Schutte
defending Gordimer and Suzman
Dear Mr. Schutte
It is fortunate
that I can forward you this reply in writing, as I am sure my
pronunciation of your name might lead me astray into believing that
you are an Afrikaner. But anyway, you mention that the cause for
Afrikaner survival is a "sad, pathetic one".
Ah, finally someone
with such superior wisdom has just made himself heard. Stop the
press! South Africa is a spiritual leader richer today! Ché Guevara
eat your heart out! Even though he is an Afrikaner turncoat who
supports the governmental notion of "English über alles",
or as the Brits themselves like to call it "Speak English or
Die". I'm sure that no slogan found it's way around South
African as virulently as this one, albeit in the form of "One
Boer one bullet, or Kill the Whites, English and Afrikaans".
Yes indeed I
support your notion that the struggle for the survival for Afrikaans
is a sad, pathetic one. We should all embrace the African
renaissance so that we can live together in poverty, famine, fight
tribal wars and obtain political power only by means of an
occasional coup d'etat. Shall I confess to that cardinal sin that I
am in the possession of some Afrikaans literature? Shall I help you
to rid myself of these and aid your support in destroying Afrikaans
literature, poetry and philosophy, just like they did in Amsterdam
twenty years ago? Would it not be a joyful event to one day have our
grandchildren not know who Eugene N. Marais, N.P. van Wyk Louw, C.
Louis Leiplodt or other grand masters of Afrikaans were? No one
reads them anyway, so why bother.
Let's all indulge
in the edifying discourses of Alan Paton, your fellow turncoat
Antjie Krog, and Nadine Gordimer where we can all learn the truth
about those odious loathsome, scornful Boers, so that we can
understand the real reason why Afrikaners are so hated. I'm sure
you'll agree with me that if Helen Suzman states that "I hate
the Afrikaner. I hate his ways, his language and of course his
politics" and Gordimer's Afrikaner women being "lower than
rats" and "just fit enough to be raped" it bears not
the slightest hint of prejudice. Time Magazine was very accurate in
typifying Afrikaners according to mien, that they looked somehow
"backward", even though such sciences have been discarded
decades before because of lack of scientific validity.
I'm sure the
pleasure is all yours that Afrikaners will never rule again. We all
know life is much safer now than it was before. Fortunately,
everyone can drive much more safely now without fear of being
hijacked, killed, raped or severely battered. The whites don't have
to work in fear of losing their jobs anymore, and everywhere the
pleasant sound can be heard of kids playing in the streets. I tend
to agree with you that I feel sorry for those ignorant fools who
want to protect the young, yet profound history of Afrikaans
language and literature while they are living in the land of
plenty...plenty of vice, plenty of unemployment, plenty of killings,
plenty of muti murders, plenty of farm murders and of course plenty
of famine because of that.
Were you perhaps a
former staunch supporter of the National Party? Or have you always
had contempt for Afrikaners, tantamount to the sight of a Jew
wearing a swastika, as your name suggests? Were you perhaps out
there on the stands during apartheid chanting "give us liberty
or give us death?" Well, now you have both. What do you want
next?
Boeregroete,
Joseph Secrève
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