– By Marisa Engelbrecht
Seated next to me on the aeroplane is an older woman. Her hair is almost completely grey, and deep lines of sadness trace the corners of her eyes. She is on her way to the Netherlands to visit her children. She hasn’t seen her son and his family in three years.
“The children have grown so much!” she jokes excitedly. Her granddaughter has recently become a mother, and she is travelling abroad to meet the new baby and lend a hand. Unfortunately, her husband couldn’t join her – the plane tickets are simply too expensive, but he will get a turn next year.
Her daughter lives in Australia. “She and her husband have been there nearly 20 years. The children don’t speak Afrikaans anymore. It’s so sad,” she says. “My English isn’t exactly great either, so it’s hard to communicate with them.”
I listen closely as she shares a bittersweet blend of excitement and sorrow about her children. She is, however, deeply grateful that they were able to find opportunities abroad and that they are doing well. I, too, am no stranger to family and friends living overseas. We all know someone abroad – children, uncles, aunts, close friends, acquaintances, former colleagues. People who had to make the extremely difficult decision to pack up and put down new roots in a “safer” foreign land.
Last year, I had the privilege of undertaking an extensive research project with the Solidarity Research Institute, focusing on Afrikaners living abroad. Why did we do this research? Because we identified a need among our people abroad, who are directly experiencing a sense of alienation from our Afrikaner culture. The risk of disconnection is even greater among second- and third-generation emigrants, and the research repeatedly highlighted issues related to identity, alienation, values, isolation, language, heritage, and education.
What did we hope to achieve with this research? Our aim was to create a digital home for Afrikaners living abroad – a space where they can virtually experience the familiar feeling of being at home and the warmth of Afrikaner hospitality. This was, of course, no easy task, but the feedback and input we received throughout the research process were truly insightful and invaluable. We also examined initiatives undertaken by other countries to support their diaspora, exploring the structure of their projects. The difference, of course, is that other countries’ governments are mostly driving these projects. The South African government does not have such a project for Afrikaners, and we felt a responsibility to help fill this gap.
From our wish list of what we hoped to develop and offer in this virtual home, we reached out to all the institutions within the Solidarity Movement to lend a hand in building the heartbeat of this virtual world – and there it is today: MyHartland [MyHeartland or lit. “country of my heart”], the virtual cultural home for every Afrikaner living abroad.
Our launch offering includes eight sections: Afrikaans Cultural Home [Afrikaanse Kultuurhuis], My Community [My Gemeenskap], Children’s Corner [Kinderhoekie], Traditional Recipes [Boerekosresepte], the Come and Visit youth programme [Kom kuier-jeugprogram], Entrepreneurs, Jobs [Werk], and News [Nuus]. In addition, there is the opportunity for individuals to become digital citizens of MyHartland by supporting one (or more) of our ten projects. They are also welcome to create a free profile, allowing them to begin their virtual journey with MyHartland and follow us on this new path.
Pack your bags today and bring your family, close friends, uncles, aunts, acquaintances, and former colleagues along on this virtual journey to MyHartland, because our roots are grounded in our language, our culture, our identity, and our connection to one another,
regardless of where we, or our children, live in the world. MyHartland, your virtual cultural home.
