Afrikaans Turns 100 - And We’re Asking - Isn’t It Time for a New Birthday Song?

Afrikaans has reached an extraordinary milestone – 100 years as one of South Africa’s official languages. It’s not just a reason to celebrate – it’s a moment to reimagine, reconnect, and renew what it means to be proudly Afrikaans in today’s world.

Let’s be honest – when was the last time you got excited to sing “Veels Geluk Liewe Maatjie”? On 8 May, lively conversations kicked off: maybe it’s time for a new birthday song. One that reflects the heartbeat of today’s Afrikaans community – joyful, expressive, inclusive, and fresh.

“Virseker is stepping up. We’re launching a nationwide campaign to create a brand-new Afrikaans birthday song – something memorable, meaningful, and proudly local,” says Morné van Emmenes, Head of Marketing at Virseker. “A song that can be sung at every birthday, by anyone who loves Afrikaans.”

This song should celebrate the evolution of Afrikaans – its energy, humour and heart. This is more than a song; it’s a cultural gift that can be passed from one generation to the next.

“We’re inviting all South Africans to help write it. Whether you’re a poet, rapper, student, singer, or just someone who loves the language – share your lyrics, ideas, audio, videos or even voice notes. The only rule? It must be proudly and powerfully Afrikaans,” said van Emmenes. To make things even more exciting, participants stand a chance to win random hampers and shopping vouchers – just for getting involved!

To help shape the song, Virseker assembled a panel of iconic artists – including Sonja Heroldt, Early B, Karen Zoid and Anton Goosen – who will guide, and later help choose which ideas will inspire the final version.

Visit https://www.virseker.co.za/onsverjaar/ for helpful tips and to join the movement. And while you’re there – why not request a call-back or a quick quote from Virseker? It only takes a few seconds and could be the smartest move you make all day.

Let’s give Afrikaans the birthday song it deserves. Let it start with you. In Afrikaans. For Afrikaans.

#Virseker100 #OnsVerjaar

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MORE ABOUT VIRSEKER:

Virseker has been South Africa’s first and only proudly Afrikaans short-term insurance product for over 14 years – one that ensures everything from your vehicle, caravan, and trailer to your home, household contents, business, and even your pets are adequately insured. They were also recently named the best short-term insurer for customer service and experience in the prestigious Ask Afrika Orange Index® – a benchmark that has been the most comprehensive and widely cited in the industry for the past 23 years.

For more than 14 years, Virseker has also gone a step beyond top-class service and insurance. With the help of their policyholders, they have already paid out over R171 million in support of Afrikaans, Afrikaans education, and the community.

A portion of every premium Virseker receives is allocated to the Virseker Trust, which supports various initiatives, including the following:

• Funding interest-free student loans, with more than 290 students already benefiting
• Akademia and the Die Kampus Trust, where Afrikaans capital has helped build a world-class non-profit Afrikaans higher education institution. Donations contribute to the development of new qualifications, successful program rollout, appointment of passionate staff, and the building of a comprehensive residential campus.
• The Solidariteit Helpende Hand study fund – a registered public welfare organization that enables studies for needy Afrikaans students through interest-free loans. The fund currently manages over 200 independent bursary funds on behalf of various donors and has made more than 11,000 awards to 4,750 needy students – totaling R277 million.
• The Afrikaans Language Council, which promotes Afrikaans and all its varieties. The ATR facilitates, networks, and coordinates language actions with other language organizations, academics, community leaders, church leaders, schools, etc., to solve language challenges.
• The Schools Support Centre (SOS) – a non-profit organization aiming to make quality education more affordable and accessible for all learners in South Africa. They develop educational products and services that enable Afrikaans learners from all communities and economic backgrounds to access world-class education. They focus on accredited teacher training, an improved teaching and learning model, and a digital platform (Wolkskool).
• The WEET e-Reference Guide: a digital reference source that ensures the new generation at school has access to high-quality, reliable information in Afrikaans. This is especially important as primary school learners better understand and process information in their mother tongue. This platform is constantly updated and expanded.
• The national School Bag Project, which has provided schoolbags with necessary stationery to needy Grade 1 learners since 2007.
• The Pioneer School for the Visually Impaired: This school strongly focuses on accessible reading and learning materials for blind and visually impaired children and adults. The school has made several golden classic stories and exciting new titles available in large print, braille, and audio formats for the visually impaired to enjoy.
• The Helpende Hand Emergency Fund Josef Silo’s: This project supports individuals, families, institutions, and organizations experiencing food insecurity. They provide food packages and go a step further by empowering people to take care of themselves. Each person helped is thoroughly assessed by a social worker to provide tailored support and assistance.