Die Antwoord means “the answer” in Afrikaans. Does it mean
they are the answer to racism?
Die Antwoord is a zef rap-rave group from South Africa which
consist of Ninja, Yolandi- Vi$$a and DJ Hi-Tek. After “taking over the interweb”
in early 2010, they have played Afrikaans rap-rave music all over the world.
You might think they are freaky, but you may also like them a lot. Claire Scott
discusses in their “Die Antwoord and a delegitimised South African whiteness: a
potential counter-narrative? ”article how Die Antwoord’s music and image can
possible be seen as a sort of counter culture to whiteness within South Africa.
Ninja (Left) and Yolandi-Vi$$a (Right) of Die
Antwoord
Scott’s article takes a section to explore the racial
melting pot that is South Africa and how individuals (mainly whites) have
difficulty forming social identities they can belong to. Using Homi Bhabha’s
discussion on the topic values how popular music can be used to take bits and
pieces of daily life and repurpose them into signs of national culture which
also works as a “counter-narrative” against the established nation. Marlin-Curiel
is quoted in saying how Afrikaners want to be feel safe in South African and
want to be accepted by non-white Afrikaans speakers. One way in which this was
possible was through the rave scene. It allowed Afrikaan’s speakers of all
wakes of earth to come together and enjoy the rave. It was able to put the past
behind everyone and to help build a path to a more inclusive future.
Another reason that the inclusiveness of the rave was necessary
was the position white Afrikaners where in. Since segregation, whites have been
at the centre as the privileged race over history. With this in mind out of South
Africa’s total population of 51,770,560 in 2011’s census, only 8.9% were
identifying as white. Being the privileged minority causes difficulties in
forming one’s identity. The other factor is since these white South African’s
are living among blacks and coloured people daily, it gives them the sense that
they are not racist. However this mentally is problematic because it doesn’t
encourage change and challenge the current racial stereotypes.
This predicament has lead Scott to include a section on
whiteness studies and how problematic it is. It is discussed that whiteness
studies should be treated the same way Black studies or Asian studies are
treated. However, attempts to discuss whiteness on the same level as other
races is done with hesitation. Another concern is that if someone discusses whiteness
studies in white people’s defence it could be seen as sympathising with white supremacy
and trying to keep whites in a privileged position.
So what does this have to do with Die Antwoord?
Die Antwoord’s main artists, Ninja and Yolandi being physically
white plays into their use of ‘zef’. ‘Zef’ roughly translates to ‘common’ is a
slang word to mean cool in Afrikaans. It used to be a derogative term that
white lower middle class were called. While the aesthetics of ‘zef’ style could
be called white trash, Die Antwoord have re purposed it to be “it’s like your
poor, but you’re fancy” making use of bright colored shorts and tank tops with
characters on them such as Hello Kitty and boxer shorts with the Pink Floyd
dark side of the moon album cover on them.
An example of zef style by Die Antwoord from their video 'Zef
Side'
Scott discusses that the use of zef and the white working
class within South Africa by Die Antwoord has enabled them to tap into a site
of unredeemed racism. In the music video and song Rich Bitch, it illustrated a story of the poor white working class.
Yolandi raps about how she is a rich bitch now, but it wasn’t always that way.
Her fame and fortune was achieved by working hard and taking matters into her
own hands. She not only strips her whiteness of its privileged statue, she also
stands for an example of hard work can lead to success which can be achieved by
any race. It is also interesting to note that Die Antwoord have never really
shown the desire to become even wealthier or abandon their zef persona.
A more modern example of their inclusive image through zef
is the song Pitbull Terrier, 2014. With
the lyrics “White cats. Black cats. All my zef cats” Ninja is inviting anyone,
black or white who identities with zef to their song.
Die Antwoord may not be the revolutionary starters and may
come off as vulgar and weird to the unfamiliar eye. However after the shock
wears off, one is able to appreciate the exotic presentation of zef and their
inclusive nature of all cultures within South Africa to form funky, offensive
rap-rave music which is enjoyed all over the world.
I think these guys are great but never really thought past the music. White identity in contemporary South Africa seems like such a minefield, with the shadow of apartheid from the past combined with the politics of social division characterised by a dominant minority white group. Also thrown into the mix is class division between White South Africans. Die Antwoord is a really unique way of trying to chart racial identity in that kind of racial landscape, super interesting read!
ReplyDeleteHaving had no idea that only around 8% of South Africa’s population was white was eye opening for me. You would have no idea based off of their media output. The privileged minority is certainly extreme there, and there are major differences between the white and black cultures of SA. When you talk about ‘Zef’ style, and how it connotes to white trash, would you say Die Antwoord can be equated to being the South African Eminem? Like you say, even when they portray themselves as rich (which I’m sure they are) such as in their ‘Rich Bitch’ video, they still present themselves as being of the lower-class. With Die Antwoord’s popularity in SA and their invitation of all races to enjoy their music, do you think that although they try to shake their privilege by portraying themselves as trash, is this just ignoring their obvious superiority to majority of the SA population?
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this article, Die Antwoord is so eccentric that it is hard to place them into a certain topic.