Biscuits and the Solidarity Movement have a lot in common… It’s still relevant even though it’s really old, it’s just what an Afrikaner needs when the going gets a little tough, it can take on a variety of shapes and flavors, and it’s delicious. Afrikaners, just like a baked biscuit that rises, are rising above their circumstances.
This is not the first time – one has to knead anise biscuits, leave them to rise, knead again and leave them to rise again. In the same way, Afrikaner history also tells how we have been knocked down again and again and had to rise again. The knee-jerk work of the past was neither easy nor enjoyable, but the rice periods were good because every time they testify to the strength of the community. The Solidarity Movement’s model, which relies on the strength of communities and says “we will ourselves”, is therefore not a new concept. It is an age-old idea that is actually part of the Afrikaner’s cultural DNA.
Just as biscuit dough needs yeast to rise, the Movement needs you to rise above the current knee-jerk conditions in South Africa. You can become part of the more than 570,000 members who each strive for a society in which everyone can live freely, safely and prosperously. At the Movement, we also believe in farmers’ comfort for the sad, farmers’ biscuits for the hunger and farmers’ plans for the challenges. One of the notable farmers’ plans is: The Solidarity Movement’s family of more than 12 institutions or community organisations.
Yes, the ANC is running our country thoroughly into the abyss, but that will not do – you can make a difference. It is fulfilling to be a part of something bigger than yourself. AfriForum therefore embraces the Solidarity Movement’s “We will do it ourselves” vision and encourages people to become state-resistant by applying self-governance instead. In the meantime, we’re not just going to complain that everything in the country is picky coffee. A grandmother’s biscuit comforts the despondency and at AfriForum we have been stirring to create our own solutions for a long time.
If you churn the milk long enough to make good butter, the proof is in the biscuit. And the Solidarity Movement is, in my opinion, a good proof of the strength of communities that continue and continue to flourish to claim their rightful place in the African sun. Biscuits bake at 180 ⁰C, and the Movement decided to make a 180⁰ turn away from state dependence and closer to self-management.
So, when the future may seem a little bleak, remember: There is comfort – Farmer’s comfort!
Watch Beskuit and the Movement, where AfriForum Youth talk about fighting and building while we bake and brew. The video series can be watched on AfriForum Youth’s YouTube channel, here: (2) Biscuit and the Movement – YouTube.
