Afrikaans television has experienced numerous transitions since the introduction of
television in South Africa in 1976. An interesting trend in Afrikaans television since 2007
involves the rebroadcast of programmes, by the SABC and kykNET, which were originally
produced 10 or even 20 years ago. These broadcasters do not only rebroadcast their own
Afrikaans material, they also rebroadcast each other’s material. Consequently, for the last
several years, Afrikaans television programmes have been diverse in terms of source
(SABC or kykNET) and original context (time of production and first broadcast). Against
this background certain questions arose regarding the comparability of these different
Afrikaans programmes and how each programme constructs Afrikaans identity in a certain
way that is relative to its original context of production.
This comparative study explored the construction of Afrikaans identity in three Afrikaans
television dramas each originating from a different context of production. The sample consisted of Ballade vir ’n Enkeling (BE) (SABC: 1987; rebroadcast on SABC 2: 2007),
Wenners (SABC: 1992/1993; rebroadcast on kykNET: 2009) and Song vir Katryn (Song)
(kykNET: 2003; rebroadcast on SABC 2: 2008). This study is situated within the context of
cultural studies and a qualitative visual textual analysis was conducted, using narrative and
semiotic analysis methods to unpack the meanings communicated by the selected visual texts. Relevant themes, including language, gender, class and values, were identified and
examined.
It was found that language-wise, these programmes reveal a major shift from the 1980s and
early 1990s (on the SABC) to the 2000s (on kykNET) regarding the use of the Afrikaans
language. BE and Wenners show standardised Afrikaans as the norm, while in Song nonstandardised
Afrikaans takes the dominant position. In terms of gender the texts from the
1980s and 1990s endorse traditional gender roles and heterosexual relationships as part of
Afrikaans identity. The text from the 2000s, conversely, depicts both traditional and
modern conceptualisations of gender and acknowledges both heterosexual and homosexual
relationships. Class did not surface as a significant theme in BE or Wenners, but in Song
this theme highlights the class awareness of a conservative Afrikaans community. Song
constructs an Afrikaans identity that challenges Afrikaner conservatism. Each programme’s values themes highlighted a particular focus. BE explores the complex relationship between
the individual and the group within the 1980s. Wenners emphasises a conservative
approach to Afrikaans identity that favours order, authoritative structure and good
behaviour. In contrast, Song tackles the controversial issues of substance and sexual abuse,
and presents an Afrikaans identity that is willing to deal with these taboo topics in an openminded
way. Finally, it was found that although all three texts are critical of the traditional
nuclear family construct, they still maintain that even when contested, family remains a key
part of Afrikaans identity.
In comparing these texts, similarities and differences were identified, but the findings show
a noticeable transmutation, from the 1980s to the 1990s and finally the 2000s, in the
conceptualisation and representation of Afrikaans identity. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Afrikaans / MA / Unrestricted
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:up/oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/83814 |
| Date | January 2014 |
| Creators | Bester, Carli |
| Contributors | Milton, Viola, miltonvc@unisa.ac.za, Willemse, Hein (Heinrich Stephen Samuel) |
| Publisher | University of Pretoria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Rights | © 2021 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
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