The Voëlvry movement was the “Boere Beatlemania” of the late 1980s, whose main proponents sported undeniably kitsch names like Koos Kombuis and Johannes Kerkorrel.
But far from being incidental, this eccentric bunch of young Afrikaans artists became the voice of their generation when South Africa was pushed to the brink of collapse by apartheid. Under the Voëlvry banner, their goal was the emancipation of Afrikaner youth from the strictures of their authoritarian, patriarchal culture — to make it cool to be Afrikaans.
Organised by Shifty Records and the left-leaning Afrikaans newspaper, Vrye Weekblad, they embarked on a national roadshow using music and performance to launch an attack on the Afrikaner establishment. This documtary examines the impact of this tour and the artists behind it.
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