Source: Stuart Thomas (My Digital Life)

Johnny en die Maaiers is the first attempt I’ve seen at a feature length documentary on the South African, and more specifically, Afrikaans music scene.

Produced by Stellenbosch  graduate Cobus Adriaanse, the feature, interspersed with Johnny and his bands search to make it big( Johnny and the band are a self effacing parody of South African bands, going through everything from the charged practises to the break ups to the trip to London in an attempt to find fame and success), the doccie is a look back at Afrikaans music over the past 40 years. An attempt to place Afrikaner music as being moulded by what it was, Johnny en die Maaiers takes the broadest possible outlook on the scene.

It seems to touch on everything, celebrating the likes of David Kramer, Anton Goosen and later the members of The Voelevry movement in their struggle to break free from the restraints of the National Party, while also acknowledging artist such Ge Korsten and Bles Bridges in their creation of a commercial Afrikaans market.

In the post apartheid subject fare it focuses on bands such the Nudies and Boo!, who were bands made up of Afrikaners, singing in English, while groups on the Cape Flats such as Brasse Vannie Kaap and Prophets of da City(POC) were turning Afrikaans into a rap medium. The final element is a look towards the post Zoid and Fokof era, in bands such as Foto na Dans, Zinkplaat and the two Fokof split bands as well as the rise of the music video in South Africa thanks to MK.

The voices used nearly all have something significant to do say and are worth hearing. The ones I thought most insightful were those of Zoid herself, Ramone form POC, Hunter Kennedy from Fokof and surprisingly Steve Hofmeyer, or maybe that was just because he was willing to laugh at his early mullet. Another important voice was that of Paul Riekert, lead man of industrial stalwarts Battery 9 ( pronounced Bat –te-ray Nege for those who don’t know). Francois and Wynand of Fokof and now Van Coke Cartel, were a little silly at times.

This really is a good documentary though, accessible even to people like me who haven’t spoken any real Afrikaans in nearly two years without falling into the shambolic  Engli-kaans which so permeates throughout the rest of MK’s fare. The show first aired on the 23 of June, check it out on MK if you can, otherwise there are shorter clips on YouTube. The production is great and don’t write it off just because it’s in Afrikaans