Jamey Dobb
An Engelsman’s Review of Orania
Imagine a place where there is virtually no crime. A place where you can leave your doors and windows unlocked without the fear of having anything stolen. Envision a place where children can play on the streets safely, where an individual can walk at 2am at night without being mugged or attacked. Such a place would have one thinking and many would point out Japan or Singapore. What does amaze people is when I point out that such a community does exist in a country notorious for violent crime. Yes, such a place does exist and it lies on the bank of the Orange River in South Africa. This community is called “Orania” and as I write this article, I do not at all exaggerate when I say this place is like a little utopia out in the middle of nowhere.
So just what is “Orania?”. Not many people have heard of the name and just a mere mention has many curious. Orania is essentially the redoubt of the Afrikaner people. In 1991, just three years before the ending of apartheid and white minority governance, a group of Afrikaner intellectuals and pioneers bought an old abandoned water station on the border of the Northern Cape and the Free State. This group could clearly see that the days of the Afrikaner running South Africa was numbered and that in order to preserve the unique cultural and historical traditions of the Afrikaner, it essentially would be better to create an Afrikaans only society. There was then and even still is a fear that the Afrikaner will lose their own heritage being the minority in the ‘New South Africa’.
Whilst the idea sounded good on paper, there was of course a catch. If the Afrikaner wanted to build a successful society and eventually construct his own state, he would have to get his hands dirty. During apartheid, the Afrikaner minority including the English South Africans relied primarily on black labour in order to do manual intensive jobs. These types of jobs including house keeping, construction work, mining, farming, etc. Whilst this system increased upwards social mobility amongst the white South African population, it also effectively forced white South Africa to be reliant on black labour and hampered any thoughts of becoming independent or complete separation.
Therefore with the changing winds in South Africa, this small band of Afrikaners understood clearly that if Afrikanerdom was going to survive, the Afrikaner people would have to go back to their traditional farming roots and start doing their own labour. They would have to construct their own houses, clean their own floors and harvest their own food in order to become independent and self sufficient.
The brain child of this movement was a chap called Carel Boshoff III. In Orania he is known as simply ‘Professor Boshoff’. I call him the Jan van Riebeeck of the 21st century.
Professor Boshoff was the son in law to the famous Prime Minister Hendrick Verwoerd. Boshoff could clearly see that without going down the path of hard work, there never would be an Afrikaner state, that essentially it would be a pipe dream. Of course the idea wasn’t entirely new. Dr. Verwoerd himself had spoken of an Afrikaner homeland in the 1960s and there were investigations into creating such an ideal.
However it never came to pass. Therefore Professor Boshoff himself was dusting off an old idea and pushing it forward at a more critical time within the Afrikaner’s history.
So has this dream, this idea paid off in the long run? Well after spending two weeks in Orania, I can say that yes it has! The town has already stood for positively 20 years now and continues to grow with each passing year.
When the town was first started, many Afrikaners and other white South Africans waved the idea off, claiming the town was essentially the last ditch hope of fruit cakes trying to hold onto apartheid. However that is not at all the truth and is a huge misconception about the town. For starters, all black and foreign labour is forbidden in Orania. The Afrikaner’s must do their own labour. This is a huge difference from previously relying on black labour during the apartheid era.
Secondly, all newcomers must either be Afrikaners or be willing to learn Afrikaans and adopt the Afrikaner culture. Orania isn’t about black and white but about saving the Afrikaner’s existence and establishing an equal place at the table in the new South Africa.
Now with the little history lesson over, allow me to explain who I am and why I visited Orania. My name is Jaymie Dobb and I am a 23 year old Englishman from the East Midlands. I’m sure people reading this would be starting to get interested but some may wonder why an Englishman with very little Afrikaner connections would be interested in this small town out in the middle of the karoo desert? An Englishman that has only been to Cape Town and the Western Cape for starters? Well the truth is – I’m very sympathetic to the Afrikaner’s and their struggle in this brave new world. I come from a country where due to insane political correctness, I feel my own national heritage and culture being overroded in favour of this new Pro-EU/Pro-Global ‘vision’ for the future. English flags for example cannot be openly flown in case it causes offence. Children cannot read books in public schools that may contain pigs due to causing potential upset. Therefore having to grow up in such an environment over the years, it is my own experiences that have made me very sympathetic to Afrikaners wanting to preserve their own culture, language, history and heritage. It was this interest and sympathy therefore that drove me to seek out Orania and see the place for myself. I can honestly say that I was not at all disappointed.
I would say I had been researching Orania on my own accord for about 2 years now although had known of the place for about 5 years. I remember talking about it to acquaintances in the UK during the 2010 General Election. Alot of the talk happened to be at that time about the BNP under Nick Griffin taking a seat in Parliament so essentially the main topic was about immigration and culture. Whilst many would moan and say “the UK is doomed!”, I would talk enthusiastically about this little town that was doing its own labour, not relying on the government or any other organisation for support. I had some half-hearted interest but mainly it was my own personal interest.
After doing more research, I planned to visit the town when I could get the chance. Fortunately I have relatives in Cape Town and I’d planned to visit them in December of 2010. I’d only booked for three weeks at the time and was told that Orania was too far away that it would not worth going. Even still, I made some phone calls and came into contact with a friendly chap called John Strydom. John is a very helpful fellow and listened to me. Due to the expense of driving in SA, I was stuck for transport so John and me discussed the possibilities of getting up to Orania. I was dead set on making the journey but unfortunately couldn’t change my plane ticket so made a very begrudging journey back to the UK. However I planned that I would return to SA very shortly and visit Orania when I was next in the country.
Well I had another chance. I booked a flight for 7 weeks this time and arrived in SA in August 2011. I spent some time relaxing with the family and arranged with John a lift from Hope Town to Orania in September. I joked to John that I was doing my own ‘Great Trek’. We just laughed and the wheels were finally put into motion.
I went on the Greyhound from Cape Town to Hope Town, a 10 hour journey into essentially the middle of nowhere. Looking back on it, I find it incredible that me, Jaymie Dobb, could pull off this venture. Here I was in a country I didn’t really know on my way to a place I didn’t really know aside from internet research. At first I was calm but then I received a text message telling me the guy who was supposed to pick me up had left Orania and another guy was going to pick me up. Now you can imagine at this stage I was past Three Sisters at this point, in the middle of nowhere and deep down I started to panic. There really was no turning back. But, to his word, this new guy John had arranged for me arrived on the dot and picked me up from Hope Town. Boy I was relieved! Worried I’d be stranded in the karoo but no, Orania didn’t leave me be. I got back to town safely in the early hours of the morning and had a good sleep at the Haye’s Guest House in a very nice self catering apartment. I just smiled when I got to Orania though. After all these years, I was finally here! I felt very jubilant, very proud of myself deep down and couldn’t believed what I’d just accomplished.
So the next morning I met with my landlady, a nice woman called Tineke Hayes. I absolutely got on with Tineke from the start when I first called her back in Cape Town. We would sit around her kitchen table each morning when I’d paid the rent and discuss history, politics, global events and other matters of life. In a way she became more to me then just a landlady. She became a close friend and a grandmother figure to me. I met also with her husband, Koos Hayes. A nice guy, Koos works in agricultural pesticides if I recall. Both absolutely insisted I call them ‘Oom’ and ‘Tannie’, respectively. It felt a bit odd at first but I soon snuggled into the role. Koos himself became a grandfather figure and both of them would give me useful life advice that I’ve taken back with me to the UK.
However talking with the Haye’s, what amazed me was how they’d constructed their own house and apartment – despite not being qualified builders! Both the Hayes’s were passionate about preserving the Afrikaner heritage and made the move to Orania in the early 90s after concerns with the incoming government. They both started out in caravans and remained in town for a couple of years until they had built their own house. From scratch. Looking at the pictures of these two amateur builders brought a smile to my face. Two Afrikaner’s doing their own manual and physical labour – the Oranian way. The truth is, the Hayes’s were both inspirational in a sense. In the UK we have a lot of older members of society moaning about the present and wishing for past but these moaners never put anything into practice. Then you get Oum Koos and Tannie Tineke, two middle aged Afrikaners that rolled up their sleeves and built a new future for themselves.
But the Haye’s were just the beginning. I would trek on into Orania and meet a fascinating and colourful cast of characters in this ‘dorpie’. For starters after breakfast, I immediately went to see John Strydom and finally met the man himself. We both greeted each other and had a good chat. John himself is an ex-physician that decided to up sticks with his wife and children and make the move to Orania. John and his wife Lida are both professional people and could have like many Afrikaners have left South Africa and moved to Australia or New Zealand. But both of them were strong believers in protecting Afrikaner culture and values thus made the move to Orania a few years after its founding. John works in the tour office with his wife and both of them play a large role in the community such as organising events and handling interviews, etc. Yet both of them always spent the time to help me out. They truly had the patience of saints when dealing with me. Afterall I was a bit needy thinking back on it. But it was down to John and Lida ultimately that I started to meet more people in Orania and attend functions. John even tried his best to help me find a job whilst I was in town but unfortunately at the time there was only manual construction jobs that really are hard work.
Yes, Orania does it own labour but there is a saying: “Orania is not for sissies”. If you move to Orania, you must literally be prepared to do your own labour entirely and that includes building houses and gardening. No foreign construction teams, just hard work in sometimes 40c weather. As an Englishman I knew I would not survive in that weather. However John admitted to me he could not survive in -20c weather so ultimately it depends on which environment you grew up in. But allow me to say that the young men I saw building houses in Orania and farming, those guys worked extremely hard! I’d dare say harder then construction teams in the UK. Orania isn’t for sissies and these guys proved it. I take my proverbial hat off to them ultimately but it was those construction teams and the pioneering spirit of the residents that built Orania into the wonderful little town it is today.
John arranged for me that day to go on a tour with Willy. Orania provides a free tour for visitors so that they can see the town for themselves. You can tell that the Oranians are proud of how the town has developed and are quite happy to show the outside world on what they’ve achieved in just 20 years.
Now Willy was an interesting fellow. Originally he’d started out as a visitor to the town. He liked what he’d seen which led him on to becoming an outside supporter.
To become a supporter of Orania, you join an organisation called “The Friends of Orania Movement”. It costs as little as 40 Rand (around £4) a month to be a member but the money goes towards helping the town in its future projects and also helping the disadvantaged. For example, you have to pay to put children through school in Orania but the town will support parents financially in order to give their children an education. Some of the funds for supporting those with limited resources comes from the donations made by members of the Orania movement. Its a good setup and the money goes towards a good cause.
So Willie himself started in this role but after several years of remaining an outside member, he decided to take the leap and become a citizen of the town. Him and his wife had been there for 3 years and fully were enjoying the life that Orania had to offer.
I had a good chat with Willy on the tour. He was telling me the population was around 1,000 people although due to outside membership, there were around 10,000 supporters at present. Like Willy himself, these members do eventually go on to become residents of the town as time goes on. There would be more people living in town but as Willy explained, there is a housing shortage in the town due to the high demand of people wanting to move there. That just goes to show in my opinion how popular Orania is becoming.
Some of those members also happen to be foreign supporters of the town. This support also extends to chapters in several European countries that represent the community. Foreign support for the Orania project is therefore growing as well as local support.
On the tour, I got to see all of Orania and it was better then even I had expected it to be! The town has several facilities including an OK supermarket, a radio station, a tour office (which also serves as an administration building for the town), a town council, swimming pool, many hotels and guest houses, a pecan nut factory, a bank, a hard ware store, a couple of cafe’s with a very nice restaurant down by the orange river. Also included is a luxury spa which offers massage and other relaxation services. Two schools are also present in town, a clinic, a jewellery shop, several clothing and charity shops, a bakery and a bar. A very nice gym is also available in the town and a nice rugby field. The town hall at the top of the town is a very nice venue for meetings and events.
The most amazing factor of all though is the amount of churches in the town. There is approximately nine churches in Orania! Nine! In just a small community of 1,000 people. All these churches belong to different denominations and all of them are full on a sunday service and other religious events. I was just amazed. I come from a town of 4,000 people where there are only two churches now. The worshippers are a dwindling number of elderly worshippers with very few young people. Yet here is a town with 3,000 less people and there are nine full churches on a regular basis. Not only that but another church is even being built! Its incredible, it really is. But it is understandable. South Africa, in particular the Afrikaans society, is very much more religious minded compared to liberal European societies. Therefore traditional church activities play a far larger role within South Africa compared to Britain.
Willy took me also to the river hotel. Its a four star hotel on the river bank next to the spa and restaurant. Whats amazing is that this hotel was built entirely from scratch by average community members and its literally a five star hotel complex! The rooms were beautiful with gorgeous scenery. I was told that its rated at a four star at present but thats only because there isn’t a night reception. Otherwise it would be a fully fledged five star hotel.
What also amazed me about Orania was the space. This town is smaller in population size compared to an average UK village yet it felt so much bigger compared to land density. I’m used to walking long distances and 5 miles dosen’t bother me at all. But Orania…? My goodness! Walking from one end of town to the other was tiring! Its certainly good exercise but due to the sheer amount of space, you need to drive around town if you want to get anywhere. However that normally is never a problem. There is always someone willing to give you a lift!
One of the most positive aspects about Orania though is the support for providing out of work people with jobs. Like in Europe and America, South Africa also has a high level of unemployment. Also like Europe and America is affirmative action policies that do discriminate against white South Africans trying to find a job or get into university. I’d say though South Africa’s AA policies are far more draconian compared to the Western world. This has led to an unfortunate strong unemployment rate amongst white South Africans.
Due to no decent welfare system in SA, many of these unemployed whites sink into grinding poverty. I’ve seen the pictures before now online and its like looking at an Oxfam advert only rather then poor blacks, its poor whites. However Orania hasn’t abandoned these people. The town give these people jobs and some hope in life. At just R450 a month with meals included, the poorer members of society are given the opportunity to work and earn a reasonable standard of living.
The place where the poor are housed is a residential block called “Elim”. I had a look around Elim and I was impressed. Its one of the old water works buildings that was converted to house workers. The rooms in there are smaller compared to your average room in South Africa but about the same size or just a bit bigger compared to average bedroom sizes in the UK.
Elim has an interesting system though. It houses unemployed men but offers them the opportunity to “work their way up” so to speak with getting access to a nice size apartment in the complex. I had a look in one and was impressed. Like one of the guys told me, “it gives the guys something to work towards.”
However Elim isn’t all fun and games. The chaps there have to work extremely hard, many of them working on those housing projects I explained earlier on. Many also load trucks, work on the farms, even do gardening work. Also alcohol is forbidden in order to prevent any fights from breaking out and if you are a resident of Elim, you are not allowed to drink alcohol within town. At all. If caught, it could mean a likely expulsion.
There haven’t been many problems with the Elim bunch however. They usually work hard and spend most of their time in the complex. Willie du Plessis, the guy in charge of Elim, runs a tight ship there. However he gives everyone in there a fair chance and I’ve been told he’s been like a fatherly figure for some of the men in there, especially the younger ones.
With that the tour itself came to an end. I’d finally seen a glimpse of Orania for myself but you cannot effectively judge the town without sticking around. I tend to find this is one of the big problems with journalists and other people that come to Orania. They stay perhaps for a day or two and then leave, thinking they know everything there is to know about the town. I recall speaking to one chap in Cape Town that acted as if he was an ‘expert’ on the town – despite only staying half a day!
With the tour finished, I decided to go back to the Hayes’ and have a rest. Tannie Tineke invited me for a meal that night. It was a nice end to the evening. Myself, Koos and Tineke had a nice chat and a good laugh around the table. I wished them a good evening and popped back into my apartment, wondering how I would get to meet more Oranians, especially the younger people. I was lying in bed when I heard music and a lot of laughing and noise. I smiled and knew I had my answer. It was late but I thought I’d go on the Saturday evening instead.
The following day, I spent the morning attending Oom Koos and Tannie Tineke’s sabbath service. Unlike in the West, the sabbath is still taken very seriously in Orania with Sunday’s being treated as the traditional day of rest. No shops, businesses and even restaurants are open on a Sunday. The entire town closes down and the only places in operation are Orania’s many churches.
However Oom Koos and Tannie Tineke have been quite innovative with their sabbath day. They like to have theirs on a Saturday with their own service. So I decided to join them and I have to say, I found it a very enlightening ceremony. Fortunately Koos listened to an English sermon so we all spent the morning listening to the sermon and Tineke eventually served up some wine and bread to celebrate the resurrection of Christ. I was very impressed with their little service and I found it beat any traditional Church of England services in this day and age!
It was on this day I decided to take a nice stroll around Orania. Fortunately I’d put on enough sunscreen otherwise it would have been a case of a very red and dead Englishman. I managed to walk all the way from the Hayes’ guesthouse to the River Park. I just remember getting to the restaurant and being told they weren’t serving drinks! But the staff very nicely organised me a glass of water which is something I desperately needed after that walk. I reminded myself: “Jaymie, when you next go down to the River Park, make sure you get a lift! Or go when its cold!”. I advise any foreign tourists to Orania to take heed of my advice unless you like a good trek in 35c weather!
That evening, after spending another meal and conversation with Koos and Tineke, I decided to follow the source of the music and laughter which eventually brought me to the bar. Yes! I’d found my youth of Orania at last! In there was the very passionate Quinton Diedrichs whom I met the other day in the tour office with the very cool political t-shirt. It was the traditional image of America’s Uncle Sam pointing but with Sam’s face being replaced for Dr. Verwoerd’s and some Afrikaner iconography.
Quinton anyway introduced me to the gang including his fiance, both of whom have visited the UK. I have to say, it was a very nice evening and it felt nice to be able to smoke in a bar! Something one dosen’t have the luxury if you live in Europe these days. Being able to light up and have a beer, talking about Orania, the UK, life in general with cool 1990s hits in the background…was like paradise in a way. Fortunately I wasn’t ill either when I’d left despite all the shots, beers and toasts to a 1,000 year Volkstaat (which I admit was at my suggestion).
It was at this meeting that I met up with Esme Boshoff, the local hairdresser and wife of Wynand Boshoff, the brother of Carel IV (pronounced as “fear” by the locals although he isn’t particularly scary) and local teacher at Orania’s Volkskool. I spoke with Esme that I’d wanted to meet with both the Boshoff’s during my stay in Orania although wasn’t sure how I could make an appointment with them. She just laughed and told me meeting both Carel and Wynand was very easy. Just pop up to the Volkskool on Monday to meet them.
I took her advice and on the Monday I went to visit the Volkskool for the first time. It was here I met that I met with Wynand, the youngest of the Boshoff clan. Wynand was a very friendly and interesting fellow. We had a good chat about history and politics. He also took me around for a tour of the school.
‘Volkskool’ is essentially Orania’s main self education school. Its based on home education to an extent but the pupils do their own work with guidance from a teacher. So the pupil could be say doing a project on an historical event and if they needed assistance, there would be a teacher at hand to help them. From what I was told by town residents, children that were struggling with Afrikaans, English and Maths soon became brilliant at the subjects due to the help and support provided at Volkskool. One woman told me of her son who has dyslexia. He struggled with reading and writing but due to Volkskool and the support given, he soon began to flourish and even had plans to become a writer!
John’s own children had gone through the Volkskool system themselves and two of them are off at university with his son, Joost, taking out a gap year before he makes the big step. Remembering my own time at school in the UK, I wished I’d have had the opportunity to have gone to Volkskool myself.
That is how successful Volkskool has become. However there is also the CVO skool in Orania. The town has two schools with Volkskool being the more self-educated based unit whereas CVO skool is more focused on traditional learning methods such as teachers giving pupils the lesson and writing information on the blackboard. The CVO skool is more formal compared to Volkskool with pupils being required to wear uniforms and stand to attention when either a teacher or visitor enters the room. Its a very big difference to the laid back atmosphere of Volkskool although I would say both have their merits.
My own opinion of both schools in Orania were that they complimented each other very well based on the needs of the child. For example, some children are going to find the more disciplined and traditional route of the CVO skool to their advantage whilst those that may need a bit of extra support or have a more enquiring mind would feel more comfortable in the Volkskool. So to that end, I would say Orania has a brilliant education setup for the kids that plays each child to the best of their abilities.
After the discussion about Orania’s education system, me and Wynand got onto discussing the history of the Afrikaner. I was interested in why the Afrikaner never became a majority population group compared to say the Anglo-Americans during the American colonial period. Wynand’s explanation was that the Afrikaner essentially never received the large scale mass immigration compared to the colonisation of North America by the English. South Africa itself was never taken seriously be the former Dutch rulers to begin with and the first European settlement, Cape Town, was only regarded at the time as a mere trading post that connected Dutch trading ships on their way to the East Indies. As a result, only minimal immigration from Holland and Europe took place at the time composed of mainly traders, mercenaries and Huguenots fleeing from religious persecution.
There wasn’t the same large scale mass immigration that took place therefore the base itself was far more smaller to begin with. It wasn’t until British taxation and persecution of the Afrikaners in the Cape that a true Afrikaans culture started to develop. The Great Trek actually ‘created’ the modern Boer/Afrikaner if you will.
I have to say though, the history of the Afrikaner fascinates me to no end. Here we have pretty much Dutch speaking descendants that have been left over from the days of the old Dutch trading empire that are fighting to survive. Even more incredible is that the Afrikaner is the only native European group to truly call themselves “African” in the truest sense of the word.
I thanked Wynand for his time and met briefly with his brother Carel who was at the time the principal of the Volkskool. However Carel is stepping down if I recall and is being replaced by John’s wife Lida who will take on the role of principal in his place. Carel is a very busy man having to attend meetings all over SA in order to represent Orania’s interests and even do his duty as mayor to the town. Like with all Oranians, it isn’t about wage packets with these people but about the love of the town and the people that drives them on to take on such herculean tasks.
I would eventually meet with Carel again in interesting circumstances. But I spent most of the week chatting to people and getting to learn more about the townspeople in the process.
Orania holds some very unique and interesting characters in town. I befriended a nice guy called Frank who let me stay with him for the last week of my visit. Frank was an ex-Rhodesian soldier during the Bush Wars and settled in Orania after five years to escape the crime up north in the country. Frank also I became very close with and it turns out he has a bit of a habit of letting English guys stay with him! There was another Englishman that stayed with him and when I was leaving town he returned to stay with Frank. We both joked when I got back on the bus to Cape Town: “I’m exchanging one Englishman for another!”. But Frank was a really nice, jolly fellow that would tell me stories of his Bush War experiences and how life used to be in South Africa before 1994. His wife Eve was very nice also and both of them fed me some very nice treats. However both of them were also very hard working. Eve would tend to the house whilst Frank was out in the garden, harvesting fresh vegetables and maize to eat. So once again, Orania’s self-sufficiency was kicking into high gear.
I met with a nice couple called the Everson’s. Both the Everson’s were born in South Africa but went abroad to Europe for work and also to study something called an ‘Earthship’. An Earthship is basically a house which is environmentally friendly, uses up very little resources and is made out of plastic and other recycled materials. Ludwig Everson, the father of the project, has been trying to start construction of the house for him and his family to live in for about 2 years now. As he put it: “We thought the project would be leaving the womb and giving birth but unfortunately its been put on hold due to getting the necessary transportion of materials we need.” All three of us would joke about “when would the Earthship finally enter fruition?”. They assured me when I next return to Orania, they would be living in it. I wish them the best of luck on the venture and look forward to seeing it upon my return.
I met with Sebastian Biehl, the local historian and property agent in Orania. Sebastian originally is from Germany although settled in SA about a decade ago. I felt a connection with Sebastian during our meetings. Both of us essentially were from mother Europe to begin with yet had both made our way to Orania in very similar circumstances. That would be an appreciation and love of the Afrikaner people. I feel that both of us see something in the Afrikaner that both of us have been denied in our home countries and that is strong Christian, community based values. Its quite amazing in a way. An Englishman and a German, both of us finding more in common with the Afrikaner then our own peoples back home.
I found my way to the town’s infamous koeksister maker, Francis Prinsloo. Its a common fact that all journalists and foreign visitors pay a visit to the Prinsloo household due to the really gorgeous koeksister’s that Francis makes. She and her husband Dave Prinsloo are even getting famous and both are slowly becoming the “faces” of Orania with many pictures of them in news articles online and in magazines. She made some for me and tried them. As you would say in Afrikaans, they were “baie lekker!”. It was during this time I met with Dave and had a good chat to him about various subjects. He immediately picked up my accent and asked me, “Are you from Sheffield by any chance?”. I replied with “Nottinghamshire but its not too far from Sheffield.” He laughed, replying with “Ahhh…I could recognise the accent.”
Thats another thing with Orania. I speak with a pretty clear cut Nottinghamshire accent. Its one of the most clearest in the country yet people always tell me to slow down due to having trouble understanding at times. Most of the townsfolk are used to English speakers that talk with the Queen’s English and the normal rhotic accents experienced down South. A non-rhotic speaker like myself from the Midlands did confuse people. All I can say to Orania is that thank goodness it was me and not a Yorkshireman, a Lancastrian, a Scouser or a Geordie. Then they’d have a whale of a time trying to decipher those accents! Even I can confused with those!
I was introduced to the Prinsloo’s through their daughter Francis, also named after her mother. Francis is a very hard working girl, taking on many tasks within the community. She works in the bakery during the day and then commits herself to helping the community by volunteering to help out with the radio station and social events. I asked her parents if Francis would eventually leave Orania. The answer? A firm, positive no.
Orania does have a problem when it comes to their youngsters staying in town. Unfortunately at this moment in time, Orania’s primary economy is based on manual and physical labour. As a result, those that have gone on to university to study usually are unable to return to town for quite some time due to the lack of jobs suited towards their degrees. You can see the affects of this with a significant gap in the 20 something age range in town.
There are plenty of young people about in Orania but those in their 20s are sorely missing. You tend to encounter those that are around 18 or just under and those in their late 20s to early 30s. But the early to mid 20s is severely lacking due to this migration of young people leaving town.
However it isn’t all grim. Many of the youth do return to town and eventually settle down there later on. Some might go abroad and work, eventually returning to town a year later with extra funds they’ve made along the way.
Its taken me a while to thing of any concerns or criticisms about the town and this is the only one I can think of. A lack of white collar jobs that is preventing university educated young people from settling back into town after their studies. However, I am optimistic that with time and effort, more clerical and administration jobs will be created within town giving rise to a new young middle class of educated professionals.
Orania however does have a very interesting media setup. The town’s primary information and news network is centred around its radio station. The radio station is run by Christian van Zyl, the infamous architect on the Orania introduction video that likes to build straw bale houses.
I was quite surprised at how much the town is reliant on the radio. Whilst people do have televisions and computers, many prefer to tune into the radio and listen to the broadcasts. Orania’s radio station hosts many different themed broadcasts on the radio. I was invited many times to talk on there, all of which I enjoyed.
The first time was on a Monday evening with Oom Koos and Tannie Tineke. Both of them run a programme called “Say yo Say”. The theme of the programme is to allow townspeople to call in and discuss any concerns or queries. Tannie Tineke was telling me that both her and Oom Koos originally started the programme as amateurs but eventually settled into the role of presenters. Those two just amaze me. Both of them are always up for a challenge and experimenting with new ideas.
They even invited me to speak a little Afrikaans on the show and introduce myself to the townspeople. I have to say, I’ve never been on radio before and felt a little bit of a celebrity at this point but I had a thoroughly good time. As Tineke said to me: “Speaking some Afrikaans will bring a smile to people’s faces.” In my opinion, when in Orania, do what the Oranians do!
Orania hosts several radio programmes however. On a Monday night is also a general information broadcast. On Tuesday is Wynand’s history broadcast where he covers historical subjects for an hour. Then on Wednesday is an international politics broadcast hosted by Carel IV and Sebastian. I was invited by Sebastian to speak on the international politics broadcast where we covered the recent elections in Denmark and the English identity crisis within the UK. We giggled when I referred to UKIP as being a “one issue party” rather then a “single issue party”. However when it comes to UKIP, it is seen as being just “the one issue party” due to focusing on the European Union so in that respect, I think I can be forgiven for my slight blunder.
Other programmes include a travel and leisure broadcast, a culinary programme, an education broadcast and even a music broadcast where songs ranging from Afrikaans Treffers to 90s pop music is played for the listeners. I’ve probably forgotten some of the other broadcasts but I can say that Orania has a very professional setup when it comes to its radio station.
However one of the best aspects about the station is how it immediately alerts people to an emergency. I remember I was about to set off and meet with Ludwig one evening when suddenly, an air raid siren went off. I was at this point thinking a large scale political crisis had just happened when Koos on turning on the radio. However it turned out to be that a child had gone missing.
Immediately the entire town was mobilised and started to look for this child as soon as the announcement had been given. I went out to also help look. I can say that fortunately the child was found within 20 minutes sleeping under a bush. As I met up with Ludwig, I explained at how impressed I was with the town’s efficiency to tackle an emergency. He told me the first hour is extremely critical when looking for a missing person and I wholeheartedly agree.
In the UK, if someone goes missing in a town or village, the police are immediately called. For the police to finally arrive, it could take maybe an hour or two by which too much time has passed at that point and overcoming a situation quickly is then turned into an overdue crisis. Not even the local population that made the call would go out in numbers like I saw in Orania. They’d merely sit around and wait for the police, frightened they could be accused of being a suspect or getting into trouble with some insane ruling.
Now I think it is time for me to explain how I met Carel IV. It was on a Saturday evening. I’d been for a walk around town and I’d been told by several of the townspeople that there would be a fund raising event at the town hall. I was intrigued by this although confused about the function. So I decided to attend and see what it was all about. I have to say it was certainly a night I will take with me for the rest of my life.
I was on my to the town hall when Willy and his wife were kind enough to give me a lift. I had my suspicions when I saw them dressed formally and asked them what the event was about. I was told it was a fund raiser for Orania’s latest project called “The Nerina”. Now the Nerina is basically the female version of Elim. Orania plans to construct a separate barracks entirely for single women and children that are experiencing hard times. However unlike Elim which was mainly renovated from one of the left over buildings, the Nerina has to be constructed entirely from scratch, making it an expensive project. Therefore the fund raiser was held in order to raise the much needed cash for the project to begin.
I have to say when I got to the fund raiser, it entirely blew my mind. It wasn’t merely plain clothed townspeople attending a simple meeting. It was an entire suit and tie affair with the majority dressed in formal clothing. I had to say I felt very awkward wearing on a dusty pair of trousers, a t-shirt I’d had on all day, a cardigan and my infamous “South African Trekker Hat” as I like to call it. However no one seemed bothered about my dress sense and I did see a few of the attendees wearing simple plain clothes so I felt a bit relieved. Still it must have been a sight, especially me being English on top of that!
To enter you had to pay for a ticket costing 100 Rand (about £7) which included meals and an evening with plenty of good company and entertainment. I’d say that is extremely good value for money!
It was in the dining room that I met with Carel IV and his wife. I was trying to find a place to sit and I happened to catch sight of Carel. I’d always wanted to meet with Carel so I thought I’d introduce myself to him. We had a little chat before I mentioned I couldn’t find a seat. So Carel and his wife Anya invited me to sit with them. Oh man, talk about a privilege! What even surprised me was that the table I had sat on was called the Verwoerd table due to everyone on there (except me of course) being related to Dr. Verwoerd! Here I was, me, Jaymie Dobb, sat on a table with people related to one of the most famous faces in history! I couldn’t believe it!
However the Verwoerds/Boshoff’s were a very welcoming bunch, just like the rest of the town. This is something else I can praise Orania for. There is no “elitism” in Orania. None whatsoever. The townspeople ultimately understand that in order for Orania to succeed, their all “in it together” so to speak. Even the table I was sat at with Carel was at the far end of the room with the best table at the front being reserved to the hard working women of Orania on which the Nerina project is dedicated to.
The event itself had been organised by both John and Lida primarily. I’d say they did a truly fantastic job and the evening was a lovely time with many speeches (unfortunately I can’t understand Afrikaans), lovely meals, a trio of opera music, a play emphasising “hard work” put on by the cleaning ladies at the reserved table and an auction – all in an effort to raise money for the project.
I had a good time and some of my fondest memories was asking Anya what song they were singing or what they were saying. Later on, one of Carel’s relatives asked me if I was finding it rather boring due to not being able to understand Afrikaans. I simply replied that I enjoyed listening to other languages and it wasn’t a problem.
However the moment slightly was ruined at the end when the theme tune for Harry Potter came on! At this point I asked people: “Nooo! Not the Harry Potter music! Who turned it on!?”. I think we’ll just blame John for this gaffe to be on the safe side.
It was at the function that I met a couple of guys from the Italian region of South Tyrol. Not being too familiar with the region I asked if they were Italian? I was given a firm “no, no, we’re German!”. I found out that night that Orania has international connections with other communities seeking self-determination. Most of these communities exist in Europe and happen to lie within a state’s boundaries, remnants from when these lands were part of another European nation at the past. South Tyrol is one of these regions. Belonging to the centuries old Austro-Hungarian Empire, South Tyrol was ceded to Italy after the Central Powers’ defeat during the First World War. As a result, the mainly ethnic German community has since been fighting for self-determination from Italy or reunification with Austria for a century now.
Due to Orania having the same ideals of self-determination and an independent ‘Volkstaat’, naturally Orania and these enclave communities in Europe tend to work and cooperate together. South Tyrol is but one example. I believe Orania also has strong relations with the Flemish community in Belgium and more than likely various other European ethnic minority communities.
Being from England, one of the key problems we have is that we don’t have a true “culture” or “region” we can effectively call our own. We’ve lost our traditional sense of identity. Since the Acts of Union with Scotland in 1707 and Ireland in 1800 plus Britain’s previous overseas Empire, England itself has lost the distinction of being “unique” and has become a “global” culture, taking on an international identity in the process, if one could put it that way. Afrikaans culture has its own unique language, its own unique food such as the koeksister and milk tart and its own unique cultural music. This ultimately creates a strong identity.
For us in England, everyone speaks our language, everyone shares the same “culture” that we do (although Americanised but still English related) and that is the global MTV pop culture. We have no unique food any more since the whole world primarily eats the same food we do. This is therefore a large problem for the English people. We have a global brand of culture but no strong domestic culture, let alone identity. Its the perils of inheriting a legacy of empire. Everyone can speak my language but I can’t speak anyone else’s.
So why do I compare the Afrikaans culture with English culture? Because I can very well see Afrikaans culture and those of other minority groups in Europe surviving. If a group fears their own heritage and culture being lost, they will cling to that culture and try to preserve their own unique identity. However for England and the English, unless we start to try and reclaim our traditional values and understanding of who we are as a people, I cannot see English identity continuing on into the future.
Anyway, it was after the fundraiser that I was invited by Wynand’s daughter Stella to a little party that was being held afterwards with the South Tyrolean chaps also present. So I gratefully took the invitation and grabbed a lift with Quinton. What a wonderful evening it was. Afrikaners, an Englishman, an Australian and two South Tyroleans stood around a bar drinking to good comradeship and singing songs. For the English speakers in the room, there was an issue trying to understand Afrikaans songs but that was no problem. Eventually songs in English were sung, even German songs for the South Tyroleans.
I have to say that for the first time in my life, I felt proud of who I was in a way. I felt a great spiritual bond in that room. The descendants of mother Europe, singing together and wishing each other well. It made me reflect on how things have changed. All of our ancestors at one point would have been fighting each other, the last war being just a mere 60 years or so ago. Yet here we all were, German speakers, English speakers, Afrikaans speakers, all united together! We all stood and sung “Del la Rey”, even those of us who didn’t understand tried our best with that song! The energy felt in that room truly amazing and it’ll also be another experience I’ll carry on for the rest of my life.
Eventually we all decided to call it a night and Quinton was kind enough to give me a lift back to the apartment. I arrived at astonishingly 5am! Truly the sign of a brilliant time. I was even invited to go with Frans de Klerk and the South Tyroleans for a tour of Magersfontein on Monday. I took them up on that offer and enjoyed visiting the battlefield and even the trip we had up to Kimberley.
I have to say that if it had been anywhere else, such hospitality would not have been offered. Yet in Orania, I was treated with a lot of respect and kindness. People had no qualms about helping me. In fact looking back, it isn’t just mere hospitality but genuine kindness which I experienced.
Another point I would like to add also. When walking around the town, you never see any unhappy people. Never. Everyone is so upbeat and positive that its amazing! Compared to the Western world or even Cape Town where most faces are glum and pessimistic about the future ahead, here in Orania it is the entire opposite. People enjoy their lives here and feel at peace. You can see that just in the body language and attitude of the townspeople. Its an attitude of deep down hope, of optimism towards a brighter future. It even made me feel good inside, something I haven’t felt back in my native England now for a long, long time!
Anyway for the last week in town, I ended up staying with Frank Pretorius. Now Eve had ended up going up country to visit her family and it was a week before Frank’s friend was coming to stay. Well, the Haye’s were concerned about my finances and Frank offered a very nice deal for me to stay with him for a week. So I took the offer and had quite a nice experience staying with Frank. I enjoyed the last week and ended up meeting Carel IV at his home a couple of times and even teaching some English at the CVO Skool!
On my visit to Carel, I found him to be a fascinating gentlemen with a wide wealth of knowledge. Going into Carel’s home is like going into a library. I’ve never seen so many papers and books! However I had a good conversation with him about a variety of subjects including Orania and the future, UK and international politics, history and even a bit of Philosophy thrown in for good measure!
I asked Carel though his thoughts on the world and the future of Western civilisation in particular. Right now in the world, it is no lie that Western civilisation is rapidly declining over an upcoming Eastern world. Materialistic and Nihilistic values, lack of religion, immigration problems and declining economies, the future for the Western world seems bleak in comparison.
Carel told me that Western civilisation itself could be saved but we essentially have to take a back seat and stop trying to “police the world” and abandon previous imperialistic attitudes. We have to focus on preserving our own unique civilisation and way of life. I have to agree with Carel on this. The Western world has become like the Roman Empire of old. We’ve had our glory days but now we’re in the 400s AD at this point. We’ve got to drastically change our political attitudes to dealing with the world and start to focus more on internal affairs. Otherwise there will be mere monuments standing to our civilisation in several hundred years time and nothing else.
Carel Boshoff himself has big plans for Orania. Already the town has bought another farm which the town has plans to develop with new houses and businesses. This isn’t a town stagnating by any stretch of the imagination. Its a town with new, more interesting plans ahead. Its seen steady growth but I’m optimistic that within the next 10 years, Orania is going to rapidly grow and look vastly different compared to how it looks today.
To the look at the Hayes’ old photographs or speak to people that have been in the town from day one, immediately you can come to the conclusion that Orania has made a rapid breakthrough even in the last five years.
The people themselves never stop coming either. When I was attending a town council meeting once, I spoke to a couple of women that were literally praying to move into town! Afrikaners throughout South Africa are tired of the crime and diminishing of Afrikaans culture. If it wasn’t for the housing shortage, there would be a huge migration of people moving in I feel.
Now Orania has an interesting system for allowing prospective residents to move into town. First an application must be filled in and sent to the town council. The questions vary from why you want to move into town to what religion you belong to and even blood type. Once its been sent off, the applicant(s) will get an appointment to meet the town council, usually comprised of Carel and several members of the council. The council will ask several questions and then let the applicant(s) know if they have succeeded. So even moving into town isn’t just a case of buying a house and moving in. However I feel it is necessary in order to get the right type of people that would be able to contribute to the town and its development.
Whilst I was at Carel’s, I did see his wife Anya with a group of schoolchildren from the Volkskool, teaching them how to make honey. I was fascinated to see how this honey was made and even was invited to have a taste! It was beautiful. I’ve never tasted freshly made honey before although the wax itself was chewy. As I was told, “just to spit it out, its like chewing gum.” I gingerly did so when no one was looking.
I did appreciate though Anya having the children over. You can tell the Boshoff’s really do care about Orania and its people. They always have enough time for everyone, even to teach school kids how to make honey at 4pm in the afternoon! I thought it was a very innovative approach to learning and did create more trust between parent and teacher.
I ended up leaving but thanking Carel for his time. It was at this stage I was invited by Anya to talk on the town’s education programme, which Carel was nice enough to give me a lift to. We discussed the education system in Britain and I couldn’t help praise Orania’s education system enough. I even talked a bit about Robin Hood, a name instantly recognised throughout Orania and South Africa. Just mention Sherwood Forest and people know what your talking about.
I think my last best moment in Orania though was teaching at the CVO Skool. I ended up getting a lift to the jewellery shop by Franz’s wife, Roelien. If anyone is visiting Orania, I’d recommend paying a visit to Roelien’s shop. She produces high quality jewellery and some fine French Huguenot crosses, representing the Afrikaner’s ancestry. As I would joke to Oranians, “perhaps that is why I like your town. I, too have Huguenot ancestry although they landed up in England rather then South Africa. I wonder if they made a mistake?”. It recieved quite a few giggles.
Well it was Roelien that setup my visit to the CVO Skool. I was to meet a Dr. Jones (Remember the song ‘Calling Dr. Jones’ anyone?), the English teacher at the school. I found Dr. Jones to be a thoroughly friendly gentlemen that truly lived for his job. The man looks like a spitting image of Patrick Stewart (think Captain Picard) although I have found a few people around the town that did look like famous movie stars. Who knows? Maybe the big stars eventually settle in Orania…
Anyway Dr. Jones showed me around the school and told me he’d taught in England. He did share with me though that he prefers teaching in South Africa, especially Orania. He found the schools in England to not have the proper discipline or respect towards teachers compared to schools in Orania. I sympathised with him. I’ve grown up in UK schools and I’ve encountered many experiences over the years.
However the discipline in Orania is just…well, I could say its not been seen since the Second World War in the UK. Children immediately stand to attention and wait until they are told to sit down. The kids don’t talk back and have the utmost respect for the teacher. I was impressed and really enjoyed teaching some English and History to the children. Even as young as seven, these kids truly are far more advanced compared to children in the average UK school. Their English is fantastic at such a young age. I think I really found my knack for teaching when I was in Orania. I was studying to go into that direction and I thank Orania for letting me live my dream for a day.
Walking back from the school, I popped into the local store and just laughed. It reminded me of a UK general store in the 1990s with even VHS tapes to rent! It brought a smile to my face and brought back many happy memories for me.
Well, as my Uncle always says, “good things always come to an end.” Unfortunately, Orania is no exception. I’d tried to find a job in the town because I’d enjoyed it so much yet unfortunately there wasn’t anything I’d be suited to doing. Yet everyone tried their best to help me and I appreciate that very much. So, whilst feeling down, I accepted the inevitable and resolved to make my way back to Cape Town and eventually England.
However on my last day, I spent the time saying good bye to the town’s people and even went on the radio to say goodbye and to thank the town for their kindness and hospitality. I can say though I did have one last interesting yet amusing experience. I went around to Wynand’s to return a book he lent me. Wynand was kind enough to invite me in and offered me a cup of coffee. However what did tickle me was when he told me that he unfortunately was only able to offer me store milk due to his cow recently dying. I can say something else about the Boshoff’s. They practice what they preach. They call on the town to do their own labour and even partake in it themselves. I feel that is inspirational in a way and encourages others to also get their hands dirty.
So what is my ultimate conclusions about Orania?
It is clear to me that Orania’s true success is its community spirit. Its something that has long gone extinct in Europe and the UK in particular. Going to Orania and seeing the community in action whether in a crisis situation or just general every day living, its like going back in time. The town has a very 1950s feel to it. It reminds me of my Grandparent’s stories about life during ‘the Blitz’ in the Second World War. About how people could leave their doors unlocked without fear of being robbed. How people would get together in times of a crisis and help each other. The good old ‘Dunkirk Spirit’ as it is termed. That is Orania in a nutshell.
I call them the “Pioneers of the 21st Century”. The town itself reminds me in a way of the first English colonies in the New World, in particular New Plymouth. Just a small simply town that eventually blossomed into something greater. I’m optimistic for Orania and feel that it still has a way to come but it has a great destiny waiting ahead for it. I am positive that the more the town succeeds, the more it will become a true beacon of Afrikanerdom for times to come.
When Frank gave me a lift back to the garage in Hope Town where I would get the bus back to Cape Town, I looked back into the night as it slowly disappeared out of view. I just smiled and promised myself I would return. Perhaps the town should change its motto and put underneath “once you enter, you never truly leave.” That is how I felt. It might just be a small town and not have exciting night life compared to the cities but its the people which draws you back. I can honestly say I discovered something of myself in Orania and made some friends for life.
Well, I look forward to returning to the town in the near future. Who knows how the town will have developed by the time I return? As I like to say: “Rome wasn’t built in a day, London wasn’t built in a day and Orania certainly won’t be built in a day. But it will be built eventually.”
~Jaymie Dobb
