Jijana can revive glorious Xhosa literature from apartheid gallows
THE publication of new works of literature by the Peddie-born poet Thabo Jijana is welcome news. We salute his timely contribution in an area which has been neglected for some time, as he notes. His insight and interpretation will contribute to how we view our times as a generation. We hope he will continue to maintain his independence as a writer in spite of the polarisation in the industry he refers to.
His commentary however that “serious attention” will only come if his generation writes in English gave me a pause.
SEK Mqhayi and indeed all the writers of his age survive in our memory not because they wrote in English but because they wrote in Xhosa. It is the masterful use of the Xhosa language that drew readers to his writings.
Who can fail to be mesmerised by his language as he laments the state of the nation followed by his rhythmic, tutorial address to future generations, published in 1908 (Izwi Labantu).
Our current readership is also not entirely kept away by economic constraints from reading. During Mqhayi’s era common people read his writings extensively from local news papers which published them. During apartheid readership patterns changed however because of censorship laws as books were banned and fear of prison kept people away from books.
That means you had generations that did not read to their children.
All our literature during this period was also Bantustan-ised. We all remember the endless Xhosa novels of a rural man who goes to Johannesburg, is corrupted by the city and is rehabilitated by returning to the Bantustans. Sometimes the character ended up being hanged. This was of course the apartheid philosophy. But it turned us away from reading.
But a generation of Jijana’s calibre has the potential to re-ignite our love affair with Xhosa literature through his unique insight and use of language. He can make it popular to read and write in Xhosa just as television audiences are drawn to ethnicbased presentations.
If our new poets gave us powerful poetry in Xhosa they would generate a readership drawn to their ideas and the masterful skill they use to engage their audience. They can continue to write in English of course. But we hope that they will not close the doors on Xhosa expression. — Wongaletu Vanda, via e-mail
Voters can set us free
SATURDAY Dispatch’s article titled, “ExANC leader faces political ruin” (October 31) refers. I wonder if Ayanda Matiti, the former ANC provincial youth leader knows what a fight he is in for with the ANC with statements like “Here you are dealing with criminals who are willing to do anything to win a conference.”
Let me remind Ayanda that South Africa is a contest between two visions, which would take our beloved country in opposite directions.
These divergent visions can be described as the “open, opportunity society for all” versus the “closed, crony society for some”.
The first leads to success; the second inevitably to failure. He of all people should understand this. If not, let me help him understand. Failure to build the opportunity society sufficiently quickly soon threatens the open society, because groups start to mobilise on racial, ethnic and class lines in a contest for access to resources and jobs.
When this happens, political leaders entrench their power behind collectivist rhetoric, using the state as a vehicle for patronage to reward those who keep them in power.
Inevitably, the distinction between the party and the state is quickly eroded to the extent that the ruling party’s closed network controls every chapter nine institution that should actually hold its power in check. This is already far advanced in South Africa.
The powerful elite then find scapegoats to blame for any perceived problem or failure. Meanwhile, power abuse intensifies; corruption and cronyism proliferate; the state collapses; and the poor become progressively poorer.
Do you really think you can challenge the ANC cabal alone?
It is the personal responsibility of each and every one of us to make our democracy work for all of us.
Only the voters of South Africa can take the ANC on through the ballot box, not you. — Kobus Botha, DA MPL Bhisho
‘Victims’ cause graft
I REALLY cannot believe that in this day and age, with all the everyday corruption going on within our government, we still have people out there who are prepared to part with their money so easily knowing full well they are being conned.
Surely these people who have paid money to this con woman are just as guilty as she is knowing full well they cannot buy a job from any government department or from any company looking for employees.
If they are prepared to pay money to get jobs, they are encouraging corruption in our country. Do not pay someone for a job or a promotion, because it is corruption.
If you haven’t learnt after all these years of exposed corruption then you need to learn the hard way. — Brian, via e-mail
Bogged in a morass
IF THE ANC is serious about wanting to improve services in ANC-run provinces and municipalities, then the solution is simple. Employ the best person for the job. Get rid of the cadres. Lock people up who are involved in tender fraud and throw away the keys.
Redrawing provincial boundaries and trying to wipe out the DA through electoral gerrymandering will only kick the can further down the street, delaying the day of reckoning. This idea may only come to fruition after being challenged and bogged down in the courts for many years. And in the meantime the country will slide further into the morass and more and more ANC voters will switch over to other parties.
All this gerrymandering, the obfuscation, the muzzling of the press, the vilification of the opposition etc will then all be in vain.
Real reform of this decrepit, corrupt and bankrupt system is the only viable solution. — Naushad Omar, East London