Abstract

SCHUTTE, Charla  and  VILJOEN, Martina. Postures of protest: The reinterpretation of FAK folk songs as expressions of (a new) nationalism and nostalgia. Acta acad. (Bloemfontein, Online) [online]. 2021, vol.53, n.1, pp.68-91. ISSN 2415-0479.  http://dx.doi.org/10.18820/24150479/aa53i1.4.

In post-apartheid South Africa, as part of deep-rooted socio-political and cultural disputes, Afrikaner ethnic anxiety is pervasive, while marginal and liminal experiences of being white and Afrikaans bring to the fore both self-protective positions of whiteness, and those that strive to undo regressive ideas of white power. Even before the demise of apartheid, Afrikaans alternative music has voiced dissenting positions that confront questions of race, ethnicity, and power. In this article 'recycled' FAK songs are analysed by way of Postural Theory, a theoretical framework developed by the South African philosopher Johann Visagie. Complemented by relevant perspectives relating to an understanding of opposing dislocated apartheid and post-apartheid senses of self, our examination of the deeper strata of the songs highlights postures of (morally and ethically) taking care, either of the self or the other - but also postures of meaninglessness and suffering, pointing to loss as a central aspect of the 'threatened identity'.

Keywords : protest songs; postural theory; threatened identity; Siembamba"; Vat jou goed en trek; Ferreira".

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