A literary giant apartheid couldn’t silence

CAN Themba passed away 50 years ago at the age of 43 without a book under his authorship. However, his works have outlived him and he remains one of the most influential writers in the history of literature and journalism in South Africa.

At the time of his passing on September 8, 1967, Themba was exiled in Swaziland and banned in South Africa as a “statutory communist”. This was ironic seeing that in his May 1955 column in the Golden City Post, he explained why he was not a communist, citing his aversion to confinement to doctrines without questioning.

“It is the uncritical attitude that I find so unpalatable,” he wrote. “In practice communism seems to have become the rule of a clique – the heads of the party. There is nothing to show that these men share the same comradeship with the people.”

Nonetheless, the apartheid government deemed it fit to label him a “communist” and declared it illegal to publish his works or quote him in any South African publication. The fact that more than half-a-century later, his name is still part of the national discourse flies in the face of the apartheid regime’s determination to suppress his views.

It also bears testimony to the resilience and enduring nature of his thundering voice, which reverberates from beyond the grave.

He was appropriately described by literary critic Ursula A Barnett as “the most interesting personality and perhaps the most talented of the writers of the late 1950s and early 1960s”.

Lewis Nkosi accurately observed that Themba had the “liveliest mind and the best command of the English language”.

These assertions confirm one’s view that Themba was indeed ahead of his time.

He is one writer from his generation who straddled the literary and journalism landscapes with ease.

His writing inspired different generations of writers and journalists and remains relevant to different epochs.

In his short but meteoric life, Themba inscribed his name among the distinguished canon of African writers. In a conversation I had with distinguished writer Ngugi wa Thiong’o earlier this year, he told me about how Themba’s generation of writers inspired them as young literary enthusiasts across the continent.

At the time, Drum magazine (formerly the African Drum) was one of the most widely distributed publications across Africa.

While Themba passed away without publishing a single book in his lifetime, his passing seems to have brought his works to life and entrenched his name in the annals of writing in South Africa.

A year after his passing, The Classic literary journal, founded by his friend and colleague Nat Nakasa, and which he had helped in founding and naming, published a tribute edition in his honour in 1968.

Since Themba remained banned even in death, the tribute edition did not include any of his works. Instead, it featured tributes from legendary journalists he had mentored including Harry Mashabela, Juby Mayet, Casey Motsisi and Stan Motjuwadi. In 1972, five years after his death, Heinemann in London posthumously published the very first collection of Themba’s works,The Will to Die.

The book was distributed across the globe but could not be circulated legally in South Africa. It was only in 1982 that the ban on Themba was lifted. This instigated interest in his works and subsequently the reprints of The Will to Die and several other publications. Following the writer’s unbanning, a local publisher, David Philip, obtained the rights to republish his works inside South Africa.

This publication was followed in 1985 by a more substantial collection of his works, The World of Can Themba, edited by Essop Patel.

The latest and arguably the most comprehensive collection of Themba’s works, Requiem for Sophiatown, was published by Penguin Books in 2006.Among all Themba’s works, his short story, The Suit, is the most famous and probably the most successful short story written by a South African.

The Suit was first published in the inaugural issue of Nakasa’s literary journal in 1963.

After its first publication, The Suit was soon republished in an anthology edited by Nadine Gordimer for school syllabus purposes, and this was followed by several republications and adaptations on different platforms.

The short story was first adapted as a play in 1993 by Mothobi Mutloatse and Barney Simon, featuring Sello Maake Ka-Ncube in the lead role.

In 1994, Ka-Ncube received the last Dalro Best Actor Award for his role in the play.

He remains one of the most influential South African writers

After successful performances in local and international theatres, the play was adapted by British playwright and director Sir Peter Brook.

It has graced international stages in 27 countries including France, Britain and the US.

Most recently, a modernised version of it, directed by James Ngcobo and starring the legendary Siyabonga Thwala, has played to sold-out shows at the Market Theatre.

The House of Truth, a bio-play inspired by the life of Themba, penned by myself and starring Sello Maake ka-Ncube, premiered at the prestigious Grahamstown National Arts Festival last year.

The production opened the 2017 Market Theatre season in January this year to critical acclaim and sold-out shows. Owing to popular demand, the show is now back on stage at the Auto & General Theatre on the Square in Sandton. Siphiwo Mahala is the writer of the hit play,