Or… “He’ll be Bok”? Or… “Bok’ll be back”?
Ag, I just don’t know, but this is one of the weirdest emails I’ve received recently.
I’m sharing this no because I hold any feelings for the man or his music, but merely because… well… this is one of the weirdest emails I’ve received recently.
Why did they send it to me?
The email consisted solely of this image:
This is basically an advert for Afrikaans singer Bok van Blerk, who sprang to the nation’s attention back in 2007 with his rendition of the potentially divisive Afrikaans anthem De La Rey [youtube], described by The Grauniad thus:
Some see its popularity as the beginnings of a reassertion of Afrikaner identity from the ashes of apartheid. Others view it as an attempt to rebrand Afrikaners from oppressors to victims by casting back to their suffering at the hands of the British as an analogy for the perceived injustices of life under black rule. South Africa’s arts minister, Pallo Jordan, has even warned that the song risks being hijacked by extreme right-wingers as a “call to arms”. One rugby ground tried to ban it but backed down in the face of public outrage.
For reference, here’s Koos de la Rey’s wikipedia page
I’m not diving into the politics and nationalist sentiment stirred up by the song. I just got an advert emailed to me, offering Bok’s attendance at my festival, function or fundraising event. Not, it appears, to sing (thank the heavens), but to describe his life(?) since that song:
Van De La Rey Tot Nou
translates as “From De La Rey to Now”.
Could it be that Louis Andreas Pepler (for that are his real name) has just hit 40 (he has) and has decided to re-evaluate and re-invent himself?
I don’t know and I really don’t care.
And even if I’m right, it still doesn’t explain why I was included on the mailing list.
If you want to book Bok (the Steve Hofmeyr Lite of Afrikaans Politics and the Kurt Darren Lite of Afrikaans Music):
Kontak Lindé: linde@mozi.co.za of 082 569 3502.
And if you do, please ask her why she sent me this.
