Bergie Explained

Bergie is a term used for a subsection of homeless people in Cape Town, South Africa. The word originates from the Afrikaans berg meaning "mountain" – the term originally referred to the homeless people who sheltered in the forests of the slopes of Table Mountain. The synonymous term stroller typically refers to street children living a bergie lifestyle.[1] [2] [3]

They are vagrants and scavengers, sometimes begging, performing odd jobs or working as informal car guards for tips. Most of them are Cape Coloureds who speak Afrikaans mixed with a few English terms, and are known for their sense of humour, vulgar language and alcohol consumption.[4] [5] [6]

Their lifestyle is portrayed in the 1987 novel The Strollers by Lesley Beake,[7] the 1998 documentary film Pavement Aristocrats: The Bergies of Cape Town by François Verster,[4] and the play Suip!, a black comedy co-written and directed by Heinrich Reisenhofer.[8] Bergie, an award-winning short film by Dian Weys, depicts how a law enforcement officer removes people that are homeless in order to make way for a 10km fun-run.[9]

See also

References

  1. Book: Michaelides. G.G.. Candid Cape Town: A Discreet Guide to the Cape Peninsula. 1977. Struik. Cape Town. 9780869770900. 56. 16 June 2014.
  2. Book: Burchfield. Robert. The Cambridge History of the English Language Volume 5: English in Britain and Overseas, Origins and Development. 1994. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge. 9780521264785. 471. 16 June 2014.
  3. Book: Pansegrouw. Louisa. Pansegrouw's Crossword Dictionary. 1994. Maskew Miller Longman. Cape Town. 9780636019577. 759. 16 June 2014.
  4. Book: Ozinsky. Sheryl. Woulidge. Sam. Senekal. Jurie. Cape Town Don't Tell: The Mother City's (hush-hush) must-do list. 2003. Struik Publishers. Cape Town, South Africa. 9781868728725. 195. 15 June 2014.
  5. Book: Barnard. Deirdre. Fat, Fame and Life with Father. 2003. Double Storey. Cape Town. 9781919930343. 100. 15 June 2014.
  6. Book: Barnard. Madeleine. Cape Town Stories. 2007. Struik. Cape Town, South Africa. 9781868729401. 157,168. 15 June 2014.
  7. Book: Beake. Lesley. The Strollers. 1987. Maskew Miller Longman. Pinelands, Cape Town. 9780636010567. 16 June 2014.
  8. News: Play launches South Africa festival. 15 June 2014. BBC News. 19 April 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20140615084025/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1285180.stm. 15 June 2014. live.
  9. Web site: Bergie . .

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