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“Ons is die stam van die gemeenskap”: rethinking old age and vitality in Nuwerus, Western Cape

In this paper, I argue against contemporary South African representations of the elderly as people at the fringes of society, as frail, withdrawn from social activity or “invisible.” Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Nuwerus, in the Matzikama Local Municipality of Western Cape Province, I highlight the way the elderly maintain their sense of vitality. I unpack the personal, religious and social dimensions of old age through the local notion of vitality. I draw attention to the subtle ways with which they push the boundaries of old age, consequently challenging conventional notions of health and wellness amongst the aged. The vigour with which the elderly go about their everyday life ultimately makes them the pillars and knowledge holders of the community. This paper examines the practices of the elderly in Nuwerus in order to evaluate the presentation of old age in terms of frailty in the literature with self-conceptions of strength, health and independence.