Revision as of 07:51, 9 November 2022

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 Matthews, 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.

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

Founded in 1949, it was from the start 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, beauty, relationship advice, family planning and related matters. The magazine also published numerous stories by Afrikaans authors over the yerars.

It later streamlined the name, being simply called Sarie.