Explaining the magnetic pull of South Africa to those who haven’t grown up or lived a significant amount of time in this country is like trying to translate the expressions ‘ag’ and ‘in a dwaal’ and ‘gees’ – it just can’t be done! To celebrate the distinctly South African paradigm this Heritage Month, Laager Rooibos embraced the ‘Tell us without telling us’ trend by asking South Africans to ‘tell us you’re South African without telling us you’re South African’.
In typically South African fashion, many of the flavourful responses included food and drink, with comments like: ‘Nou gaan ons braai, ‘Umqombothi’, ‘Magwinya, atchar, polony and tea’, ‘Braaibroodjies, bonfire and hoezit!’, ‘Uphutu and Amasi’, ‘I love my kota with Russian and chips’, ‘Pap, wors and chakalaka and a hot Laager Rooibos Tea’, ‘Don’t throw away that ice cream container, ‘I make beef potjie and a nice cup of Rooibos tea and delicious koeksisters’, ‘Sugar water’, and ‘Last number kota with a cup of Laager Rooibos’. One Laager fan commented that ‘It means waking up to the fire burning outside while the porridge is cooking. Sitting around the fire at night listening to old tales told by uGogo. Watching the sunset behind the scarred mountain. It means helping others when they are truly in need because Ubuntu lives in us’.
Distinctly South African expressions and greetings also dominated the responses: ‘Mzansi 4 Sho’, ‘Uzoyithola ka njani uhleli ekhoneni’, ‘Eita Daso!’, ‘Ekse, Heita!’, ‘Wathinta abafazi Wathinta imbokodo’, ‘Molo Mhlobo Wam’, ‘Sho’t Left’, ‘Walala wasala’, ‘Laager Rooibos is altyd lêkker my bra’, ‘Laduummaaa’, and …’Finish and klaar’!
We wouldn’t be South African if there wasn’t some humour thrown in there, with one Laager fan commenting that ‘We have virtual family meetings once in a while headed by the president’, and another noting ‘I put many plastics in one plastics bag’.
“Being South African means so many different things to so many different people. Despite our differences I believe if we consistently work together, we can overcome whatever adversity we face,” said Wandile Ngubane, Laager Rooibos Brand Manager. “We are a nation of triumph and rebuilding – believing that no matter how dark the days get, the sun always rises again. We remain constantly interconnected by a deep love for this truly unique place no matter what walk of life we are from, because there really is no place like home.”
Candice Sessions, Laager Rooibos Marketing Manager, added that despite the challenges, being a South African is always a source of pride: “Maybe it’s because we are the only ones who understand the road we have walked, and for that we have a kind of begrudging but enduring respect for ourselves and for each other. And even those who leave often say that nowhere else ever truly feels like home. As a company that has built itself on the growth of Rooibos – one of South Africa’s biggest natural local jewels – we are so grateful to be part of the South African story.”
Established in 1945, Laager Rooibos has been a staple in South African homes for generations, which is why it carries the motto ‘Strength is our tradition’. To celebrate Heritage Month, as well as the rich blend of cultures and traditions found in this country, Laager Rooibos has shared a poem that captures some of the essence of what it means to call South Africa home.
We Are
We are a country of defying the odds Of winning world cups after losing the first game And captains who come from nothing but give everything
We are the country of braais and boerie and biltong and gout
We are the country of ja well no fine and now now and just now
Of 11 official languages and a million unofficial sayings that only we understand
Of robots that aren’t robots
Boots that aren’t shoes
And bunny chows where no bunny was harmed
We are the country where Jou ma se is more offensive than any swear word you can think of
Where Nkalakatha made the weekends special
And where the best way to show dem is to make the circle bigger
We are the country of Simunye We are One
Chappies Did You Know
And Wilson’s toffees that pay dentists salaries
We are the country of evolution – from Kwaito to Gqom to Amapiano
Where WWE Smackdown was a weekend obsession
And John Cena is immortalised in song
We are the country of Nik Naks and Cos Nothing Tastes like Fresca
With an uncle in the furniture business
And Husky dogs that always will be
We are the country of rolling Rooibos fields
That catch the sun and give us cups of goodness that taste like our childhood
We are the country of walkie talkies that don’t walk or talk
And deep fried everything
We are the country that loves to laugh
And that learned the hard way to laugh at ourselves
We are the country of Telefun Quiz, Yizo Yizo
And Sgudi ‘snaysi
Of pick a box
The Kandasamys
And Riaan Cruywagen who never ages
We are the country of rivals that share Nobel prizes
Of scraping through by the skin of our teeth
And flying by the seat of our pants
We are the country of Madiba
Of Desmond Tutu and Ahmed Kathrada
Of Charlotte Maxeke
And Tannie Evita
Of second chances
And miracles
We are the country that gets knocked down and rises
Every single time
That lives in you long after you’ve left
And never really lets go
We are the country of recovering and rebuilding
And hoping and praying
And then doing it all over again
Written by Candice Sessions
