oranje blanje bleus 'n Nostalgiese Trip Vrye Weekblad 88-94 Max du Preez

Max du Preez calls Vrye Weekblad the 'jolliest, most anarchistic and foolhardy publication ever published in Africa'. Oranje blanje blues follows the life of this maverick Afrikaans newspaper from its inception in 1988, to its last issue six years later, when it was forced to close down. It was started and owned by Max du Preez and a small group of Afrikaans journalists committed to eradicating oppression and censorship and they wanted to do it in the 'language of the oppressor'. It was, Du Preez says, 'journalism as it had never been practised before'. This title documents the crazy, fascinating and wild years of Vrye Weekblad's existence at a time when nostalgia for its past runs high. In essays, extracts, news stories, photographs and commentary, the title traces the newspaper's impact on readers, politics and journalism at the time, the reaction of the authorities, and the role it played in changing attitudes and mindsets.