I read the other day, that the stories Athol
Fugard wrote were mostly autobiographical, or stories of his own life although,
he describes his work as fiction. Some
characters, certain attitudes, most noticeably that dehumanizing policy, apartheid, creep up in his work and fill his pages. I ask myself what, as a white English-speaking
South African, would I write about?
Would it be the controversial BEE policies,
which is the reason I live in this dustbowl? - I am currently studying and
living in the Middle East. Would it be
the mess the ANC government, with absolutely no consequences, has put South
Africa in? JM Coetzee wrote about the
powerlessness of white males in his book, Disgrace. He writes that us whites
should all start again from a point of disgrace. Perhaps I should write my stories from that
angle, since it is what we whites are all experiencing at the moment. But these attitudes are easier to reflect
upon, I am sure, while Coetzee is sipping his Australian wine.
If I were to write an account, my account,
of apartheid, would the ANC government ban me from being too
controversial? Would I go live in
America like Fugard, Anne Landsman, or Tony Prile. Perhaps they will ban me
like the then South African government banned Breyten Breytenbach for marrying
the wrong person and just being too outspoken.
Just lately Zuma has mentioned several
times that if you toe the line with the party, your business will flourish. Is
the converse also true then? He does
rather seem hellbent on giving all South African children his own peculiar
measure of education, or is it ‘uneducation’. I ask myself, what is he doing to
all of us as a nation, and to me and my children? Will they even be able to read
the mutterings that I so dedicatedly put down. Will my grandchildren?
It is my belief that a child is brought up,
not only by school, but by a myriad of experiences within the community where
he/she lives - a kind of shared ubuntu.
Perhaps it is these other experiences I should write about then and not
about the unequalness and reverse-discrimination policies;
about how my children formed their own unique characters and attitudes. As a junior nurse many years ago, I looked
into dying people’s eyes, heard their regrets and achievements, all of which
seemed to be centered about their own family. That is what I shall focus on - mine. A kind of autobiographical essay
with, of course, a lot of imagination to fill the pages.
I have started a new blog, a blog for my
children, so that one day they will remember how it was. They carry these stories inside of them. It’s
in their eyes and in their attitudes. Thank you Athol Fugard, for showing me
the way. I called it Stoepstories. Enjoy!
http://stoepstories.blogspot.com
