Learn about the top five pop culture icons in South Africa
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| Eric: Welcome back to AfrikaansPod101.com. This is All About, Lesson 10, An Introduction to South African Pop Culture. I’m Eric. |
| Pieter: Hallo, Pieter here. |
| Eric: In this lesson, we’re talking about the South Africa of today. |
| Pieter: That’s right, South African pop culture. One of the more developed aspects of pop culture in South Africa is the pop music scene. |
| Eric: Yes, Afrikaans pop music has recently been dominating the charts, in contrast to traditional Afrikaans music. |
| Pieter: Of course, Afrikaans music and traditional folk songs are still favorites of the older generation. And you can still see some of that influence in modern music today. |
| Eric: How would you describe Afrikaans pop music, Pieter? |
| Pieter: Well, it’s not easy to describe. You could divide it into two segments. One would be the typical pop and rock music you’d expect, and then the rest is something quite different indeed... |
| Eric: Hmm, are you talking about Die Antwoord by any chance? |
| Pieter: I am! These guys came from nowhere and are now all over the world with their bizarre lyrics and freaky videos. And it’s great that they sing so much in Afrikaans! |
| Eric: And how about other Afrikaans music? |
| Pieter: Well, a lot of Afrikaans music is folk songs about subjects like love, life, and all the things that come with it. |
| Eric: Can you tell me the names of some Afrikaans folk singers? |
| Pieter: Sure, I can name a few. Chris Chameleon, Bok van Blerk, and Fredi Nest for example. |
| Eric: Oh yeah, I’ve heard of all of them. |
| Pieter: Yeah, but if you aren’t South African, the chances are pretty low that you’ll have heard of any of them. |
| Eric: So can you think of some pop or rock musicians people might have heard of? |
| Pieter: Well, apart from Die Antwoord, there aren’t really many. Have you heard of Jack Parrow? |
| Eric: Who? |
| Pieter: Yeah, I thought so. He’s a funny guy with songs in Afrikaans and he wears an enormous hat. |
| Eric: Sounds great... |
| Pieter: How about Brasse Vannie Kaap? |
| Eric: Ermm… no? |
| Pieter: But he’s a rapper from the Cape Flats! |
| Eric: I see. And as you know, there are many Afrikaans punk bands, and they have some really great songs. |
| Pieter: That’s right. Well even if you haven’t heard of these bands now, listening to music is a great way to learn a new language, so I’m sure you’ll know them soon. |
| Eric: What about TV, are there any good Afrikaans TV series? |
| Pieter: There are a couple from SABC, but they can be hard to find outside the country. 7de laan, Egoli, and Binnelanders are all very popular in my house! |
| Eric: But how can you have TV in one language in a country that speaks 11? |
| Pieter: Well, here’s some good news. Nearly all TV series are subtitled into English or one of the other official languages, which is a great way for you to learn! |
| Eric: Yeah, our listeners should watch some South African movies subtitled in English. |
| Pieter: Eric, have you seen Semi Soet? |
| Eric: Not yet, but I heard it’s a very good movie. |
| Pieter: And also, I want to recommend the movies Tsotsi and Skoonheid. Tsotsi is a movie about a gangster of Soweto and the Johannesburg underworld, and it was filmed in a mix of Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans. |
| Eric: And it seems some South African movie stars have made it quite big abroad. |
| Pieter: Right. There’s Charlize Theron, who is one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, Dean Geyer who was in the fourth season of Glee, and Sasha Pieterse, whom you could see in Pretty Little Liars. |
| Eric: Yeah and how about the movie The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo? |
| Pieter: Ah yes. Embeth Davidtz, who played Annika Blomkvist, is in that movie, and she’s South African. |
| Eric: So can you name three South Africans foreigners might have heard of? |
| Pieter. Sure, ever heard of a guy called Rolihlahla? |
| Eric: No, never heard of him. |
| Pieter: How about Nelson Mandela? |
| Eric: Yeah! Everybody knows him! |
| Pieter: Well his real name was Rolihlahla. Nelson was the name his teacher gave him while he was at school. |
| Eric: Wow, and then later he became known by his clan name, Madiba. |
| Pieter: He has a special place in South Africans’ hearts. |
| Eric: Okay, number two. |
| Pieter. Desmond Tutu |
| Eric: The archbishop. |
| Pieter: Yes he’s famous for his work on the Peace and Reconciliation council, and for representing South Africa on the world stage. Many people also see him as one of the most important figures in the modern South African nation. |
| Eric: Wow! South Africa is full of amazing people. How about number three? |
| Pieter: Helen Suzman. |
| Eric: The Human Rights activist who founded the Progressive Party, which opposed Apartheid rule. |
| Pieter: Yes, she was one of the loudest opposition voices in South Africa during the Apartheid years. |
| Eric: What about sports, any famous sport figures? |
| Pieter: Sure. How about Ernie Els? |
| Eric: The golfer? |
| Pieter: That’s right! And there are the Springboks rugby players, too. For example, Francois Pienaar, Percy Montgomery, Joost van der Westhuizen, Naas Botha, Danie Gerber, Frik du Preez, John Smit, and so on. |
| Eric: So there are a lot of famous South Africans after all! Well, that’s it for this lesson. |
| Pieter: Thanks for listening! |
| Eric: And we’ll see you next time. |
| Pieter: Totsiens! |
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