Frans Vredenrijk Engelenburg (1863-1938) played a major role in the development and expansion of Afrikaans and the Afrikaans academic culture - especially in the northern part of South Africa. As a Dutch intellectual, lawyer and journalist in the nineteenth century South African Republic (Transvaal), he in particular played an important role as advisor and opinion maker from the 1890s onward. One of his biggest achievements was the key role that he played in the establishment of De Zuid Afrikaanse Akademie voor Taal, Letteren en Kunst in 1909. This study is the first part of a more comprehensive biographical project on the life of Engelenburg and the role he fulfilled in the history of the Akademie and South Africa until the thirties of the twentieth century. Since the 1600s the Engelenburg family has played a prominent role in the community where they lived. Aside from the high positions they had held for centuries before, they had in the fourth and again in the sixth generation married into noble families. This contributed to their important position in the community. Due to circumstances Engelenburg was not raised in the Engelenburg milieu. A family break in 1836 was the cause that Engelenburg's father, as a baby, was spirited away from this family milieu. Engelenburg received an extraordinarily good schooling. The solid intellectual foundation already laid then, to a large extent determined the course of his life. He was at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Arnhem when he met Marie Koopmans-De Wet (1834-1906), an aunt by marriage who lived in Cape Town, when on a visit to Europe. She was his soul mate and acted as a mentor and advisor to Engelenburg. The friendship strengthened with the years. He already at school had the desire to visit South Africa one day. His parents' divorce when he was still a student at the University of Leyden, steered his life in a very different direction than what he had foreseen for himself. The divorce was to a large extent the reason that, although he had studied law, he discarded the notion of a career in law after only a year. His decision to follow a career in journalism affected the rest of his life. The Transvaal War (1880-1881) meant that the Dutch developed an admiration for the Transvaalers for the determination and courage they displayed in their attempts to defeat the British army. President Paul Kruger's call shortly after the war that the Transvaal needed young Dutchmen further encouraged Engelenburg to come to South Africa. Previously Engelenburg had for a year worked for Fred Hogendorp at the Dagblad van Suidholland en s’Gravenhage in The Hague. Circumstances abruptly changed when Hogendorp suddenly became insane. During the same time, the owner of De Volksstem newspaper in Pretoria had committed suicide and Engelenburg seized the work opportunity. Within a matter of three months, he arrived in the Transvaal. Within a month after his arrival he was appointed chief editor of De Volksstem. He had studied the Transvaal situation thoroughly and by means of the newspaper and through tireless efforts, he contributed to improving the farming community’s cultural literacy. The education situation in the Transvaal enjoyed his constant attention. After the Anglo-Boer War (ABW) (1899-1902), he continued to work towards improving the education system in the Transvaal. He early on became involved in the Transvaal University College (later University of Pretoria). Before the ABW he did everything possible to promote the Dutch language to the Boer people. However, after the war he realised that Afrikaans had a rightful place, and he, in addition to Dutch, became a champion for the Afrikaans language. The battle between the proponents of Dutch and Afrikaans respectively, increased after the ABW. To achieve unity of action between the two groups, De Zuid Afrikaanse Akademie voor Taal, Letteren and Kunst was founded in 1909. Behind the scenes Engelenburg was one of the major driving forces to assist with the founding of the organisation. As a board member and later as chairman, he gave impetus to the Akademie. In 2009 the organisation celebrated its centenary. This is an important milestone, especially seen in the light of the current political climate in South Africa. The Akademie can now be regarded as a monument to Engelenburg as the fruit of his labour and perseverance during the first three decades of the Akademie’s existence. / Thesis (M.A. (History))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Summaries in Afrikaans and English. / Hierdie studie fokus op ‘n interpretasie van die Beni Hasanmuurskildery en meegaande inskripsie wat in Graf BH3 in Egipte ontdek is. Die skildery dateer uit ongeveer 1892 v.C. en kom voor in die graftombe van die provinsiale goewerneur van die Oryxprovinsie – Khnum-hotep II. Met die muurskildery en inskripsie deur die koninklike hofskrywer Neferhotep as vertrekpunt en teoretiese raamwerk, word daar ‘n kwalitatiewe ondersoek gedoen na die herkoms, identiteit en rol van die handelaars en ander items, veral oogverf, wat in die skildery uitgebeeld word. Benewens die interpretasie van die Beni Hasanmuurskildery, steun die studie ook op beskikbare inligting in eietydse teologiese- en argeologiese publikasies. Deur ‘n multi-dissiplinêre benadering te volg, word daar gepoog om meer inligting te bekom oor die geografiese ligging en argitektuur van Graf BH3, die belangrikheid van graf-outobiografie, die identiteit van die handelaars en die doel van hulle besoek. Dit blyk dat die muurskildery ‘n belangrike gebeurtenis in Egipte en die Semitiese wêreld van die pre-monargale tydperk uitbeeld, en meer spesifiek die tyd en konteks waarin verhale van die sogenaamde ‘aartsvaders’, soos hulle in die Hebreeuse Bybel beskryf word, afgespeel het. Aangesien daar ‘n gebrek aan argeologiese en geskrewe (Bybelse en buite-Bybelse) bronne oor die proto-Israelitiese samelewing bestaan, hoop die studie om ‘n bydrae te lewer tot navorsing oor die tydperk, en veral die verhouding tussen die Semiete en Egiptenare. Spesiale aandag word gegee aan die uiterlike voorkoms van die handelaars en goewerneur, en aan die aard en funksie van elke gebruiksartikel wat in die skildery uitgebeeld word, soos die kleredrag, donkies, wapens en musiek-instrumente. Omdat daar in die inskripsie spesifiek melding gemaak word van oogverf, word die belangrikheid van oogverf ten opsigte van magies-religieuse, kultiese, mediese, begrafnis-, ekonomiese (handels-) en kosmetiese gebruike, asook die vervaardiging en samestelling daarvan, breedvoerig ondersoek / This study focuses on an interpretation of the Beni Hasan mural and accompanying inscription discovered in Tomb BH3 in Egypt. The painting dates back to about 1892 BC and is found in the tomb of the provincial governor of the Oryx province - Khnum-hotep II. With the mural and inscription by the royal court writer Neferhotep as point of departure and theoretical framework, a qualitative inquiry is made into the provenance, identity and role of the merchants and other items, especially eye painting, depicted in the painting. In addition to interpreting the Beni Hasan mural, the study also relies on available information in contemporary theological and archaeological publications. By following a multi-disciplinary approach, an attempt is made to obtain more information about the geographical location and architecture of Tomb BH3, the importance of tomb autobiography, the identity of the merchants and the purpose of their visit. It appears that the mural depicts an important event in Egypt and the Semitic world of the pre-monarchic period, and more specifically the time and context in which stories of the so-called 'patriarchs', as described in the Hebrew Bible, played. As there is a lack of archaeological and written (biblical and extra-biblical) sources on proto-Israelite society, the study hopes to contribute to research on the period, and especially the relationship between the Semites and Egyptians. Special attention is paid to the external appearance of the merchants and the governor, and to the nature and function of each commodity depicted in the painting, such as the dress, donkeys, weapons and musical instruments. Because the inscription specifically mentions eye makeup, the importance of eye makeup with regard to magical-religious, cultural, medical, economic (trade) and cosmetic uses, as well as the manufacture and composition thereof, is extensively investigated. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (Godsdienswetenskap)