Acculturation: An Investigation into Afri-Afrikaans or is it Afri-African?

Abstract

Acculturation is taking place in a subtle way in South African schools where the music of the Afrikaans people is taken by Africans and  given an African flavour. This phenomenon can be seen in the work of artists like Bongani Nxumalo with his rendition of the Afrikaans  song, Loslappie. The counter is also audible where modern Afrikaans music shows influences of African rhythms. This article addresses  the issue of how South African teenagers are influenced by teenagers from other cultures in music and song, using a pragmatic  paradigm. The researcher argues that acculturation is a spontaneous process where one is not consciously aware of the influences when living in a multi-cultural environment. More dominant cultures will have a more visible effect on minority cultures. In conclusion, this  project by closely examining a sample of South African teenagers from different cultures during music-making sheds new light on the  way acculturation takes place amongst teenagers in rural South Africa.