kykNET's Gripping New DocuSeries Die Boere van Patagonië

New kykNET documentary series tells the gripping story of Die Boere van Patagonië

A nearly forgotten chapter of Afrikaner history is being brought back to life in the compelling documentary series Die Boere van Patagonië, which premieres on 19 July at 20:30 on kykNET.

With the series Voetspore, Johan Badenhorst has introduced viewers to remote parts of the world for decades. Now, in collaboration with Kew Productions, he tells the remarkable story of the Afrikaners who built a new life in Argentina after the Anglo-Boer War.

The war left many Afrikaners devastated. Farms were burnt down, crops destroyed, livestock wiped out, and thousands of women and children died in concentration camps. Many families felt there was only one option left: to leave South Africa in search of a new future elsewhere.

While some emigrated to places such as Tanzania and Madagascar, around 600 Afrikaners eventually undertook the long journey to Argentina, where they were invited to help develop the sparsely populated region of Patagonia.

There, in a landscape much like the Karoo, but with harsher winters, relentless winds and on isolated farms, the Boers tried to carve out a new life. Today, their descendants still live there – with surnames such as Van der Merwe, Kruger, Botha and Pelser – and although many have become Spanish-speaking over the years, elements of Afrikaner culture still survive.

They play Boeremusiek, dance langarm and braai lamb ribs over open coals. And sometimes, they still speak Afrikaans – a form of the language that has remained largely unchanged since their ancestors left South Africa more than a century ago. While Afrikaans in South Africa continued to evolve and became standardised over the decades, old expressions and words still survive in Patagonia.

Die Boere van Patagonië not only explores the historical reasons behind the migration to Argentina, but also asks important questions about identity, language, culture and heritage. The five-part series examines the devastation of the Anglo-Boer War and the reasons behind the emigration, the challenges the Boers faced in Patagonia, the discovery of oil and the role Afrikaners played in it, as well as the preservation of Afrikaans culture and language in Argentina. The series also speculates about what the future of Afrikaans in Patagonia may hold.

Johan Badenhorst, producer of the documentary, says:

“The Afrikaner diaspora is a relatively recent phenomenon, with groups mainly in Australia, Canada and England. But more than 120 years ago, a group of Afrikaners travelled to Patagonia. They didn’t just continue speaking Afrikaans, braaiing and making biltong. They also dance langarm and play Boeremusiek. These may be the final traces of a unique group of Afrikaners, but their story of perseverance and survival remains an inspiring one.”

“What stood out was the fact that even those who can no longer speak Afrikaans, but still carry surnames like Botha and Van der Merwe, remain incredibly proud of the continent they come from. They still celebrate it every year.”

The documentary was filmed over two months in both South Africa and Argentina. In South Africa, the focus falls on the communities from which the emigrants originally came, while the Argentinian leg of the production centres on Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Sarmiento and surrounding areas where the Boers settled.

Die Boere van Patagonië capture a part of history and culture on the brink of oblivion, and it may be the last time that these stories were told firsthand in Afrikaans.

Die Boere van Patagonië premieres on 19 July 2026 at 20:30 on kykNET (DStv Channel 144). The series will also be available on DStv Stream and Catch Up.