Celebrating Afrikaaps: A language of diversity in South Africa
As we celebrate Heritage Month, it is important to note that South Africa is filled with incredible diversity, and this does not just seep into our culture, but our language too.
While South Africa has 12 official languages, the Afrikaaps or Kaaps language is something that emerged in the Western Cape.
Kaaps is a form of Afrikaans that was developed from interactions between indigenous Khoisan people and diverse groups like Malay, Portuguese, and Dutch people during the early colonial period.
Kaaps is a creolised language of the Cape Flats. The early version of Kaaps functioned as a secret language for non-white communities to communicate without the Dutch colonists’ understanding, a legacy that has been highlighted by linguists and cultural activists.
A Kaaps dictionary was also launched in 2021.
Professor Adam Haupt, the director of the Centre for Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town (UCT) who was involved in the project, said the Trilingual Dictionary of Kaaps was launched by a collective of academic and community stakeholders – the Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), along with the hip hop-driven community NGO Heal the Hood Project.
The dictionary – in Kaaps, English, and Afrikaans – holds the promise of being a powerful democratic resource.
Today, Kaaps is commonly spoken by the working class on the Cape Flats and used across all social media platforms as a form of expression, but the language is not just native to Cape Town but across South Africa, and most people can relate to and speak it.
Professor Haupt said the language was first taught in madrassahs (Islamic schools) and was written in Arabic. He said the acknowledgement was imperative, especially because Afrikaner nationalists appropriated Kaaps in later years.
Social linguist, award-winning Afrikaaps vernacular Hip Hop artist and performance poet Quintin ‘Jitsvinger’ Goliath was the lead in launching the Afrikaaps dictionary. Goliath, who was born in Mitchells Plain but grew up in Kuilsriver, continues to take the entertainment industry by storm.
Jitsvinger is known as the face of Afrikaaps vernacular, a performer who combines Hip Hop, poetry, self-composed music, theatre, and storytelling.
Celebrating his Afrikaaps heritage, Goliath spoke to IOL explaining just how we should embrace the wonderful language.
Why should Afrikaaps be celebrated?
Since humanity’s beginnings, language has always been the vehicle through which we transport our aspirations, our history, knowledge systems, and beliefs. Afrikaaps is a restoration movement through language that serves us, a people whose sense of identity was removed through colonialism, slavery, and neo-colonialism. Celebrating it reminds us of our rich, diverse heritage and ancestry that we still carry into the future with a pride that’s long forgotten.
By celebrating Afrikaaps, we give recognition to the hidden architects erased by the popular colonial history we were taught in school in the ’90s. It also shifts the narrative of Afrikaans as a so-called white language, which is still clinging to Apartheid notions of purity, meaning, if you speak it with a certain Europeanised accent, you speak ‘beautiful’ Afrikaans, which is complete and utter BS.
What does this Afrikaaps mean to you?
Afrikaaps validates and adds intrinsic value to mother-tongue speakers as members of the broader Afrikaans community. So many new words are being added to the lexicon, which should be shared with the rest of society since the language belongs to all who speak it. Afrikaaps makes the marginalised community visible through the various conventions where literacy is concerned.
Big businesses often incorporate colloquialisms to promote their brands, but hardly ever give recognition to the community from where it originates. For example, the widespread use of “AWEH!” can make a bra feel socially accepted, so why not give credit to the architects of it by letting them teach in their own mother tongue as a tool of education?
Do you find that Afrikaaps has brought people together?
Yes, it is found in the recipes that are passed down through generations and on the tongues of descendants of intermarriages where cultures came together. Traditionally, our tongues are the table prepared for a feast when you listen to the romance, struggles, and jokes. We sing songs and choreograph dance moves through them as well.
When we get homesick, just a mention of ‘samoosas’ or ‘bobotie’ can bring us to tears. Once, while I was touring overseas, I was surprised to know that what we call ‘kajangs’ are similar to other cultures like Suriname and the Philippines, as well as words like ‘salamat’ and ‘kaparangs’, resulting in a deeper bonding with those who shared it with me.
For someone who travels frequently, how does the rest of the world perceive Afrikaaps?
I’ve toured the Netherlands a few times, and when I do, I speak Afrikaaps slowly so that the locals can grasp the words better. The surprises are often laced with expressions like: “I can’t believe I can understand you!” or “That sounds like old Dutch!” which feels like cousins meeting after a long time.
I also do the very African call-and-response, and the audience loves it when I share Afrikaaps words they can also say. One of them is “Maak’it Aan!” which has become a staple during my performances since 2004.
robin.francke@iol.co.za
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