To Bok or not to Bok - that's the question.

Bok van Blerk has according to some, shocked the Afrikaner into a reality that they didn't realise was there. Now for those un-educated, Bok is an Afrikaans artist or more precisely a singer. A couple of months ago he released a song called De la Rey.

The song deals with the British war against the Boer, calling for this once great leader to stand up and lead his nation to freedom from British rule and oppression. History however shows us that General De la Rey was a reconciliatory leader who died after being shot by accident by a policeman at a roadblock.

Buy it here

Bok is not the only Afrikaans artist to stir emotions in the industry. During the local provincial rugby tournament Vodacom flighted an advert (YouTube) featuring another immensely popular song " leeu loop". Robbie Wessels sold plenty of CD's after this and is surely a happy chap.

Buy it here

This all seems innocent and in the spirit of our new South Africa? Not so. South Africans (or are they?) complained about sexual connotations and half naked women on the Vodacom advert. Vodacom continued using the ad for the duration of the competition after the complaints commission found the complaints to be unfounded. Of course the newspapers were full of people complaining that it's common and not worthy of the Afrikaans speaking nation and that the song should be banned from radio and television. Luckily common sense prevailed.

Bok van Blerk is a different ball game altogether. Some protagonists referred to the song as rebellious and a call to arms, saying that the British (as in the lyrics) actually points to the Blacks in South Africa. Commentators warned that the extreme right-wing might hi-jack the song and use it as a call to arms for Afrikaners. Max du Preez, a well respected journalist reckons that the song has racial undertones. Well Max, maybe the time has come to throw your pencil sharpener away and retire. What does make sense though is what he said on the Carte Blanche program. Most white Afrikaners (yes, there are other races who are proudly Afrikaans) feel unwelcome and rejected. With schools ignoring the Afrikaner history, Mbeki's TV promotions on a unified nation, crime taking it's toll on farmers and the total disregard by the ANC of the Afrikaner in South Africa, it is time to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of pride and a sense of purpose.

Zuma's song (get my machine gun - or something to that effect - Awuleth'umshini wami) definitely stirs up emotions far beyond what De la Rey can ever hope. And of course, the Blue Bulls (rugby) decided not to play the song at Loftus during rugby matches after some spectators complained. Of course, this decision was quickly reversed after even more complained that they want it played. Oh, the wonders of democracy! Even if they won't play the complete song.

Bok himself had this to say :

"But I believe we are in the privileged position to act as a voice for the public. I can accentuate the Afrikaans culture with songs like De La Rey so that young South Africans can develop a new pride in their culture.

"Our era's youth grew up during the transition phase from apartheid to the rainbow nation and in the process a lot of Afrikaner pride was lost."

That doesn't mean that he clings to the apartheid years. "To the contrary, I am simply proudly Afrikaans in the new South Africa."

Download partial clips here - De la Rey Leeuloop

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