Old Takkies Indaba

“Excuse me. Are you guys Afrikaans? I didn’t think so, because I’m English”. One of my mom’s favourite reminiscences about my precocious childhood.

Afrikaans. That filthy language of the terrible oppressor. The very crux of communication for the darkest times of South Africa’s history. The Cause of all our problems. The language my parents spoke when they didn’t want me to know what they were discussing.

What a depressing subject. Well, I’m not going to be depressed. I’m sitting on a beautiful little island in the Philippines (don’t ask why I’m writing), and I don’t want to ruin it.

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