Afrikaans turns 100: ‘In the mouths of the enslaved, it became a language of survival’

CapeTalk’s Lester Kiewit speaks with Professor Hein Willemse of the Department of Afrikaans at the University of Pretoria.

Listen below:

After 100 years, Afrikaans is the third most spoken language in South Africa, according to a 2022 survey.

However, it is not only spoken in its original form.

Just walking through the streets of Cape Town can show you how the language has evolved and been adapted by its speakers across communities.

Willemse says so much of the Afrikaans language is not formally written down or recorded but is still understood between the speakers.

“It is not written up in the dictionary… but it lives among people.”

- Professor Hein Willemse, Department of Afrikaans - University of Pretoria

He adds that the long, Black history of Afrikaans is often overlooked and neglected, and it has erroneously been seen as a language of white people.

RELATED: New doccie explores rich history of Afrikaans

“The enslaved and indigenous people had to, one way or another, converse with the dominant power in the colony. They adapted the language they received, Dutch, and it was in their mouths that this language was transformed into a language of survival.”

- Professor Hein Willemse, Department of Afrikaans - University of Pretoria

“As Black speakers of Afrikaans, we need to reclaim that history.” 

- Professor Hein Willemse, Department of Afrikaans - University of Pretoria

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview for more.