The Volksmoeder Myth: A Church Square Game

Church Square, at its inception in 1910, was home to the Afrikaner nagmaal, sondagskool, potjiekos and volkspele. It was an exclusive white laager where Afrikaner rituals were freely exercised. In the contemporary performance of these rituals however, the Afrikaner is confronted with feelings of alienation and shame in a post-apartheid South Africa. In the wake of democracy, Afrikanerdom has been dethroned and globally condemned for its complicity in the apartheid system. The Afrikaner must navigate this socio-political space in order to find a place in a new South Africa.

As part of her thesis, titled, “The Volksmoeder Myth: A Modern Finishing School”, Lynette designed a detention curriculum for Afrikaans female high school students, which culminated in an installation of an interactive game in Pretoria Church Square. The tasks that constitute the game were inspired by rituals which were instrumental in establishing the Afrikaner as a dignified and independent volk.

In completing the game, students were instructed to fulfil tasks in a subversive manner, in order to critically re-evaluate their inherited Afrikaner rituals and values. The curriculum was designed to train social assassins – individuals who disrupt inherited etiquettes.

The Afrikaans Christian Woman (ACW), as successor of the volksmoeder, or “mother of the nation”, finds her prescribed identity nestled in the confines of Calvinist values, Afrikaner Nationalism, and traditional female gender roles. This ideal of perfect Afrikaner femininity has been culturally constructed and refined over a century of Afrikaner development.

The proposed short curriculum allows the Afrikaans high school girl to discover and interrogate her heritage – its strengths and weaknesses, enduring relevance, and hidden dangers for future generations of Afrikaans Christian women.

Key words/tags: Ritual, Afrikaner politeness, inherited etiquette, social assassin