It’s hard to accept that almost 20 years into a non-racial society, persecution of creative intellectuals who are pro-black can still be such a powerful and dominating force in society, especially in literature.
I remember how leading Afrikaner writer Andre Brink sacrificed his privilege to challenge white supremacy. There are many other unsung literary heroes like renowned poet Breyten Breytenbach and historian Sampie Terreblanche who gave their talents to the struggle for racial justice. We should be saddened that the persecution of men of such calibre has not ceased in the Afrikaner community. A community that regards them as verraaier, traitors. These few writers are examples of the role played by highly gifted intellectuals to create a democratic society.
It was in the 1980s that Brink released his powerful work A Dry White Season that not only heightened radical political commitment among the youth in the townships but, in its own way, revealed that some whites were opposed to apartheid. Creators of such highly political work that opposed apartheid were persecuted, especially in the Afrikaner community. It looks like this tendency has not stopped.
Brink was marginalised and persecuted because he revealed the shortcomings of apartheid ideology. He imagined a just and equal society through his writings. Recently he was awarded a Jan Rabie scholarship to write his historical novel on the life of a slave woman, Philida. But there has been a sustained attack on his integrity as a writer simply because in a post-apartheid society he continues to focus on subjects that some Afrikaners prefer to bury. He is being persecuted because people feel that there’s nothing special about Philida’s suffering as a slave at the time.
Some white people still long to live in a society where perpetrators of the worst crime against humanity can be left alone to enjoy their privileges and freedom. Where writers like Brink can leave them alone in their own laagers. These days, voices that come to Brink’s defence are very few. Many have become cynical about equality.
When we protect Brink, it’s not because we cling to fantasies of white guilt but because we understand what it means to write about slavery in a society that’s in denial about its past. In my black world, growing up in the townships, we grew up to value white comrades like Bram Fischer and Beyers Naude, among others, who abandoned privilege to become comrades in arms. When it comes to a man like Brink, that commitment was first made through his mind and heart and later realised through the quality and content of his literary works.
Brink’s latest work is a creative reminder that literature is part of the struggle against forgetting. South Africans, especially whites, suffer from historical amnesia. Many don’t know that slavery existed, and continues to exist, in this country. Creating a non-racial society includes helping many white folks to come to terms with the history of this beautiful land that, to quote Alan Paton, man cannot enjoy. And black people must stop internalising white racism by keeping quiet when people like Brink, Breytenbach or Terreblanche are persecuted for telling the truth. This is the greatest gesture of patriotism that a creative intellectual can give.
We must not allow ourselves to be blinded by the reality that there was a brouhaha over the awarding of the scholarship to Brink because of what he represents. The fact that he enjoys a successful writing career should not be used as an instrument to discriminate against his talent. If the ideas he presents towards enriching our history and self-understanding are considered the best by an independent panel, he earns every right to be given the scholarship.
A creative intellectual must be judged by what he has to offer the country. It has absolutely nothing to do with how much he has in the bank or his status in society. There shall be equality and justice among all writers in the land.
With all due respect, what privilege did Brink sacrifice? In my white world he is, and has always been considered a very privileged literary elite – irrespective of whether one likes him or dislikes him. And he has certainly not been reviled in the way that Breyten was. This is romanticised drivel – much like a lot of Brink’s writings. I stopped reading his works when I became bored with his obsession with sex across the colour line and when he fell too regularly into stereotyping white women as being secretly admiring and desirous of having sex with the magnificently built black slaves/farm workers/desert wanderers – a belief many men seem to like perpetuating (in fact, it was far more likely that the “massa” would rape/sleep with slave women). Your argument is so loose and illogical that I will not even address its merits.
I don’t understand how anyone can have a problem with a work of fiction – even when it’s about a nasty time in our past. The thing is, slavery has been a part of the school history curriculum for as long as I can remember.
Then again, if you don’t like the book then don’t read it.
“…the worst crime against humanity…”
Hard to tell if you’re referring to slavery or apartheid here. Doesn’t really matter, because neither is the “worst crime against humanity.”
Genocide, the intentional murder of an entire people, is the worst crime against humanity. And it’s taken place across cultures and racial divides.
Let’s try to keep our rhetoric in place, eh?
I would venture (without having any solid reference) that the largest single group of Brink’s readers are Afrikaners. This indicates to me that, despite having a tough message, Afrikaner readers (and his works are definitely for “hard core readers”) listens to his message and then agree or disagree in a civilised manner or just take note and carry on.
Personally I read almost all of his work as a young person, but at some stage around 2000, his infatuation with the sex life of old men just became too much.
All the examples you mention chose to be controversial. That is who they are. Today you will probably find that they will be as critical of the current regime as they were of the NP establishment. Max du Preez is another example of the “brand”.
I also have to agree with @In my world – there is a huge difference between the kind of activism of Brink and Terreblanche, who are/were activists from within the comfort of academic freedom and Fischer and Naudé. Breytenbach stands somewhere in between.
Also note that the idea that Afrikaners are of mixed race is generally accepted and only extreme denialists will not admit that the blood of eastern slaves, Khoi and Bantu flow in their veins.
@Rich & Lennon, what is missing in this discussion is that blacks played a major role in the slave trade because, they traded off their people to the slave traders. In Africa, many ethic groups were wipe out because of the slave trade by black Africans fighting to capture blacks for the slave traders.
‘South Africans, especially whites, suffer from historical amnesia. Many don’t know that slavery existed, and continues to exist, in this country.’
You base this on which source? Or is it just a thumb-suck? Please let me know where this modern day slavery is taking place?
@In my world
Maybe some sex therapy may ease your paranoia about the eroticism of interracial love depicted in Brink’s works in a country like SA
@Lennon
“if you don’t like the book then don’t read it.”
As usual, your logic is impeccable! So how do you know that you don’t like the book without reading it first? LOL
Sandile is so right about the historical amnesia among the majority of the beneficiaries of apartheid. A sudden onset of mass amnesia in SA that mysteriously began circa 1994 and is now out of control. In fact, more is known about apartheid is US and UK high schools than in SA schools!!! They forgot that it took centuries to create the situation we find ourselves in today, yet they are quick pin the blame on our 18 year old government for all our problems to deflect attention away from their continued enjoyment of the fruits of apartheid – the wealth and privilege handed down from generation to generation.
Yes, we stand on the shoulders of giants like the brave Afrikaans writers like Brink, Breytenbach, Sampie Terreblanche, Ingrid Jonker etc. who risked their lives to speak their truth.
Bwahahaha I should not laugh but I will.
I have no, none what so ever guilt as a supposed white man. NONE.
I do as a human carry the guilt as a human as no tribe or man can stand before God and say we in our history never colonised or enslaved another. NONE can say so.
Female slaves are taken today by force rape in South Africa. Today!!
We see black South Aficans attacking other black Africans. Today!!!!
We see black South Africans abusing other South Africans racially.
We Black business men like Cyril or Patrice Motsepe taking advantage as black men of others via very suspect business means.
So Sandile please dont be like the Liberationists Baby Boomers or Black Apologists and do what you say and forget race.
All men are born equal and none are free to all are free. So follow Brink and Bretie and out the colour thing to the past otherwise that past will haunt you which it does not with Xenophobia.
@ Sterling: Yeah, but the inconvenient truth is always omitted.
@ Dave: It’s called a book review. Perhaps you’ve heard of such things? LOLOLOLOL!
@ Dave Harris
Smile away – I am in an interracial relationship and have been for 8 years, and I’m certainly not paranoid – but I think I know “my mense” better than you do. I also think I know women better than you do. It was white male farmers who were found on the wrong side of the river when the floods hit Excelsior – not their wives. LOL – about as much as you want.
This is article by Sandile is a very skewed take on Brink’s bursary award. The reason the Afrikaans community had a problem with the award of the bursary to Brink was because he was considered too OLD, not because of his politics. It is after all the JAN RABIE bursary. Jan Rabie was not exactly a supporter of Apartheid now was he?
Almost 20 years into a non-racial society? What non racial society? This certainly cannot apply to South Africa where racism is the name of the game, Of course only whites are racist – not blacks!! Today whites are discriminated against (see BEE, BBEEE, AA and so on). Racist adverts look for blacks only to apply. Where is the Rainbow Nation and equal opportunity for all? All men are born equal but that’s where it ends. Some strive for knowledge, education, experience and the doors that those skills should open. Others vote for privilege and promises that cannot be delivered. If people were judged and selected on what they can do, legally for their fellow man, race would have no place. As education falls behind as it is so bad, and the population increases so fast, the demand on welfare is already unsustainable so to quote the wise words of Sir Winston Churchill :- “Never have so few been called upon to do so much, for so many.” Without decent education our society is crashing, faster and faster whilst the ANC dances and sings as the country and the school books burn (that is if there are any school books in the first place). Another wise man said, “Fools do not learn from their own experience but wise men learn from the experience of others”!! Obviously if that good experience comes from white men it should not be considered in our non racial society!
First I’ve heard of it. You didn’t let on what forms the persecution took.
Dear Mr Memela
Honestly I cannot fathom how you can so grossly generalise a people that number 6 million. (Although I presume you are in fact referring to the white Afrikaans population of 3 million).
Let me tell you who I am, as it seems you don’t think it uncouth to make broad sweeping statements as if we are a homogenous group, with similiar character traits and beliefs.
I am a libertarian. I am agnostic. I prefer dialogue to conflict. I am of mixed blood (as most Afrikaners): I am the resultant bloodline of both slave and master.
I know ‘Afrikaners’ that are Buddhists, racists, punks, hippies, thin ones and fat ones.
Please refrain from trying to put me in a box, I don’t take kindly to it.
btw I don’t like Brink, but I love Breytenbach.
What box of Afrikanerdom have i now, in your unfound generalised opinion, ticked ?
Sandile , what about building a wailing wall in the Freedom Park in Pretoria . Every single white South African should be forced by law to visit it annually and cry and roll in the dust and off course make a financial contribution of at least R1000 towards the gravy train . Will this for once and for all time satisfy black people like you that just can not let go of the past . Maybe then we can all focus our attentions on improving the education system and start growing our economy !
@Dave Harris: You say “yet they are quick pin the blame on our 18 year old government for all our problems.”
Well, of course. Although not for ALL of our problems. But definitely for the CURRENT problem of not fixing it in an endurable, sustainable manner. Because the CURRENT government is the serving government, and THEY are therefore the ones that should be doing the RIGHT things to fix it.
It is blatantly obvious to me that they are not doing the right things, and in particular the previously disadvantaged are suffering the more for it.
And because I want a non-racial society with no corruption, cronyism, and oppression, I WILL blame this government when they fail the previously disadvantaged.
Strangely you are the one that condone all the wrong things this government are doing, possibly because you are so caught up in your victim mentality thinking that you wouldn’t see the truth if it hit you in the face.
Actually, dude, you are the living embodiment of playing the victim in the drama triangle (go look it up).
So I must conclude that you want the government to keep oppressing the previously disadvantaged.
Seems you are the new oppressor, and I am the one advocating for the previously disadvantaged!
So I am a liberator!
I enjoyed the quality of the comments here but could not help noticing the “comfort of anonymity” as a common denominator…
Clarence P. Esau