Jack Flash Jr wrote:
Under white rule, Afrikaans art was heavily sponsored by the government and presented a rigid image of Afrikaners as upstanding Christians — a natural ruling class. After apartheid fell, white artists were free to explore a wider range of personas.
I disagree with that. Things started happening earlier with the Voelvry movement. That provided some skandaal that people seemed to have a need for.
I've got a DVD at home that documents the Voelvry tour with Koos Kombuis, Bernoldus Niemand and Johannes Kerkorrel (note the adopted personas). Koos talks about the first gig that he did with Kerkorrel - which really predated the infamous tour that was to follow. He said they hardly sold a ticket for the first night. During his first song he broke a string. He didn't have any spares on stage. Forgetting that the mic was live he swore "Ooo p**s!". He said the next night was a sell out, everybody in Bloemfontein wanted to see the guy who said p**s on stage.
But enough of this trivial frivolity. The catalyst for musical and artistic change in Afrikaans society was James Phillips AKA Bernoldus Niemand and his song "Hou My Vas, Korporaal". That song, and the album that followed (
Wie is Bernoldus Niemand?), caused ripples that reverberated for years after. "Korporaal" opened the door, and the Voelvry tour kicked it wide open.
