Land

Land in English
In English it is used conventionally, to mean either "a piece of ground" or (as a verb) "to finish a sea or aerial journey, to make a landing".

Land in Afrikaans
In Afrikaans the word is used in the same way as the English term, though it also has other meanings, e.g. "a field" and even more importantly in theatre, it can mean “country”. It is often used metaphorically as an evocative and emotional concept containing many of the ideas, the core element of patriotism, linked to the notion of the volk (people, nation). Important element in the notion of Afrikanerdom (=Afrikanerhood), and a strong theme in bourgeois Afrikaans drama of the 1920’s to 1950’s. See J.M. Coetzee, 199* on this issue.

Land as a political issue in South Africa
Return to South African Theatre Terminology and Thematic Entries

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