South Africa: Anti-Apartheid Movements (2)

South Africa: Anti-Apartheid Movements (2) the Movement (“Amnesty” [“A”] 1991), Imprisonment (“The Prisoner Who Wore Glasses” [“Pri”] 1977) and Riots (“The Day of the Riots” [“D”] 1982)

Outline • Starting Questions • Comparison between the stories read so far and the three stories • The Three Stories

Starting Questions • Which of the three stories do you like the best? And why? Does any of the stories allow us to know more about anti-Apartheid movements than the others? • Are there any similarities (in themes) or differences (in themes and styles) among them? • How do these stories as a group continue the themes we have discussed so far in South African lit (i.e. “The Music of the Violin” [“M”], “Prophetess” [“Pro”], “Six Feet of the Country” [“S”], and “Lovesong After the Music of K. E. Ntsane”)?

Continued Themes : Inequality and Cultural Dignity

Continued Themes (2). Resistance and Reversal of Positions. .

Central Themes in the Three Stories • (“Pri”“A”) Resistance and Survival, in and out of prison; • (“Pri”“A”) The distortion of humanity in the prison or during the riots; • Three black persons’ lives seen from different perspectives: • (“A”) 1st person -- a female teacher of a farm school; • (“Pri”) 3rd person -- a prisoner, Brille, • (“D”) omniscient 3rd person –Venter & Sipho’s family and the Riots

Outline • Imprisonment and the Movement: • Background: inequality & Robben Island • Gordimer (2): Her Treatment of Black Race & “Amnesty” • Bessie Head: “The Prisoner . . .” • Race Relations during the Riots: • Mbuleo Mzamane: “The Days of the Riots”

1978 – the days of the Riots source

Robben Island home to Nelson Mandela and many political prisoners during the last 3 decades

Robben Island • prisoners crushing rocks at Robben Island

e.g.: Nelson Mendala in prison • 18 years in Robben Island; 27 years in prison. • On the Island: 1 letter every 6 months, 1 visitor for 30 minutes a year, hard labor at the quarry. • During this period, Mandela was in many ways a forgotten man; his image and words were banned throughout Africa. • He assumed leadership over his jailed comrads; • His way of resistance, “walked” when he was required to run. (source: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/mandela/prison/ )

Nadine Gordimer: “History from the Inside” (Clingman) From “Six Feet” (1956) to “Amnesty” (1991) Unreliable white male narrator  Black female narrator who is reliable but suggestive.

Nadine Gordimer:treatments of races • earlier fiction: white middle-class, liberalist characters and their contradictory relationship to Black characters under the system of apartheid (e.g. condescending, lack of care--“Six Feet of the Country” 1956) • Later: used first-person voice to express position of Black characters • criticized – presumptuous of her to represent an experience which cannot be her own • Her defense: has her right to write about Black characters; acknowledging the need to ensure that their voices must be heard (source: http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~bweber/NadineGordimer.html )

Example of the criticism (1): • “the least convincing. There is something faux-naïf[artfully simple] about the perception and diction; it feels patronising. . . It seems odd that Gordimer even tries to feel black.” (source: Nadine Gordimer 173) • "In these books [Burger's Daughter and The Conservationist], Gordimer astutely described the liberal politics of white and mostly English-speaking South Africa. She was much less incisive in dealing with those Afrikaners supporting the regime and was least successful in describing the blacks." (Judith Chettle of the World and I)

Example of the criticism (2): • July’s People (1981)–banned in Gauteng province • "the subject matter is questionable ... the language that is used is not acceptable, as it does not encourage good grammatical practices ... the reader is bombarded with nuances that do not achieve much ... any condemnation of racism is difficult to discover - so the story comes across as being deeply racist, superior and patronizing.“ (source with an excerpt from the book: http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/generalfiction/story/0,6000,475098,00.html).

Gordimer’s view (2) • “key areas of both white and black experience are self-contained in South Africa” (Nadine Gordimer 17) • E.g. she would not attempt, for example, to “narrate the experience of the Soweto riots, knowing ‘it would be false.’”

"Amnesty" • Published in Jump, a collection of short stories, shortly before Gordimer won the Nobel prize. • Told from a woman whose lover returns from Robbon Island prison, after his involvement in the Union first and then the “Movement.”

Questions • How much do we know, through the narrator, about her lover’s revolutionary ideas? How is he related to the narrator and their families? • What role does the narrator play in between an activist and her peasant family? How much does she learn from her lover? • What does the ending mean (that she says she is ‘waiting to come back home’)?

The Man’s Anti-Apartheid Movements and Ideas • From a construction company Union rent riots (full-time participation in the Movement); • well-dressed (no stupid yes-baas black men) p. 26; exercise in their cells 29; • Criticism of his people’s self-content, belief in God, and ignorance p. 26; 28; • Criticism of racial inequality: 30; • Work for the future: land, food, end of ignorance.

The lover: distanced from his family • Changed after coming back from the jail: 29; • absent-minded, something in his mind 29-30; • Have sex like taking a meal 31; • the comrades: confirming “our culture”—”the mama of Africa” • patronizing—wanting her to learn 31

The Narrator’s position Her lover & his comrades The narrator The peasants Squatters • Gender: p. 25 (needs the father’s permission to get married; stays home to take care of her parents); • Education: standard 8  teach in a farm school; • Knowledge: has not seen the island • her lover: learns from newspaper wrapping 25; as a worker 26

Gender differences in the story • The narrator– happy about his return; 25; Get well-dressed to go see him p. 27; • eager to learn (e.g. pp. 30; 31); ignored by both her lover and their comrads. • learn and revise the lover’s lesson: p. 30 ‘we haven’t got a home at all” 30;  aware of the lover’s not coming ‘home’ yet; has to wait to come back “home.” • her distinct perception nature p. 27; the view of the earth and the clouds as a rat 32

Standard 8 • In South Africa, studies at high school level are called “Standards” and they maintain a high academic level. South African students study five years of high school, Standards 6-10. Standard 10, which is the graduate year, is also called “Matric”. (source) • Standard 8 – about Grade 12 in American system, the third-year in our senior high.

Bessie Head (1937-1986) • One of the “colored” South Africans. • Born in a mental hospital of an "illicit" union between a Scottish woman and a black man, who worked for her family. • Adopted by a ‘colored’ couple. Later, at St. Monica's Home, B. Head was shocked to find out from her principal that the couple are not her biological parents. • Teaching Clairwood Coloured School, Head was isolated (because of her mixed blood and her belief in Hinduism) and thus she suffered from mental breakdowns.  journalist, involved in PAC (Pan-African Congress) • It was in Serowe, Botswana that Bessie wrote the novels and short stories for which she is now famous. • Major Novels: When Rain Clouds Gather, Maru, A Question of Power and The Collector of Treasures Info 1; 2 and image source

“The Prisoner who Wore Glasses” ” • How are the political prisoners presented in the story? What are their relations with the warders like? • Why is Brille called this name? Does he suffer from any of his weaknesses? • How does Brille join politics? How does he get to change his view of politics? • How does Brille win over warder Hannetjie? • To combine the above questions, what does the author think about power relation and politics?

The political prisoners & Brille • Span One –assertive 68-69; best thieves and liars; • Brille his views of the clouds (letters home) p. 68 •  They can make the best of their situations  until Warder Hannetjie punishes the whole group and uses violence (p. 69); later finds out their tricks in stealing things and doing the forbidden. P. 73

Brille’s Old View of Politics • His family: Martha and 12 children; apparent order when he is home. • politics – as ‘an ordered beautiful world with just a few basic slogans” (70); conferences as an escape from home. • New Perspective got in the prison. (Wanted to keep order had he not been beaten by the warder).

Brille’s adjustment and findings • Brille manages to save his glasses. • keep on stealing; • Found WH stealing; found the “evils” of prison life; p. 71; • His open defiance 72. • What do ‘family’ and ‘children’ mean in this power struggle? (e.g. Brille and H identifies themselves as one with a wife and children) • Need for Power and Power (over the children).

Politics in the prison 1) an eye for an eye; 2) the fittest survive (the one that fits into the system of exploitation and appropriation) and the apparently powerful is only a child who cannot understand their cause; 3) What does their wanting ‘[him] on [their] side’ mean? 4) The warder and the prisoner as a mirror to each other  mutually supportive thieves • The short-sighted sees it all.

Mbuleo Mzamane • Realistic in style; • Against using “western criteria alone” in the evaluation of committed African literature.

The Children of Soweto -- • set in South Africa during the 1976 uprisings against apartheid. • 3 parts: • 1st - describes students’ schooldays and then the protests by students against education imposed by the apartheid. • 2nd (“The Days of the Riots”) - an African man to hide his white friend caught in the middle of a riot. • 3rd - graphic detail about the children’s riots.

“The Days of the Riots” • How are the students’ riots described? • How are Sipho’s and Venter’s positions changed during the riots? • Why does Sipho not go back to work the next day?

Riots • marching and demonstration; 135- • students get wiser p. 136; and more violent; • Eddie’s experience: 140 –virtual government; • the story of Chabeli and Rathebe pp. 141 - 143

Sipho and Venter • Before the riots: • Sipho – poverty 133; • Sipho – not trusted by his company to drive the car home 145; • Sipho – has a BA but does not want people to know. 148 • Venter – prejudiced • goes with Sipho for black women; rely on him more;

Sipho and Venter(2) during the Riots: • Venter’s • increasing fear: 148; • In a dilemma – cannot go home, cannot stay at Sipho’s either. • under constant threats and insecurity • in the coal box: 138; • Sipho’s perspective  Daphne’s & Miekie’s • keep the basic human concern: not wanting him to die out in the cold and the riots; • think more for his own family;

Sipho and Venter(3) ironic ending • Venter’s • Wants to promote Sipho • Sipho • “one-hearted” in drinking; almost forget about sending Venter home. • Does not show up – many possibilities

References • Head, Dominic. Nadine Gordimer. Cambridge UP, 1994.

South Africa: Anti-Apartheid Movements (2)