Sarie Marais

Sarie Marais can refer to a traditional South African folk song (ca 1880-1900), the first South African film with sound (1931), or an iconic women's magazine (1949-).

Sarie Marais: The song

Also known as "My Sarie Marais", the song seems to have originated at some time during the course of the two wars fought against the British in South Africa, the song has become a singularly well-known cultural symbol in various ways, occurring in numerous forms in cultural projects and performances.

For more on the song and its influence, see the Wikipedia entry at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarie_Marais

Sarie Marais: the films

Sarie Marais (1931)

The first South African sound film, it was a short, ten-minute black and white film, shot in Johannesburg and directed by Joseph Albrecht, with music supplied by the singer Chris Blignaut and the Melodians. Set in a British prisoner of war camp, the film concentrates on a group of Boer prisoners as they pass the time under the watchful eye of their British guards. One of the internees, played by Billy Mathews, lifts his voice in song with the popular Afrikaans patriotic tune "My Sarie Marais", inspiring the other prisoners of war and giving them hope for the future.

It was this film that led to the establishment of the Afrikaans film production organisation known as RARO (the Reddingsdaad-Bond Amateur Rolprent Organisasie.

https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Albrecht

Sarie Marais (1949)

This is a remake of the 1931 film, again titled Sarie Marais, now directed by Francis Coley. https://af.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarie_Marais_(1949)

Sarie Marais: the magazine

Sarie women's magazine The contemporary Afrikaans women's magazine Sarie takes its name from this song. Originally entitled Sarie Marais – a name which at the time (1949) of its first publication was synonymous with the idea of empowered Afrikaans womanhood – it was the first Afrikaans magazine to focus on the female market, with a content ranging from fashion, decor, and beauty to relationship advice and family planning.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarie_Marais

Go to ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to South_African_Films

Return to The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page