Merengue

Merengue is a style of music which comes from the Dominican Republic.

There is a strong and (depending on the song)fast beat which makes dancing it different to its counterpart Bachata (the two styles tend to express different feelings, i.e. Merengue has the more party feel while Bachata is very romantic)

This strong beat is expressed in the steps (and hip movements) which you can see here:


I love the fast beat, when music is running at 120 bpm (beats per minute) and over you can really get drawn into the music.

I've got several favourite songs,
firstly let's listen to Elvis Crespo. His song Suavemente was a big hit and helped garner popularity for Merengue:


Check out Oro Solido as well. Here's their song Abusadora:

Afrikaans and Afrikaanses

Afrikaans is a language in South Africa which developed from Dutch with other influences (Khoekhoe - the language known for its click sounds, Malay and English vocabulary).
Afrikaans is spoken mainly by two groups of people in South Africa: Coloureds and Afrikaners.

One of the most interesting things about the language is the lack of verb conjugation in the present tense:
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Afrikaans	Dutch	English	German
ek is	ik ben	I am	ich bin
jy/u is	jij/U bent	you are (sing.)	du bist (informal sing.)
hy/sy/dit is	hij/zij/het is	he/she/it is	er/sie/es ist
ons is	wij zijn	we are	wir sind
julle is	jullie zijn	you are (plur.)	ihr seid (informal pl.)
hulle is	zij zijn	they are	Sie (formal sing. & pl.)/sie sind

(Taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afrikaans)

In regards to the speech community itself: 

Afrikaans speakers have normally been considered Afrikaners (internationally) but this term tends to focus on the white Afrikaner community and excludes the Coloureds and any other speakers.

Afrikaanses is a new name for the community (or "Afrikaanssprekendes") which encompasses all groups.

This identity, especially in present post-apartheid South Africa, has made a place in a variety of contexts:
It is found in a major language association :

ATKV (Afrikaanse Taal- en Kultuurvereniging (Afrikaans Language and Cultural Association)

• http://www.atkv.org.za

• This organisation is originally an Afrikaner organisation but now incorporates all speakers and works in various avenues (running a festival, Drama competitions).

Afrikaans op Televisie provides a list of media (movies, docos) regarding Afrikaanses

• http://www.afrikaansop.tv/speak-out/
• One of the series is called Binnelanders involving a “multiracial Afrikaans speaking community” revolving around the lives of doctors and nurses.
Finally, MK is a tv channel in Afrikaans including music and entertainment
• http://beta.mnet.co.za/mnetvideo/BrowseVideo.aspx?channelId=3&CategoryId=104
• Check out the band Gazelle in the MK Awards of 2010! They've incorporated Khoekhoe and a funky beat: