in the past, most Afrikaners today favour a variety of international genres and light popular Afrikaans music. American country and western music has enjoyed great popularity and has a strong following among many South Africans. Some also enjoy a social dance event called a sokkie. The South African rock band Seether has a hidden track on their album Karma and Effect titled Kom Saam Met My ("Come With Me"), sung in Afrikaans. There is also an underground rock music movement and bands like the controversial Fokofpolisiekar have a large following. The television Channel MK (channel) also supports local Afrikaans music and mainly screens videos from the Afrikaans Rock genre.
Afrikaner classical musicians include the pianists Wessel van Wyk, Ben Schoeman, and Petronel Malan , and the music departments of the various universities ( Pretoria, Stellenbosch , Potchefstroom, Free State) that started as Afrikaans universities still are renowned. In the 20th century, Mimi Coertse , an internationally renowned opera singer, was well known. She is also known as African Lieder interpreter by Stephanus Le Roux Marais . The world-renowned UNISA music exams include a section of South African contemporary music, which acknowledges Afrikaner composers.
The contemporary musical Ons vir jou, dealing with the Second Boer War, featured a book by Deon Opperman and a score by Sean Else and Johan Vorster of the band Eden. Afrikaner film musicals flourished in the 1950s and 1960s, and have returned in the 21st century with two popular films, Liefling and Pretville, featuring singers such as Bobby van Jaarsveld, Steve Hofmeyr, and Kevin Leo.
Traditionally Christian, Calvinism of Boers in South Africa developed in much the same way as the New England colonies in North America. The original South African Boer republics were founded on the principles of the Dutch Reformed Church. In 1985, 92% of Afrikaners were members of Reformed churches . Various national Christian events are widely attended, the most recent was held by Angus Buchan in Bloemfontein with over a million people, mostly Afrikaners.
The Afrikaans language changed over time from the Dutch spoken by the first white settlers at the Cape. From the late 17th century, the form of Dutch spoken at the Cape developed differences, mostly in morphology but also in pronunciation and accent and, to a lesser extent, in syntax and vocabulary, from that of the Netherlands, although the languages are still similar enough to be mutually intelligible. Settlers who arrived speaking German and French soon shifted to using Dutch and later Afrikaans. The process of language change was influenced by the languages spoken by slaves, Khoikhoi and people of mixed descent, as well as by Cape Malay , Zulu , British and Portuguese.
While the Dutch of the Netherlands remained the official language, the new dialect, often known as Cape Dutch, African Dutch, "kitchen Dutch", or taal (meaning "language" in Afrikaans) developed into a separate language by the 19th century, with much work done by the Genootskap van Regte Afrikaners and other writers such as Cornelis Jacobus Langenhoven. In a 1925 act of Parliament, Afrikaans was given equal status with Dutch as one of the two official languages (English being the second) of the Union of South Africa . There was much objection to the attempt to legislate the creation of Afrikaans as a new language. Marthinus Steyn , a prominent jurist and politician, and others were vocal in their opposition.
Afrikaners dress in modern Western clothing. On holidays and special occasions, traditional clothing may be seen. Boys and men wear shorts with knee socks. Women wear long dresses and bonnets for formal folk dancing called volkspele . Male folk dancing partners wear shirts with vests and long pants.
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