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?.

• The GRA'S enthusiasm for Afrikaans never stopped.

Today the language is interspersed with English words and idioms.

• The majority of the GRA'S members were farmers.

If we compare this with today's academical high treason, it seems almost necessary to keep the language away from the learned.

To retain Afrikaans and to develop the language is the responsibility of all of us. The past shows us that those men and their followers did everything in their power for Afrikaans. The language is very adaptable and has been fully developed in the scientific and computer world. Web addresses can just as easily be reflected in Afrikaans as in English. Let us continue to serve and deserve our language