As a member of a country that has been facing multicultural issues since its conception, it is my duty to scribble a few thoughts on the UK government's latest idea of teaching Britishness in schools. Seriously.
David Cameron impressed me this morning on Radio 4. People should not be forced into a culture, but be inspired by it. link Apartheid was, to a great extent, a massive project by the Afrikaner government to enforce Afrikanerdom on its multicoloured citizens. In primary and secondary school, I was force-fed the ideologies, histories and conventions of Afrikanerness, and it was alien to me. I resented the instrusion and the fact that I didn't have a say in the matter. In primary school, for instance, we had to partake in volkspele. It might seem quiant to outsiders, but I felt silly wearing a ridiculous dress and bonnet, belting out patriotic songs at the top of my lungs. The problem with this ritual was that it did not develop as a natural expression of Afrikaans culture, but was enforced as such by the government. As a result, I can't stand volkspele, and I am deeply embarassed by it.
In secondary school we had to sing the National Anthem every week. My lips were sealed: even then I knew I'll never 'live or die' for any country. The pinnacle of enforced Afrikaner nationalism was the veldskool, so backwards an institution, it's not even featured on wikipedia. This "field school" was a compulsory week-long camp (taking place once in primary school, once in high school), where one was subjected to endless brainwashing sessions on topics such as the evils of rock music, pseudo-religious dogma, and how to survive in the wild. All these measure failed. It didn't make me or anybody else I know a patriot, in fact, I resented for a long time being an Afrikaner. This is what the UK government will achieve. In fact, today's report on extremism among Muslim youths should serve as a first warning. You can't force anybody to belong to a culture; they must want to belong.
But here I am today, at peace with my Afrikaner roots to the extent that I'm proclaiming it on my blogspot. What has changed?
South Africa, first of all, and suddenly who I was (a white Afrikaans person), was my choice and not something you had to be. I also support the hackneyed concept of Ubuntu - you are because you belong. And my belonging is rooted in a long history of Afrikaners (who never did volkspele!), some more heroic than others. It gives me a place from which to launch my point of view, and an excellent spot from which to exlore the world. Dankie, almal.
PS: For another, funnier view on veldskool, go here
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4 comments:
Veldskool? Bah! At age 17 those of us who have not yet left school to become mechanics were forced to go on "Bifak" - a weekend exploding the army's leftover ammo and sleeping in tents when not attending presentations of all the career opportunities the Army had on offer.
But mostly it was about whitnessing our male teachers getting drunk and disorderly, and how they behaved outside of the school regime.
I still walk slouch with my hands in my pockets, but at least I learned why my subconscious would never allow treat my teachers of culture and history with respect.
Don't diss the male teachers getting drunk. Our lot were never disorderly
Ours definately practised both, but not always at the same time.
Hey there Maretha,
Thanks for the insightful post and tag love to my site.
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