The ‘ inkommer ’ blues
Three years ago, when we were planning the first issue of Platteland, we thought that 60-70% of our sales would be in the platteland and the rest in the concrete jungle and suburbia. Now we know it’s the other way round.
We also know that, for the majority of our readers, the platteland is either a memory of their childhood days, or a place where exhausted city slickers can take a break, or a dream for “one day when our ship comes in, or when it’s our turn to win the Lotto jackpot”.
In these fantasies, of course, there’s no such word as “inkommer”, a term veteran town dwellers use to describe new arrivals from the city who look at the “lovely village” through rose-tinted glasses and think everything is going to be just as easy as it is in the city, but with a few extra benefits such as friendlier people, less crime, untouched natural beauty, wide open spaces and dazzlingly bright stars at night…
But then we met the chairperson of van Vanwyksdorp Tourism (see page 20), Derick Botha, and his wife, Abigail, who told us: “In the cities you don’t know many of the people in your street or neighbourhood in any case, so it isn’t a big deal if you and your neighbours don’t speak because everyone can just get on with their own lives. But it’s different in the Little Karoo. It doesn’t matter what your qualification is, or how much money you have: If you are new, you will be checked out for a long time – and your credibility depends on it. Many clever people arrive with all sorts of ideas, but they end up leaving again. Here, people first want to see if you are another one of those people and, for as long as you’re being checked out, you will remain an “inkommer”. So how does one shake off this label? Easy, says Derick. “Be patient, friendly and helpful. Take part in the activities in the town. Learn as much as you can from the residents and ask for recommendations. Be careful about gossipping or sharing your opinions, because you’ll be blushing when your words make waves around town. Make peace with the fact that your product preferences, buying patterns and other lifestyle habits will have to change, otherwise you will become a chronic complainer. And do change your car registration plate as quickly as possible. Welcome to the platteland.”