HNP flag

Since 1994 we have been a conquered and oppressed people, not a mere minority community within a greater “rainbow nation”. Although many Afrikaners have since accepted the new dispensation, we still uphold our nationhood. We also strive to regain our freedom in our fatherland in accordance with international law, which acknowledges the right of every people to self-determination.

How did our nationhood arise? In the course of history, South Africa was occupied more or less simultaneously by the white people who came from Europe, and various black peoples who migrated from Central Africa and settled in various locations. The latter did not develop the parts of the land where they settled.

The non-English-speaking Europeans evolved into a separate Afrikaner nation with a Western culture. They occupied empty land, bought minor pieces of land from the black peoples and - in exceptional cases - conquered land after being attacked. Over a period of three and a half centuries they developed their whole land into a highly developed state.

On the 14th of August 1875 eight men gathered in the Paarl to discuss the translation of the Bible in Afrikaans and founded the Genootskap vir Regte Afrikaners, the GRA. The society was the starting-point of the long struggle for the recognition of Afrikaans.

The Bible was o­nly translated into Afrikaans in 1933 because the GRA first wanted the language to be established as a written language. While Afrikaans was used during social intercourse, the schools and churches still used Dutch. To convince people that Afrikaans was suitable for formal learning was no easy task. The GRA published letters, stories and dialogues in their paper, The "Afrikaanse Patriot" that proved the language's paper ability. Later other writers such as JHH de Waal and CJ Langenhoven entered the struggle and taught the nation to read Afrikaans. The success Afrikaans had, can be ascribed to some of the following:

• The language was a reality - people spoke Afrikaans and later learned to write it.

Is Afrikaans still a reality to us? Do we insist o­n using our language when we enter restaurants and shops?.