Litnet

Open Stellenbosch held a discussion on multilingualism after a screening of the documentary Afrikaaps.

"Ultimately, there is a relationship between the viewer and the painting. However, the interaction that takes place depends on how far the viewer wants to take it. It’s a bit like going to a cocktail party and seeing someone that you find appealing."

"Time spent writing in a dairy could be spent writing fiction, for example. And what's the point of writing all these volumes of words addressed only to me? Isn't there something self-defeating about keeping a diary?" (4.10.2004)

"I am all for transformation. Which is why I believe Stellenbosch University should remain Afrikaans."

"Mhlawumbi uyazibuza ukuba singayenza njani na le nto yokuphuhlisa iilwimi zesiNtu ukuze zibe kumgangatho ofanayo neAfrikaans?" | "Perhaps you are asking yourselves what we could do to improve African languages so that they reach the same level as Afrikaans?"

"I have learnt and understood that monetising any art form comes with a lot of challenges ..."

On 17 September 2015 IBBY SA announced the six South African books nominated to represent our country at the IBBY World Congress that will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, during 2016. Read more about and see photos of the announcement.

"From a diachronic viewpoint, Afrikaans has its roots in 17th-century Dutch, and has grown in African soil over a period of 360 years into a new language, distinct from other Western and Northern Germanic languages on all levels of linguistic description (morphological, phonological, syntactic and semantic), with the result that it has developed into an African language, a fact which is also reflected in its name."

"Constitutions are about the 'promised land'; ours is certainly not a magic wand that has wiped out our history and made us all equal. To achieve this 'promised land' we need to be pragmatic, generous and human in our approaches to move from where we are, from what we have inherited, to what we would collectively like to be." 

"… we believe that tuition in a language of choice is central to a dignified and well-deserved tertiary education. Students should not be compelled to be taught in a language they do not fully understand or do not know at all. However, by simply introducing English as the only language of instruction, the academic development of Afrikaans and isiXhosa is jeopardized. It is regressive and shameful to transformative constitutionalism if a previously neglected language such as isiXhosa loses its developmental status at SU, along with Afrikaans …"

On UWC Creates and the lack of literary translations from and into other indigenous languages.

"Finally, there is only one viable and long-term solution, namely the creation of a fully fledged English academy and a fully fledged Afrikaans academy on the same campus, with the ideal of having, one day, also a fully fledged Xhosa or Zulu academy."

"[L]anguage is more than just a means of communication; it influences our culture and even our thought processes."

"Come, let us create space for Afrikaans as well as the other indigenous languages – English is a world language, it is the greatest common factor among us and will remain standing without special assistance."

"I tend to be quite stressed out when I record in studio because I would like everything to be perfect, which is never possible."

"One thing I have realised is that the music you put out to the world will be there forever, so I wanted my second album to be right."

"Imagine if centres and schools were started at the university to actively boost research, tuition and translation services in Xhosa so that students from Khayelitsha and the Transkei were no longer stuck with the choice of studying in either their second or their third language. Imagine if lecturers engaged one another in their respective first languages and broadened one another’s horizons?"    

"How do you get someone out of the township? The answer to this question of transformation is simple: educate them in their own language!"

"Afrikaans has never been the enemy; the use of the language to exclude people from conversation is the problem. Not the language!"

"The youth are actively participating. Expect them to indicate the pace at which we move forward."