Afrikaanse oorlogspoësie na Sestig

The period after World War II was characterised by regional wars in various parts of the world. During this time South Africa experienced its own regional war: the onslaught on the apartheid system, and the defence against it. Following a phase of internal strife of relatively low intensity, a hot war developed on both sides of the northern and eastern borders of the country with the Angolan war as the major flashpoint. The latter war exerted a marked influence on the local scene, where a civil war of low intensity developed. This article and its sequel record the ways in which Afrikaans poetry reacted to this many-faceted war. Facets highlighted are the way in which the military aspects of the war is portrayed, the manifestations of the struggle on the local scene, especially in the townships, the impact of the war on the spirit of the soldier and the civilian, and the moral stance adopted by poets towards the war. In conclusion, the characteristics of the war poem of this period are compared with those of the period preceding it. In this article the attention is focused on the war outside and within the borders of the country.