Culture Galore is 'n heerlike geleentheid wat deur die Stadsraad van Christchurch aangebied word om Christchurch se kulturele verskeidenheid te vier. Hierdie viering vind plaas met musiek, danse, kos, kuns en kunsvlyt van die ongeveer 50 kulture wat verteenwoordig is in Christchurch. Dit vind plaas tussen 12 - 4, by die Ray Blank Park, Maidstone Road in Avonhead. Toegang is gratis.

Hou saam met ons duimvas vir 'n pragtige sonnige dag sodat die 7 000 besoekers wat in 2007 gekom het, weer 'n draai gaan kom maak (en sommer nog vriende saambring).

Ons persoonlike hoogtepunt is om te smul aan al die heerlike kosse - mens kan jou smaakkliere 'n wereldtoer laat onderneem want daar is kosstalletjies van oral soos Switserland, Holland, Pole, Rusland, Korea, Japan, China, Suidelike-Afrika en nog vele meer. Ander mense ervaar die danse en opvoerings wat die hele middag duur, as hoogtepunt. Kan nie anders nie - veral nie as daar 'n so 'n groot verskeidenheid is soos 'n Maori Karakia en Kapahaka is, Hollandse koor, Latynse danse, Fillipynse danse, "Belly Dancing" en nog meer op die spyskaart is nie. Vir vele kinders is die gratis werkswinkels - soos seepkerfkuns, vlieermaak en gesigverf die kersie op die koek.

Suider-Afrikaanse kosse en kunsvlyt word verkoop deur die South Island of NZ Association of Southern Africans (SINZASA) wat vanjaar weer teenwoordig gaan wees. Hulle beloof boereworsrolle, biltong, kaneel-pannekoek, melktert, koeksisters asook Afrika-kunsvlyt.

Kom loer in by die "Afrikaans in Christchurch" inligtingsstalletjie en kom se dag!

"Afrikaans in Christchurch" is 'n spanpoging tussen Jaco en Marietjie Swart wat 'n passie Afrikaans het. Al is ons nie 'n amptelike sosiale klub nie wil ons vir Christchurchers bewus maak dat Afrikaans ook hier gepraat word.

Hiermee die inligting wat ons op ons inligtingsbord is:

Welcome to Afrikaans in Christchurch!

About Afrikaans

Afrikaans is one of the languages spoken in Southern Africa. It is a modern language from Germanic origin. Some great works of literature were, and still is, published in Afrikaans. It is also an academic language.

Small communities of Afrikaans-speaking people are based all over the world, after emigrating from Southern-Africa in recent years.

Afrikaans in Christchurch

A fair number of Afrikaans-speaking people made Christchurch their new home. No-one know exactly how many, but according to the 2006 census, 3500 South-Africans live in Christchurch. We estimate that Afrikaans is the mother tongue for 40% of these.

Literacy in your mother language is important for cultural and personal well-being. That is why many migrants quite naturally use their first language and pass also pass it on to the next generation. Furthermore, better communication is possible between parents and their children if they can use their mother-tongue. It has also been proven that bilingualism increase brain development in children.

Afrikaans in Christchurch encourages Afrikaans parents to speak and read Afrikaans to their children. From time to time we have an Afrikaans mother-and-toddler catch-up, to which anyone wanting to chat in Afrikaans is welcome to come along. It is good for children to see they are not the only kids speaking a second language.

Afrikaans in the Christchurch Library

Afrikaans in Christchurch did two research projects (one in 2003 and one in 2007) on the viability of Afrikaans books at the Christchurch Library.

Recently we got the excellent news that the Afrikaans population is now large enough to have Afrikaans as a language in the library.

The Afrikaans collection is not available yet. People wishing to read Afrikaans can let us know via our website what their needs are for Afrikaans books and magazines. We will continue to pass this information on to the Library, and will also keep you posted on what is happening.

We are very grateful to the Christchurch City Library for granting us the facility. We ask Afrikaans people to make regular use of the collection once it becomes available, not only to prevent it from gathering dust, but also to stimulate its growth.

Afrikaans in New Zealand

We are friends of the Afrikaans Club of New Zealand, based in Auckland. The aim of the Afrikaans Club is to introduce Afrikaans speakers as positive contributors to the New Zealand society, and for people to simply enjoy the Afrikaans language.

This club sends out a weekly electronic newsletter in in Afrikaans, called Brokkies. They also arrange a yearly Arts event, called the Kiwikasie Arts Festival. In the past, some of the Kiwikasie artists from South-Africa toured through other NZ cities and towns and we, as Afrikaans in Christchurch, organised three local Christchurch concerts for stars from South-Africa, in conjunction with the Afrikaans Club.

Visit www.afrikaans.org.nz for more information.

South African Recipes are online at www.RainbowCooking.co.nz

During our citizenship ceremony we were encouraged by the government to retain what is good and constructive about our culture and language, to enjoy it in New Zealand, and to share it with Kiwis.

We love the South African cuisine we grew up with and introduced our Kiwi friends to it, and they loved it too. Because they regularly ask for recipes, it became hard to keep up with the task of writing down the same favourites, so we decided to publish some of - mainly South-African - recipes on a website called Rainbow Cooking.

The address is www.rainbowcooking.co.nz.

The name Rainbow Cooking name reflects the fact that South African cuisine incorporates a very wide variety of culinary traditions, fusing together the best of Dutch, African, Asian, English, French, German, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian and Portuguese cuisine.

All the recipes on Rainbow Cooking are free. Most of the dishes are photographed and all the recipes are tried and tested, made at our home in Christchurch using ingredients from the local supermarkets, and are quite easy to make in your kitchen.

Remember to subscribe for new recipes when you visit Rainbow Cooking, as we add new recipes on a regular basis.

Visit www.rainbowcooking.co.nz.