Basters: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 13:47, 8 November 2023

Revision as of 01:00, 24 April 2024

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Other people of similar ethnic origin, living chiefly in the Northern Cape, also call themselves Basters.

The name ''Baster'' is derived from "bastaard", the Dutch word for "[[Legitimacy (family law)|bastard]]" (or "crossbreed"). While some people consider this term demeaning, the Basters [[Reappropriation|reappropriated]] it as a "proud name", claiming their ancestry and history, treating it as a cultural category in spite of the negative connotation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=A Concise History of the Rehoboth Basters until 1990|last1=Britz|first1=Rudolf|last2=Lang|first2=Hartmut|last3=Limpricht|first3=Corenlia|publisher=Klaus Hess Publisher|year=1999|isbn=9991674713|___location=Rehoboth|pages=12}}</ref> Their 7th Kaptein is Jacky Britz, elected in 2021;<ref name="Jason">{{Cite news | title=Britz elected Baster Kaptein …Van Wyk cries foul | last=Jason | first=Loide | newspaper=[[New Era (Namibia)|New Era]] | date=26 April 2021 | url=https://neweralive.na/posts/britz-elected-baster-kaptein}}</ref> he has no official status under the Namibian constitution. The Chief's Council of Rehoboth was replaced with a local town council under the new government.

The current numbers of Basters remain unclear; figures between 35,000<ref name="UNPO 2015"/> and 40,000 are estimated. Survival of the Baster culture and identity have been called into question in modern Namibia. Modern Namibia's politics and public life are largely dominated by the ethnic [[Ovambo people|Ovambo]] and their culture. Baster politicians and activists have called Ovambo policies oppressive towards their community.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.newera.com.na/articles/50491/-Rehoboth-community-in-danger-of-extinction-|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413155926/http://www.newera.com.na/articles/50491/-Rehoboth-community-in-danger-of-extinction-|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 April 2013|title=Rehoboth community in danger of extinction|last=Nunuhe|first=Margreth|date=18 February 2013|work=[[New Era (Namibia)]]}}</ref>