Vandag lyk die Overberg soos ’n tipe paradys: groen op die lande waar die koring eersdaags kniehoogte gaan staan, die diep landbougrond deurdrenk danksy vroegwinterreën. In die blou Suid-Afrikaanse lug skyn die son van oor tot oor.
Today, the Overberg looks like a type of paradise: green on the fields where the wheat will soon be knee-high, soaking up the deep agricultural soil thanks to early winter rains. In the blue South African sky the sun shines from ear to ear.
Ek is op pad na die dorpie Greyton om met die reggae-band Country Conquerors te gesels. Die grondpad wat ek volg swenk deur ’n bloekombos waar ’n groep mans hout in stompies saag om in die nabygeleë dorpe te gaan verkoop as kaggelhout. Dis harde werk, en wanneer ek verbyry kom een ou orent agter ’n afgeleefde bakkie, maak stywe rug reguit en knik in my rigting wanneer ek my vinger van die stuurwiel lig as groet.
I’m on my way to the town of Greyton to chat with the reggae band Country Conquerors. The dirt road I follow winds through a eucalyptus forest where a group of men saw wood in stumps to sell firewood in the nearby towns. It’s hard work, and when I drive past one old man gets up behind a decrepit bakkie, straightens his stiff back and nods in my direction when I lift my finger off the steering wheel as a greeting.
Ek luister na Country Conquerors se tweede album, Streng Verbode, wat in 2020 verskyn het. Die album bestaan uit 13 vrolike reggaeliedjies. Dis musiek vir voet ritmies saamtik, vir dans.
I’m listening to Country Conquerors’ second album, Strictly Forbidden, which was released in 2020. The album consists of 13 cheerful reggae songs. It’s music for the feet, rhythmic tapping, for dancing to.
“We are living in the small little village on the foot of the mountain,” sing hulle op die liedjie Country Lion of Love.
Verder aan, nader aan Greyton, kom ek twee bergfietsryers tee, en dan ’n drawwer. Suid-Afrikaners is die kontraste van ryk en arm gewoond: Robot-bedelaar by jou toegedraaide voertuigvenster op ’n snikwarm dag wanneer jy agter donkerbril en lugreëling kan skuil. Plakkerskamp wat onder die vlerk van die vliegtuig waarmee jy moeiteloos binne twee ure regoor die land vlieg uitskuif soos ’n enorme, geroeste, beknopte laslappiekombers. Jou restaurantrekening wat soms vir één ete soveel is as wat sommige gesinne ’n maand mee moet deurskraap op basiese rantsoene. Party mense stap ’n camino om hulself te vind; ander kruis ’n kontinent te voet uit desperaatheid op soek na ’n werk, ’n lewe. Sommige het die tyd om te gaan draf sodat hulle fiks kan bly; ander hardloop weg van vervolging, burgeroorlog en geweld.
Further on, closer to Greyton, I meet two mountain bikers, and then a runner. South Africans are used to the contrasts of rich and poor: Robot beggar at your closed car window on a sweltering hot day when you can hide behind sunglasses and air conditioning. Squatter camp that slides under the wing of the plane with which you fly effortlessly across the country within two hours like an enormous, rusty, cramped patchwork quilt. Your restaurant bill, which is sometimes as much for one meal as some families have to scrape together for a month on basic rations. Some people get into a camino to find themselves; others cross a continent on foot out of desperation in search of a job, a life. Some have the time to go jogging so they can stay fit; others run away from persecution, civil war and violence.
“We are surrounded by the birds and the bees and the fountain,
we are called The Country Conquerors,
we are living in the valley of fruitfulness.”
Ek ry Greyton binne. Greyton is ’n mooi plek – Kapenaars ontvlug hierheen vir ’n mak naweek in die platteland. Dit het oulike koffiewinkels en restaurantjies waar hip mense met die nuutste modes agter slimfone en cappucinos op-catch met mekaar. Dis die tipe dorp waarvoor Engelse reisjoernaliste genoop voel om woorde soos “nestled” en “quaint” in te span. Volgens die Google-algoritme se “People Also Ask”-funksie is die derde gewildste vraag oor die dorp die volgende: Can you drink the water in Greyton?
I drive into Greyton. Greyton is a beautiful place – Capetonians flee here for a peaceful weekend in the countryside. It has cute coffee shops and restaurants where hip people with the latest fashions catch-up with each other behind smartphones and cappucinos. It’s the type of town for which English travel journalists feel compelled to use words such as ‘nestled’ and ‘quaint’. According to the Google algorithm’s People Also Ask function, the third most popular question about the town is the following: Can you drink the water in Greyton?
Maar die grootste deel van die bevolking van Greyton is nie mense wat gebottelde water kan bekostig sou die kraanwater ondrinkbaar word nie. Greyton is net soos enige ander Suid-Afrikaanse dorp. Die straatjies mag dalk “quaint” wees en die dorp ge-“nestle” wees aan die voet van die Riviersonderendberg, maar hier is ook armoede en misdaad.
But the majority of Greyton’s population are not people who can afford bottled water should tap water become undrinkable. Greyton is just like any other South African town. The streets may be “quaint” and the town may be “nestled” at the foot of the Riviersonderendberg, but there is also poverty and crime here.
I say take a look around,
I can see that the children are inspired by Satan.
We conquer now, from Genesis to Revelations
So we can bring peace and joy to the children of Greyton
We are called The Country Conquerors!
Ek ontmoet vier lede van die band by die Eco-Lodge Backpackers & Hostel aan die rand van die dorp. (Die plek was lank gelede ’n skoolkoshuis, en voel nog so, ondanks die nuwe clientele.) Riaan Strydom (47 jaar oud) is een van die vocalists. Hy is ’n klein man wat min sê wanneer my opnemer aan is. Langs hom sit sy neef, Taswill Strydom (31), tromspeler. Marius Levi Davids (50) is die ander vocalist en Marshall Rinquest (32) die baskitaarspeler. (Kitaarspeler Emile Viljoen, klawerbordspeler Nigel Davids en kitaarspeler Wayne Sampson kon nie hier wees nie.) Wanneer ek uitvra oor die begindae – in 2007 reeds – van Country Conquerors is dit Taswill wat eerste praat.
I meet four members of the band at the Eco-Lodge Backpackers & Hostel on the outskirts of town. (The place was a school residence a long time ago, and still feels that way, despite the new clientele.) Riaan Strydom (47 years old) is one of the vocalists. He’s a gentle, diminutive man who says little when my recorder is on. Next to him sits his cousin, Taswill Strydom (31), the band’s drummer. Marius Levi Davids (50) is the other vocalist and Marshall “Tuff” Rinquest (32) the bass guitarist. (Guitarist Emile Viljoen, keyboardist Nigel Davids and guitarist Wayne Sampson could not be here.) When I ask about the early days – as far back as 2007 – of Country Conquerors, it is Taswill who speaks first.
“Wat gebeur het is, ek, Taswill Strydom, is al van kleins af ’n musiekliefhebber. Ek het gewoontlik gespeel met paint-blikkies en koffieblikkies. Toe het ons verder gegaan en vir ons regte instrumente gekry en ek het vir die manne so bietjie geleer en van my talent aangepass, want ek was die enigste een wat kon gespeel het. Ons het eers begin met akoestiese kitare. My musiekagtergrond kom uit die kerk uit, die saadjie is daar geplant.”
“What happened is that I, Taswill Strydom, have been a music lover since I was a child. I usually played with paint cans and coffee cans. Then we went ahead and got our right instruments and I taught the men gradually and adapted some of my talent because I was the only one who could play. We first started with acoustic guitars. My music background comes from the church, the seed was planted there. ”
“Ek self was in ’n different kerkgroep as hulle,” sê Marius. “Riaan was ook in ’n koor en ons het altyd kompetisies teen mekaar gehad. Dis hoekom ek wiet van hom en hy wiet van my. Marshall het ons ingekry as bass speler, hy was Taswill se vriend gewees van kleins af. En só, man. Eintlik het ons Riaan leer ken deur Rastafari, hy was van jongs af Rastafari”.
“I myself was in a different church group than them,” says Marius. “Riaan was also in a choir and we always had competitions against each other. That’s why I know about him and he knows about me. We got Marshall in as a bass player, he had been Taswill’s friend since childhood. In fact, we got to know Riaan through Rastafari, he was a Rastafarian from a young age, Greyton’s first”.
By Riaan se huis in Bosmanskloof, het die band bymekaargekom en hulle voete gevind as musikante. Hulle eerste gig was by die Greyton Lodge, en mense het hulle begin raaksien en uitgenooi na musiekfeeste of om by privaatpartytjies te speel.
The band came together and found their feet as musicians at Riaan’s house in Bosmanskloof. Their first gig was at the Greyton Lodge, and people started spotting them and inviting them to music festivals or to play at private parties.
“Ons eerste uitgaan gig was in Constantia in die Kaap,” onthou Marius. “Dit was iemand se verjaarsdag gewees. Jis, dit was ’n rou band! Daar was nie drums nie, en ons het iets vergeet – die keyboard se adapter! Gelukkig het iemand anders ’n adapter gehad, toe is ons darem keyboard, kitaar en twee vocals, en wragtig, ons het lekker gekry man! Ons het seker ’n vyf uur show gehou daai dag. Dit het bietjie confidence geboost”.
“Our first outing gig was in Constantia in the Cape,” Marius recalls. “It was someone’s birthday. The band was raw. There were no drums, and we forgot something – the keyboard’s adapter! Luckily someone else had an adapter, so we were at least keyboard, guitar and two vocals, and really, we had a good time man! We probably had a five hour show that day. It boosted some confidence ”.
Country Conquerors het nie in daai jare besef hulle is eintlik ’n Afrikaanse band nie. As Bob Marley-fans het hulle Marley en ander reggae-covers gespeel. Judah Brown van die band Bloodline se Afrikaanse reggaeliedjie Sanna het hulle ore op die regte tyd bereik, en Country Conquerors het besluit dat as hulle wil uitstaan moes hulle iets anders doen. Die logiese ding was om in Afrikaans te sing. (Hulle weergawe van Sanna verskyn ook op Streng Verbode. Die song gaan oor Sanna wat ’n kind in die lewe bring: “…nog ’n kind wat moet swaarkry, mamma…”)
Country Conquerors did not realize in those years that they were actually an Afrikaans band. As Bob Marley fans, they played Marley and other reggae covers. Judah Brown of the band Bloodline’s Afrikaans reggae song Sanna reached their ears at the right time, and Country Conquerors decided that if they wanted to stand out, they had to do something different. The logical thing was to sing in Afrikaans. (Their version of Sanna also appears on Strictly Forbidden. The song is about Sanna who brings a child into life: “… another child who has to suffer, mum …”)
Taswill: “Ons het besef jy kan praat van die omstandighede wat jy elke dag sien. Die realiteit daar buite kan jy in ’n song sit. Want as mens altyd net praat of preek dan kry mense nie die boodskap nie. Maar as jy bietjie kan dans…”
Taswill: “We realized you can talk about the circumstances you see every day. You can put the reality out there in a song. Because if one always just talks or preaches then people do not get the message. But if you can dance a little … ”
Marius: “Toe besluit ons ons gaan skel oor tik, so Tik was ons eerste original Afrikaanse song”. Tik is al in 2009 geskryf, en alhoewel dit (soos verskeie van die ander liedjies op Streng Verbode) reeds destyds op hul debuutalbum Valley of Fruitfulness verskyn het, is dit heropgeneem en een van die sleutelsnitte op Streng Verbode.
Marius: “Then we decided we were going to scold about tik, so Tik was our first original Afrikaans song”. Tik was already written in 2009, and although it (like several of the other songs on Strictly Forbidden) already appeared on their debut album Valley of Fruitfulness at the time, it was re-recorded and is one of the key tracks on Strictly Forbidden.
Die verskaffers is nou baie, baie in hul skik
Met die nuwe ding genaamd die tik
’n Bietjie poeier word so in ’n strôtjie gedruk
En soe word dit verkoep in die distrik
The suppliers are now very, very happy
With the new thing called tik
A little powder is thus pressed into a straw
And in this form is sold in the district
O, ja, onse kinders het nou weer ’n nuwe ding
En al die kinders in die strate rook nou tik
En die familie en die huislewe is onder druk
En daar’s al vele in die proses platgeruk
O, ja, dis waar (dis waar, ja)
Oh, yes, our children now have a new thing
And all the kids in the streets are now smoking tik
And family and home life are under pressure
And many have been torn down in the process
Oh, yes, it’s true (it’s true, yes)
En onse kinders kan nou glad nou nie meer slaap nie
And our children can no longer sleep at all
Tik het die Country Conquerors rigting gegee. In 2010 het hulle ná ’n suksesvolle oudisie ’n rits gigs gespeel rondom die Wêreldbeker-sokkertoernooi. Hulle is uitgenooi na feeste, en ook skole – waar hulle anti-dwelm-boodskap gewild was. Die band het hulle plek raakgesien:
Om in Afrikaans te sing oor die maatskaplike probleme in hulle eie gemeenskap.
Tik het dadelik van hulle ’n outentieke groep gemaak. Hulle kon protes aanteken teen die status quo bloot deur te sing wat hulle reeds gedink, gepraat en gelééf het.
Tik gave the Country Conquerors direction. In 2010, after a successful audition, they played a series of gigs around the World Cup. They were invited to parties, and also schools – where their anti-drug message was popular. The band saw their place: Singing in Afrikaans about the social problems in their own community. Tik immediately made them an authentic group. They could protest against the status quo simply by singing what they had already thought, spoken and lived.
Dinsdae kom hulle byeen by Riaan se huis in Markleliestraat. Dan werk hulle aan die musiek. Sondae ontmoet hulle by Marius se huis, nommer 14 Asterlaan, Heuwelkroon. Dan is dit tyd om die lirieke te slyp, wat meestal Marius en Riaan se werk is.
On Tuesdays they meet at Riaan’s house in Marklelie Street. Then they work on the music. On Sundays they meet at Marius’ house, number 14 Asterlaan, Heuwelkroon. Then it’s time to hone the lyrics, which are mostly Marius and Riaan’s work.
Marshall: “Ons wag vir dinge om te unfold in ons gemeenskap. Waar ons leef kan jy mos sien wat unfold en wat belangrik is”.
Marius: “Soos Kinners oppi hoek, die kindermoorde wat so gebeur het, soos in Bredasdorp, met Anene”.
Riaan: “Dit het ons geraak omdat dit so na aan ons is”.
Marius: “Diep, diep, geraak”.
Marshall: “We are waiting for things to unfold in our community. Where we live, you can see what is unfolding and what is important ”.
Marius: “Like Children on the corner, the child murders that happened like that, like in Bredasdorp, with Anene”.
Riaan: “It affected us because it is so close to us”.
Marius: “Deeply, deeply affected us”.
Die verkragting en moord van 17-jarige Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp het opslae gemaak in Februarie 2013 (dit het daai maand meegeding met die moord van Reeva Steenkamp vir koerantkolomme). Die brutaliteit van die daad sou enigeen wat selfs vinnig na die koerantberig gekyk het tot stilstand dwing. Kinners oppi hoek is die openingsnit op Streng Verbode:
The rape and murder of 17-year-old Anene Booysen in Bredasdorp made headlines in February 2013 (it competed that month with the murder of Reeva Steenkamp for newspaper columns). The brutality of the act would force anyone who even looked at the newspaper report to a dead halt. Children on the corner is the opening track on Strictly Forbidden:
Ons ken vir Anene, die mense het gesien
Sy het haar huis verlaat, en haar lyk was op die straat
Daar is kinders op die hoek, en op elke winkelstoep
Die kinders word gerape, en daar’s niemand wat hulle verstaan nie
We know Anene, the people have seen
She left her house, and her body was on the street.
There are kids on the corner, and on every porch
The children are raped, and there is no one who understands them
Jy kan dans op die ritme van Kinners oppi hoek, maar as jy wil saamsing dan gaan jy moet onthou dat jy op ’n stadium die lyk van ’n 17-jarige meisie op ’n bouperseel in Bredasdorp voor jou geestesoog sal moet oproep. Die aanvaller/s was mense wie sy geken het. Sy is gevind met haar derms wat uithang, maar steeds lewend. Sy is eers later in die hospitaal dood. Al hierdie dinge moet jy sien wanneer jy na hierdie liedjie met die vrolike ritme luister. Dit is bietjie soos om deur die dromerige Overberg te ry. Die landskap is mooi, maar in Suid-Afrika (veral, maar elders in die wêreld ook) is die skeiding tussen lig en donker ’n ragfyn gordyn. Jy kom skielik om ’n draai en hier lê die kwaad. Jy skakel die lig aan en hier staan die man met die mes.
You can dance to the rhythm of Children on the corner, but if you want to sing along then you will have to remember that at some point you will have to recall the body of a 17-year-old girl on a building site in Bredasdorp before your mind’s eye. The attacker/s were people she knew. She was found with her intestines hanging out but still alive. She only died later in hospital. All these things you must see when you listen to this song with the cheerful rhythm. It’s a bit like driving through the dreamy Overberg. The landscape is beautiful, but in South Africa (especially, but elsewhere in the world as well) the separation between light and dark is a delicate curtain. You suddenly come around a bend and here lies evil. You turn on the light and here stands the man with the knife.
Die boodskap van die band is egter ’n hoopvolle een. Deur te sing oor die dinge wat hulle gemeenskap raak teken hulle protes aan bloot deur op te staan en hulle stemme dik te maak. Hulle sê hiermee dat hulle anders is, en dat enigeen wat soos húlle voel oor die saak moet saamstaan.
However, the message of the band is a hopeful one. By singing about the things that affect their community, they record protest simply by standing up and thickening their voices. They are saying that they are different, and that anyone who feels like them should stand together on the issue.
Taswill: “Reggae gaan eintlik daaroor: dit praat van die realiteit van die lewe. No fiction, just reality”. Soms moet hulle daad by die woord voeg. Daar was ’n keer toe hulle by ’n musiekfees op die Kaapse Vlakte gespeel het en die organiseerders hulle gevra het om liefs nie Tik te speel nie, want die tikhandelaars was nie net doenig in die gehoor het nie, maar was ook deels die borge van die fees.
Taswill: “Reggae is really about that: it talks about the reality of life. No fiction, just reality ”. Sometimes they have to add action to the word. There was a time when they played at a music festival on the Cape Flats and the organizers asked them not to play Tik, because the tik traders were not only busy in the audience, but were also partly the sponsors of the festival.
Marshall: “Toe dink ons, maar dis juis hoekom ons dit moet sing”.
Marius: “Dis dan die rede hoekom ons Tik sing. Lat ons Tik sing!”
Marshall: “Die ouens het weggery vinnig dat die klippe spat, hulle was kwaad vir ons”.
Marshall: “Then we thought, but that’s exactly why we have to sing it”.
Marius: “That’s the reason why we sing Tik. Let’s sing Tik! ”
Marshall: “The guys drove away so fast that the stones splashed, they were angry with us”.
Marius: “Die urgency man, mens moet die boodskap daar uitsit!”
Taswill: “En dis maar by ons ook, al het ons nie so groot probleem soos Kaapstad en Johannesburg nie. Daar sal jongmense doodmaak vir tik. Hulle maak jou dood vir jou laaste geld vir tik. Dáái mense voel dit, en is bly dat ons dit aanspreek”.
Marius: “The urgency man, you have to put the message out there!”
Taswill: “And it’s with us too, even though we do not have as big a problem as Cape Town and Johannesburg. There will be young people killing for tik. They kill you for your last cents for tik. Those people feel it, and are glad that we are addressing it ”.
Country Conquerors speel sommige Sondae ’n gratis show in die parkie in Heuwelkroon sodat hulle eie mense ook die boodskap hoor.
Marshall: “Die ma’s wat ’n tikverslaafde het as ’n seun het ’n song soos Tik baie gevoel. Hulle was dankbaar, omdat die polisie praat nie daaroor nie, die kerk praat nie daaroor nie, en hier kom ons en ons bring dit uit”.
Marius: “Ja die ouens van die tik sponsor die kerk en sponsor die en daai…”
Taswill: “Die polisie ook…”
Marius: “En niemand wil iets sê nie. Ek weet nie of ons die gemeenskap gaan verander nie”.
Riaan: “Nie ons alleen nie”.
Country Conquerors play a free show in the park in Heuwelkroon some Sundays so that their own people can also hear the message.
Marshall: “The mothers who had a tik addict as a son felt a song like Tik a lot. They were grateful, because the police do not talk about it, the church does not talk about it, and here we come and we bring it out ”.
Marius: “Yes the guys of the tik sponsor the church and sponsor this and that …”
Taswill: “The police too …”
Marius: “And no one wants to say anything. I do not know if we will change the community ”.
Riaan: “Not us alone”.
Country Conquerors vat ook die politici aan. In Skering inni regering sing hulle oor hoe die heersende party se leiers sedert Mandela se reënboogjare die mense verdeel het en ook onder hulself baklei. Hierdie tweespalt dryf die wig dieper tussen politici en die mense wat hulle veronderstel is om te dien.
Country Conquerors also tackle the politicians. In Division in the government they sing about how the ruling party’s leaders since Mandela’s rainbow years have divided the people and also fought among themselves. This dichotomy drives the wedge deeper between politicians and the people they are supposed to serve.
Marshall: “Dis geskryf in ’n tyd wat mense begin moeg raak het van al die beloftes. Dis iets wat elke stemtyd gebeur, wanneer die mense bymekaargebring word en die en dit word belowe, maar niks gebeur nie”.
Marshall: “It was written at a time when people were starting to get tired of all the promises. It’s something that happens every voting time, when the people are brought together and the and it is promised, but nothing happens ”.
Vir my is die beste liedjie op Streng Verbode Kos, klere en blyplek. Die soeke na hierdie drie noodsaaklikhede dryf omtrent elke ander konflikterrein in Suid-Afrika: diensteleweringsproteste, grondbesettings, diefstal, noem maar op.
For me, the best song is on Strictly Forbidden is Food, Clothing and Accommodation. The search for these three necessities drives just about every area of conflict in South Africa: service delivery protests, land occupations, theft, you name it.
Mr Government, this one is for you
For a nation without food, clothes and shelter
A nation without a leader
We are just going to have another Zimbabwe
Onse mense vra kos, kos, klere en blyplek
Onse mense soek kos, kos, klere en blyplek
Maar die goewerment, die goewerment gee nie om nie!
Our people demand food, food, clothing and shelter
Our people are looking for food, food, clothing and shelter
But the government, the government does not care!
En die mense, hulle kry almal swaar
Ja, die mense, hulle kry almal swaar
Hulle soek kos, kos, klere en blyplek
And the people, they all suffer
Yes, the people, they all suffer
They are looking for food, food, clothing and shelter
Marius: “Jou menswaardigheid word aangetas as jy nie daai het nie. Die ander punt is, dis eintlik ’n prayer in ons Rastafari chant: ‘Food, clothes and shelter. The hungry we feed, the naked we clothe. Food, clothes and shelter.’ Ons sien die Rastafari as ’n nasie wat kos, klere en blyplek vir die mense kan help voorsien”.
Marius: “Your human dignity is violated if you do not have those three. The other point is, it is actually a prayer in our Rastafari chant: ‘Food, clothes and shelter. The hungry we feed, the naked we clothe. Food, clothes and shelter. “We see Rastafari as a nation that can help provide food, clothing and shelter for the people”.
Riaan onthou dat Greyton se Rastafari-gemeenskap baie klein was toe hy as jongman vir die eerste keer daarin belanggestel het. Maar dit is nou groot, en hele gesinne is Rastafari. Vir Country Conquerors is dit belangrik dat hulle ’n opbouende rol vervul in hulle gemeenskap. Een van die eenvoudigste maniere om dit te doen is om kos te verbou en arm en honger mense te help voed en onderhou.
Riaan remembers that Greyton’s Rastafari community was very small when he first became interested in it as a young man. But it’s big now, and whole families are Rastafarian. For Country Conquerors, it is important that they play a constructive role in their community. One of the simplest ways to do this is to grow food and help feed and support poor and hungry people.
Marius: “Die Rastafari is lief vir tuinmaak en so. Daar is tye van die jaar wat mense swaarkry, en dan kan ons mos provide vir hulle. Liefde overcome mos. Gee vir hulle liefde. Aartappels kos R100 in die winkel maar by jou kan hulle dit kry vir R50 en so, man. Jy kan mos iets plant en dit deel met jou naaste. Die mense het begin sien dat, eendag gaan die Rastafari nog vir ons verlossing bring. Dieselfde tannie wat gesê het ‘Maak toe die deur, hier kom die daggakoning aan!’, sy sê nou ‘Dié mense gaan eendag vir ons save’”.
Marius: “The Rastafari loves gardening and such. There are times of the year when people suffer, and then we can provide for them. Love overcomes moss. Give them love. Potatoes cost R100 in the shop but with you they can get it for R50 and such, man. You can plant something and share it with your neighbor. The people began to see that, one day, the Rastafari will still bring us salvation. The same aunt who said “Close the door, here comes the marijuana king!”, She now says ‘These people will one day save us’”.
Op die liedjie See dem ah come sing Country Conquerors oor die ou dae, toe persepsies oor die Rastafari-geloof nog baie negatief was in hulle gemeenskap. Die koorgedeelte beskryf hoe die rasta sien hoe kom die polisie vir hom, maar hy hardloop nie weg nie: hy staan vas en wag vir hulle. Riaan sê die liedjie gaan terug na die dae van apartheid, toe hulle gereeld rondgejaag is deur die polisie. “Marius weet self, hier was dit só,” sê hy. “Destyds toe ons beginne rasta groei het, niemand wou dit gesien het nie. Dit was nou baie verkeerd. Ons is godsdienstig grootgemaak, dit was vir ons families nie ’n mooi ding om te sien nie. My ma het my nou die dag nog gesê: ‘Ek het nie rastas in die wêreld gebring nie’”.
On the song See dem ah come, Country Conquerors sing about the old days, when perceptions about the Rastafari faith were still very negative in their community. The choir section describes how the rasta sees how the police come for him, but he does not run away: he stands still and waits for them. Riaan says the song goes back to the days of apartheid, when they were regularly chased around by the police. “Marius himself knows, here it was like that,” he says. “At the time when we started growing rasta, nobody wanted to see it. It was very wrong now. We were raised religiously, it was not a good thing for our families to see. My mother told me the other day: ‘I did not bring rastas into the world’”.
Marshall: “Ons weet waar ons lineage vandaan kom: ons voorvaders was Khoi en Boesman. Ons is Rastafarians. Dís die identiteit wat ons gevat het. En dis ’n stap wat ons gevat het juis sodat ons nie geboks kan word met etikette nie”.
Marshall: “We know where our lineage comes from: our ancestors were Khoi and Bushman. We are Rastafarians. That’s the identity we’ve taken. And it is a step we have taken so that we can not be boxed with labels”.
Die laaste liedjie op Streng Verbode is dalk die kwaadste van die lot. Op Os gaan plak hou Taswill sy lyf rapper. Dis nie in die ateljee opgeneem nie, en die rou klank dra by tot die dringendheid van die boodskap:
The last song on Strictly Forbidden is perhaps the most crucial of the lot. On We wil build shacks Taswill raps inna dancehall style. It was not recorded in the studio, and the raw sound adds to the urgency of the message:
Ons gaan plak, ons gaan ons hokkies opslat
Dis hoogtyd dat ons ons grond terugvat
Lank genoeg bly ek in die jaart
En dis nou tyd dat ek daaroor praat
Mr Politician raak kwaad
Maar wat sal dit baat?
Ons gaan confront by jou
Dan gaan ons praat
Dan gaan ons die strate met vullis volmaak
We are going to build shacks, we are going to put up our informal shacks
It’s high time we took back our land
Long enough I stay in the yard
And now it’s time for me to talk about it
Mr Politician gets angry
But what good will it do?
We will confront you
Then we’ll talk
Then we’ll fill the streets with rubbish
In die agtergrond loei ’n sirene, dis hande in die lug-tipe musiek, Cypress Hill-vibes, hier uit die Overberg se “quaint” toeristedorpie.
In the background a siren sounds, it’s hands in the air-type music, Cypress Hill vibes, here from the Overberg’s “quaint” tourist village.
Taswill: “Kyk, hulle het gekom en ons plekke kom afsny en afkap en toe besluit ons nee, julle luister nie as ons praat nie, nou ja. Dit is onse grond, ons kan nie van ons grond weggevat word nie. Ons praat weer eens nie net van hier by ons nie, dis ook universal, want orals is daar iemand wat vir hom ’n hokkie moet opslat dat hy slaapplek het vanaand”.
Taswill: “Look, they came and cut off and cut down our places and then we decided no, you do not listen when we talk, well yes. This is our land, we can not be taken away from our land. Once again, we are not just talking about here in the neighbourhood, it is also universal, because everywhere there is someone who has to put up a shack so that he and his family can sleep tonight ”.
Marius: “Jy word vir ’n gat gevat iewers. In Greyton is die probleme net meer weggesteek, dis nie so sigbaar soos in die stad nie. Dis omdat jy die mense nie eintlik sien nie, hulle kruip eintlik hier rond. Die mense se kinders het in ’n hokkie gebly en húlle kinders bly nou ook godwiet in ’n hokkie, in diesélle hokkie!”
Marius: “You are caught for a hole somewhere. In Greyton the problems are just more hidden, they are not as visible as in the city. It’s because you do not actually see the people, they are actually crawling around here. The people’s children lived in a shack and their children now also live goddamn in a shack, in the same shack! ”
Taswill: “As hulle vir ons huise wil gee nie, weet net: ons gat plak!”
Marshall: “Jy het nooit vier hoeke wat jy kan sê is jou eie nie. Dís die punt. Jy is altyd by iemand agter waar jy rent moet betaal so jy gaan nie eintlik vorentoe nie. Dis wat ons mense agterhou.”
Marius: “Jy wil iewers kan behoort waar jy kan sê: ‘Dis myne, dis ek dié’”.
Marshall: “Ons wil die vooruitgang van ons mense sien.”
Taswill: “If they don’t want to give us houses, just know: we are going to build shacks informally!”
Marshall: “You never have four corners that you can say are your own. That’s the point. You are always in debt to someone where you have to pay rent so you are not actually going forward. That is what is holding back our people.”
Marius: “You want to be able to belong somewhere where you can say: ‘It’s mine, it’s me'”.
Marshall: “We want to see the progress of our people.”
Country Conquerors se onbaatsugtige gemeenskapsdiens het oor die afgelope 15 jaar gegroei tot iets wat ’n natuurlike uitvloeisel van die groeplede se persoonlikhede is: hardwerkende, eerlike ouens op ’n nederige maar doelgerigte missie. Dis ’n missie wat hulle nooit sal voltooi nie, want vervulling van vrede en geluk is hierdie wêreld van ons nie beskore nie. Maar dis OK, die Country Conquerors wéét dit. Intussen, dans so bietjie hierop, sing saam:
Over the past 15 years, Country Conquerors’ selfless community service has grown into something that is a natural outgrowth of the group members’ personalities: hardworking, honest guys on a humble but purposeful mission. It is a mission they will never complete, because the fulfillment of peace and happiness is not destined for this world of ours. But it’s OK, the Country Conquerors know that. Meanwhile, dance a little to this one, sing along:
Jy is ’n politician wat kamma kwaadraak
Maar ons gaan plak, ons gaan ons hokkies opslat
En niemand gaan ons vir ’n joke meer vat
You’re a politician who pretends to be angry
But we are going to build shacks, we are going to put up our shacks
And no one’s gonna take us for a joke anymore
Country Conquerors CD is designed by Slovo Mamphaga. Streng Verbode kan vir $6 afgelaai word by www.countryconquerors.bandcamp.com