Ek is n Afrikaan
Ek is 'n Afrikaan
Willa Boezak
Ek het in 'n toegewyde Christelike huis grootgeword. My pa was 'n skool-prinsipaal en 'n ouderling in die Nederduits Gereformeerde Sendingkerk. My ma was 'n uitnemende tuisteskepper. By beide het ek waardes geleer soos respaek vir ander ongeag ouderdom, geslag, geloof en kleur, maar veral 'n sterk sin vir geregtigheid. Hoewel dit gedurende die harde apartheidsjare was, het ek 'n gelukkige kindertyd beleef. Eers later het die ongelukkigheid toegeslaan in die vorm van die Groepsgebiedewet. Twee van my ouer broers het hulself as predikante bekwaam en dit was byna vanselfsprekend dat ek dieselfde paadjie sou loop. Uiteindelik het die Kerk my geroep om Christelike etiek te doseer aan die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland en ek dog toe ek het dit gemaak!
Dit was egter terwyl ek besig was met navorsing vir my doktorale tesis gedurende die laat 80ger jare, dat ek op iets afgekom het wat die keerpunt in my lewe geword het. In een van daai boeke oor die koloniale geskiedenis het die naam Boezak opgeduik as een van die hoofleiers in Khoi-Xhosa oorlog wat in die Oos-Kaap gewoed het vanaf 1799-1803. Terselfdertyd het 'n ander Boezak, genaamd Hendrik - wat 'n olifantjagter was van beroep - hom onder die leiding van die beroemde sendeling, dr Johannes van der Kemp, tot die Christelike geloof bekeer. Twee Boezaks gedurende dieselfde opstand van Khoi slawe, maar een kies die weg van gewelddadige verset terwyl die ander 'n evangelis word? Ek was gefassineerd deur hierdie openbaringe en het intens geintereseerd geraak in die geskiedenis, kultuur, taal en oorspronklike geloof van my voorouers.
Voor ek verder gaan, eers dit: Ek is geseënd met 'n wonderlike familie, maar niemand, nie 'n enkele siel, het my ingelig oor ons verbintenis met die Khoi-San as Eerste Nasie nie. Nie dat ek hulle dit verkwalik nie. Of hulle het dit nie geweet nie of dit het nie saak gemaak nie. Immers, om Christen te wees waarborg 'n volledige en vervulde lewenswyse. Tog, hoe meer ek begin het om te grawe in die geskiedenis van die Khoi-Khoi, en die Boezak-stam in besonder, hoe meer het ek bewus geword van die verskriklike verlies in terme van ons kollektiewe geheue as familie. Die geweldige gapings, die gebroke band soos 'n naelstring wat weggegooi is - verlore as gevolg van die opsetlike optredes van 'n regering wat ons herklassifiseer het as "Kaapse Kleurlinge". Onreg en wonde.
Maar ek is 'n Afrikaan. My mense was die Goringhaikwa - wat letterlik beteken die "Hoë-kraal-mense", want ons het ons kraal hoog teen Tafelberg gebou waar ons eeue-lank gebly het. Na twee oorloë ( die eerste in 1659 aangevoer deur die briljante jong Goringhaikwa strateeg, Nomoa; die tweede in 1673 gelei deur die Cochokwa) het verskeie groepe onder leiding van Kora na die Noord-Kaap getrek. Boonop was daar ook die vernietigende pokkies epidemie van 1713 aan die Kaap. My familie het by die Zakrivier hul staanplek gevind en hulself Boven-Zak genoem (In Hollands het die "boven" of "bo" as herinnering gedien vanwaar ons eintlik vandaan kom). Onder die invloed van Afrikaans het dit later Boezak geword, en nog later, Boesak.
Tien jaar gelede het ek in die Voorwoord van my boek God's Wrathful Children geskryf: "Persoonlik vind ek die frustrasie en die pyn om vervreem te wees van die grond van my voorouers, die Khoi-Khoi se taal, kultuur en godsdiens, soms ondraaglik." Nou is die pyn draaglik want ek kan sê: "Ek is 'n Afrikaan!"
Willa Boezak
I am an African
I was born into a staunch, devout Christian family. My father was a school principal and a Dutch Reformed Mission Church elder. My mother was the homemaker par excellence. From both I've learned values such as respect for others regardless of their age, gender, creed or colour but, above all, a strong sense for justice. Although it was during the harsh apartheid years, I had a happy childhood. It was only much later that unhappiness would strike in the form of the Group Areas Act. Two of my elder brothers qualified themselves as ministers of religion and it felt natural at the time that I would follow suit.. Eventually I was called by the Church to teach Christian ethics at the University of the Western Cape and I thought I had arrived!
However, it was while I was doing research on my doctoral thesis in the late 80's that I'd picked up something which became the turning point in my life. One of the books on colonial history mentioned the name Boezak as one of the principal leaders in a Khoi-Xhosa war waged in the Eastern Cape from 1799-1803. At the same time another Boezak, named Hendrik - an elephant hunter by profession - converted to Christianity under the guidance of the missionary Dr. Johannes van der Kemp, who came to South Africa in 1799. Two Boezaks during the same uprising of Khoi servants, but one chose the way of resistance and the other became a Christian, a preacher. I was fascinated by these revelations and took a keen interest in the history, culture, language and original faith of my ancestors.
At this point I must assert that I have been blessed with a wonderful family, but nobody, not a single soul, informed me about being linked to the Khoi-San as First Nation. I cannot blame them, for either they did not know or they chose not to remember for they felt they lived a complete and fulfilled way of life, by being Christians. Yet, the more I began to dig into the history of the Khoi-Khoi, and particularly the Boezak-clan, the more I became aware of the terrible loss we have suffered as a family, in terms of our collective memory. The huge gaps, the broken links was like an umbilical cord thrown away - severed because of the deliberate actions of a government bent on reclassifying us as "Cape Coloureds". An injustice added to injury.
But I am an African. My people were the Goringhaiqua, which literally means the "High-kraal-people", for they made their kraals high up on Table Mountain, where we had lived for centuries. After two wars (the first in 1659 engineered by Nomoa - a brilliant young Goringhaiqua tactician; the second in 1673, led by the Cochoqua, many groups trekked to the Northern Cape under the leadership of Kora. Then there was the disastrous small pox epidemic of 1713. At last my clan settled at the Zak River and called themselves Boven-Zak (in Dutch "boven" or "bo" - high up - served as a reminder of the place we hailed from). Under the influence of Afrikaans it became Boezak and later Boesak.
Ten years ago I wrote in the Preface of my book God's Wrathful Children: "Personally I find the frustration of being alienated from my ancestral land, the Khoi-Khoi language, and its culture and religion sometimes unbearable". Now the pain has become bearable for I know I can say: "I am an African!"
Willa Boezak
Willa Boezak
Ek het in 'n toegewyde Christelike huis grootgeword. My pa was 'n skool-prinsipaal en 'n ouderling in die Nederduits Gereformeerde Sendingkerk. My ma was 'n uitnemende tuisteskepper. By beide het ek waardes geleer soos respaek vir ander ongeag ouderdom, geslag, geloof en kleur, maar veral 'n sterk sin vir geregtigheid. Hoewel dit gedurende die harde apartheidsjare was, het ek 'n gelukkige kindertyd beleef. Eers later het die ongelukkigheid toegeslaan in die vorm van die Groepsgebiedewet. Twee van my ouer broers het hulself as predikante bekwaam en dit was byna vanselfsprekend dat ek dieselfde paadjie sou loop. Uiteindelik het die Kerk my geroep om Christelike etiek te doseer aan die Universiteit van Wes-Kaapland en ek dog toe ek het dit gemaak!
Dit was egter terwyl ek besig was met navorsing vir my doktorale tesis gedurende die laat 80ger jare, dat ek op iets afgekom het wat die keerpunt in my lewe geword het. In een van daai boeke oor die koloniale geskiedenis het die naam Boezak opgeduik as een van die hoofleiers in Khoi-Xhosa oorlog wat in die Oos-Kaap gewoed het vanaf 1799-1803. Terselfdertyd het 'n ander Boezak, genaamd Hendrik - wat 'n olifantjagter was van beroep - hom onder die leiding van die beroemde sendeling, dr Johannes van der Kemp, tot die Christelike geloof bekeer. Twee Boezaks gedurende dieselfde opstand van Khoi slawe, maar een kies die weg van gewelddadige verset terwyl die ander 'n evangelis word? Ek was gefassineerd deur hierdie openbaringe en het intens geintereseerd geraak in die geskiedenis, kultuur, taal en oorspronklike geloof van my voorouers.
Voor ek verder gaan, eers dit: Ek is geseënd met 'n wonderlike familie, maar niemand, nie 'n enkele siel, het my ingelig oor ons verbintenis met die Khoi-San as Eerste Nasie nie. Nie dat ek hulle dit verkwalik nie. Of hulle het dit nie geweet nie of dit het nie saak gemaak nie. Immers, om Christen te wees waarborg 'n volledige en vervulde lewenswyse. Tog, hoe meer ek begin het om te grawe in die geskiedenis van die Khoi-Khoi, en die Boezak-stam in besonder, hoe meer het ek bewus geword van die verskriklike verlies in terme van ons kollektiewe geheue as familie. Die geweldige gapings, die gebroke band soos 'n naelstring wat weggegooi is - verlore as gevolg van die opsetlike optredes van 'n regering wat ons herklassifiseer het as "Kaapse Kleurlinge". Onreg en wonde.
Maar ek is 'n Afrikaan. My mense was die Goringhaikwa - wat letterlik beteken die "Hoë-kraal-mense", want ons het ons kraal hoog teen Tafelberg gebou waar ons eeue-lank gebly het. Na twee oorloë ( die eerste in 1659 aangevoer deur die briljante jong Goringhaikwa strateeg, Nomoa; die tweede in 1673 gelei deur die Cochokwa) het verskeie groepe onder leiding van Kora na die Noord-Kaap getrek. Boonop was daar ook die vernietigende pokkies epidemie van 1713 aan die Kaap. My familie het by die Zakrivier hul staanplek gevind en hulself Boven-Zak genoem (In Hollands het die "boven" of "bo" as herinnering gedien vanwaar ons eintlik vandaan kom). Onder die invloed van Afrikaans het dit later Boezak geword, en nog later, Boesak.
Tien jaar gelede het ek in die Voorwoord van my boek God's Wrathful Children geskryf: "Persoonlik vind ek die frustrasie en die pyn om vervreem te wees van die grond van my voorouers, die Khoi-Khoi se taal, kultuur en godsdiens, soms ondraaglik." Nou is die pyn draaglik want ek kan sê: "Ek is 'n Afrikaan!"
Willa Boezak
I am an African
I was born into a staunch, devout Christian family. My father was a school principal and a Dutch Reformed Mission Church elder. My mother was the homemaker par excellence. From both I've learned values such as respect for others regardless of their age, gender, creed or colour but, above all, a strong sense for justice. Although it was during the harsh apartheid years, I had a happy childhood. It was only much later that unhappiness would strike in the form of the Group Areas Act. Two of my elder brothers qualified themselves as ministers of religion and it felt natural at the time that I would follow suit.. Eventually I was called by the Church to teach Christian ethics at the University of the Western Cape and I thought I had arrived!
However, it was while I was doing research on my doctoral thesis in the late 80's that I'd picked up something which became the turning point in my life. One of the books on colonial history mentioned the name Boezak as one of the principal leaders in a Khoi-Xhosa war waged in the Eastern Cape from 1799-1803. At the same time another Boezak, named Hendrik - an elephant hunter by profession - converted to Christianity under the guidance of the missionary Dr. Johannes van der Kemp, who came to South Africa in 1799. Two Boezaks during the same uprising of Khoi servants, but one chose the way of resistance and the other became a Christian, a preacher. I was fascinated by these revelations and took a keen interest in the history, culture, language and original faith of my ancestors.
At this point I must assert that I have been blessed with a wonderful family, but nobody, not a single soul, informed me about being linked to the Khoi-San as First Nation. I cannot blame them, for either they did not know or they chose not to remember for they felt they lived a complete and fulfilled way of life, by being Christians. Yet, the more I began to dig into the history of the Khoi-Khoi, and particularly the Boezak-clan, the more I became aware of the terrible loss we have suffered as a family, in terms of our collective memory. The huge gaps, the broken links was like an umbilical cord thrown away - severed because of the deliberate actions of a government bent on reclassifying us as "Cape Coloureds". An injustice added to injury.
But I am an African. My people were the Goringhaiqua, which literally means the "High-kraal-people", for they made their kraals high up on Table Mountain, where we had lived for centuries. After two wars (the first in 1659 engineered by Nomoa - a brilliant young Goringhaiqua tactician; the second in 1673, led by the Cochoqua, many groups trekked to the Northern Cape under the leadership of Kora. Then there was the disastrous small pox epidemic of 1713. At last my clan settled at the Zak River and called themselves Boven-Zak (in Dutch "boven" or "bo" - high up - served as a reminder of the place we hailed from). Under the influence of Afrikaans it became Boezak and later Boesak.
Ten years ago I wrote in the Preface of my book God's Wrathful Children: "Personally I find the frustration of being alienated from my ancestral land, the Khoi-Khoi language, and its culture and religion sometimes unbearable". Now the pain has become bearable for I know I can say: "I am an African!"
Willa Boezak
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posted by Ashraf at 6:56 AM
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