DOCSLIB.ORG

Magical Realism Beyond the Wall of Apartheid? Missing Persons by Ivan Vladislavic

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Magical Realism Beyond the Wall of Apartheid? Missing Persons by Ivan Vladislavic Magical Realism Beyond the Wall of Apartheid? Missing Persons by Ivan Vladislavic Valeria Guidotti A boundary is not that at which something stops but [... ] from which something begins its presenang. (Martin Heidegger, Poetry, l.Ilnguage, TIwught)l OUTH AFRICAN LITERATURE, LIKE SHEHERAZADE, has repeatedly Sbeen threatened by death. Critics and intellectuals, mainly from out­ side Africa, formerly feared that the oppressive restriction of apart­ heid would kill creativity; more recently they have been afraid that its demise, with the collapse of that totalitarian system encompassing all fields, social, political, and cultural, would have the same result. How can South African literature survive? Where can it find new life and sustenance? I wish I could make a definite reply to these obsessive ques­ tions: magical realism, a major component of postmodernist fiction and an important feature of post-colonial writing, is also a well established literary practice in post-apartheid literature. However, the transition to freedom is a moment of "cultural uncertainty, and, most crucially, of significatory or representational undecidability."2 This paper will therefore simply attempt to trace the existence of a fictional mode identifiable as magical realism in South Africa; it will also attempt to uncover connections with and local 1 Martin Heidegger, "Building, Dwelling, Thinking" in Poetry, l.Ilnguage, TIwught; quoted by Homi K Bhabha in The Location of Culture (London: Routledge, 1994 ): 1 (author's emphasis). 2 Bhabha, The Location of Culture, 35. 228 VALERIA GUIDOTTI 1'0 divergences from the paradigmatic work of that genre: One Hundred Years of Solitude. Stephen Gray denies the possibility of a South African magical-realist tradition, in that he sees magical-realist literature as the manifestation of a baroque, Catholic culture which cannot take root in the white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant culture of South Africa.3 Ivan Vladislavic, the writer on whose collection of short stories, Missing Persons, my analysis will focus, says: "I am suspicious of categories like Magical Realism, I do not think of my work that way, but I wonder has any writer actually ever admitted to being a magical realist?"4 His work, however, was immediately paired with The Powers That Be by Mike Nicol, and both authors have been acclaimed by reviewers as the first South African magical-realistic writers. In addition to the inherent difficulty of defining magical realism, in South Africa the literature in question includes that written by anglophone writers, literature written by blacks, both in English and in local languages, and also works written in Afrikaans by white and coloured, and the rich and imaginative production of the Indian community. Until recently South Africa was a divided and unnaturally fragmented nation. In spite of this, there is the basis for Common literary strategies, and magical realism, "a mode suited to exploring - and transgressing - bound­ aries,"S free from conventionalism, narrowness and hate, might function as a catalyst in the development of a new, national and cross-cultural post­ apartheid literature. Magical realism, then, may replenish exhausted narra­ tive traditions, as John Barth, one of the writers from whom Vladislavic admits having drawn imaginative sustenance, has suggested.6 Other influ­ ences on Vladislavic include Rabelais, Sterne, Swift, Stevenson, Borges, Ka£ka - "a large and motley bunch," as he says? In my opinion, this list denotes a precise, coherent, and quite homogeneous choice. The 'Sestigers' or dissident Afrikaner writers, who as early as the Sixties had already severed links with their 'tribe' and its ideological and cultural orthodoxy, made some original aesthetic choices. Mazisi Kunene argues that 3 Conversation between the author and Professor Gray Oohannesburg, July 1996). 4 From a letter to the author, July 1995. 5 Lois Parkinson Zamora &t Wendy B. Faris, ed., MIlgical Realism: History, Theory, Com­ munity (Durham NC/London: Duke UP, 1995): 5. 6 See John Barth. liThe Uterature of Exhaustion," Atlantic Monthly 220.2 (August 1967): 29-34, and liThe Uterature of Replenishment," Atlantic Monthly 233.1 Oanuary 1980): 65- 71. 7 From a letter to the author, July 1995. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Political Culture in the New South Africa
    Political Culture in the New South Africa 7 September 2005 Sunnyside Park Hotel, Parktown, Johannesburg South Africa KONRAD-ADENAUER-STIFTUNG • SEMINAR REPORT • NO 16 • JOHANNESBURG • OCTOBER 2006 © KAS, 2006 All rights reserved While copyright in this publication as a whole is vested in the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, copyright in the text rests with the individual authors, and no paper may be reproduced in whole or part without the express permission, in writing, of both authors and the publisher. It should be noted that any opinions expressed are the responsibility of the individual authors and that the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung does not necessarily subscribe to the opinions of contributors. ISBN: 0-620-37571-X Published by: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 60 Hume Road Dunkeld 2196 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa PO Box 1383 Houghton 2041 Johannesburg Republic of South Africa Telephone: (+27 +11) 214-2900 Telefax: (+27 +11) 214-2913/4 E-mail: [email protected] www.kas.org.za Editing, DTP and production: Tyrus Text and Design Printing: Stups Printing Foreword THE AMERICAN POLITICAL SCIENTISTS GABRIEL ALMOND AND SIDNEY VERBA HAVE, MORE THAN anyone else, attempted to define the term political culture. According to them: Political culture is the pattern of individual attitudes and orientations towards politics among the members of a political system. It is the subjective realm that underlies and gives meaning to political actions.1 Although this definition captures succinctly what political culture is, it falls short in differentiating between the political culture that exists at an elite level and the political culture that exists among the citizens of a given system.
    [Show full text]
  • A Strategy for Realising the Potential of the Cultural Industries
    CREATIVE SOUTH AFRICA A strategy for realising the potential of the Cultural Industries A REPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARTS, CULTURE, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY BY THE CULTURAL STRATEGY GROUP NOVEMBER 1998 The report was commissioned by DACST to research the cultural industries and to propose strategies for their growth and development. The report does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department or the Ministry of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology but will be used to inform future policy formulation. Creative South Africa 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD 4 1 PROLOGUE 6 1.1 Objectives of the Cultural Industries Growth Strategy study 7 1.2 Objectives of “Creative South Africa” 8 1.3 The target audience for “Creative South Africa” 8 1.4 What are the cultural industries? 8 1.5 The link between cultural iIndustries and the information age 9 1.6 Cultural industries: drivers of the new economy 10 1.7 Why have the cultural industries not been taken seriously before? 10 1.8 What are the specific dynamics of the cultural industries? 11 1.9 How important are the cultural industries for South Africa? 12 1.10 Research undertaken into the South African cultural industries 14 1.11 Conclusion 15 2 FINDINGS FROM THE CULTURAL INDUSTRIES GROWTH STRATEGY RESEARCH 16 2.1 The Music Industry 16 2.2 The Film and Television Industry 21 2.3 The Publishing Industry 25 2.4 The Craft Industry 31 2.5 Cross cutting issues emerging from the CSG sectoral research 38 2.5.1 Training and skills development 38 2.5.2 Technology 38 2.5.3 Institutional structuring 39 2.5.4
    [Show full text]
  • F Ree Dow Nload from W W W .Hsrcpublishers.Ac.Za
    Free download from www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za Free download from www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za Free download from www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za Compiled by the Social Cohesion and Integration Research Programme of the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) Published by HSRC Press Private Bag X9182, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za © 2003 Human Sciences Research Council First published 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. ISBN 0 7969 2030 3 Design and typesetting by Christabel Hardacre Cover design by Fuel Cover photograph by Bruno Bossi Production by comPress Printed by Paarl Print Free download from www.hsrcpublishers.ac.za Distributed in Africa, by Blue Weaver Marketing and Distribution, PO Box 30370, Tokai, Cape Town 7966, South Africa. Tel: +27 +21-701-4477 Fax: +27 +21-701-7302 email: [email protected] Distributed worldwide, except Africa, by Independent Publishers Group, 814 North Franklin Street, Chicago, IL 60610, USA. www.ipgbook.com To order, call toll-free: 1-800-888-4741 All other inquiries, Tel: +1 +312-337-0747 Fax: +1 +312-337-5985 email: [email protected] Contents Preface vii Introduction 1 David Chidester, Phillip Dexter and Wilmot James Part I Order 21 1 Sovereignty, identity and the prospects for southern Africa’s people 23 Peter Vale 2 The importance
    [Show full text]
  • Case Study of South Africa
    UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (UNEP) BIODIVERSITY PLANNING SUPPORT PROGRAMME (BPSP) Integrating Biodiversity into the Tourism Sector: Best Practice and Country Case Studies Case study of South Africa Anna Spenceley Institute of Natural Resources Private Bag X01 Scottsville Pietermaritzburg 3209 South Africa Tel: +27 33 3460796 Mobile: +27 82 3604475 Fax: + 27 33 3460895 [email protected] or [email protected] Final Report: February 2001 Acknowledgements This case study was made possible with the expertise and support of a number of people. At the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism I would like to thank Moeketsi Mosola and Khungeka Njobe for their assistance. Within South African National Parks information was gratefully received from Dirk Fourie, Chris Patton and Annatjie Pelser. Advice was also provided by Dr Maureen Wolfson of the National Botanical Institute; Vuyo Mahlati of the Community Public Private Partnership (CPPP); Clive Poultney of the Tourism and Hospitality Education and Training Authority (THETA); James Seymour of KwaZulu Natal Tourism Authority; and Penny Urquhart of Khanya-managing rural change cc. Thanks also to Trevor Sandwith, Brent Corcoran, and Cecelia Sibeko from the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service (KZNNCS) for their assistance, and to both Justin Pooley and Margaret McKenzie at the Institute of Natural Resources. Background to the Case Study The United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Biodiversity Planning Support Programme (BPSP) has a mandate to provide assistance to national biodiversity planners as they develop and implement their national biodiversity strategy and action plans, or equivalent plans, programmes and policies. The integration of biodiversity into other sectors of the national economy and civil society has been identified as a critical indicator of successful implementation of sustainable development practices and objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
    [Show full text]
  • The Reception of South Africa's Sangoma Practise and Spirituality By
    Open Theology 2017; 3: 642–661 Ullrich Relebogilwe Kleinhempel* Covert Syncretism: The Reception of South Africa’s Sangoma Practise and Spirituality by “Double Faith” in the Contexts of Christianity and of Esotericism https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2017-0050 Received June 6, 2017; accepted November 6, 2017 Abstract: South African Bantu mediumism (of “Sangoma” type) has moved from contexts in African Traditional Religion (ATR) and rural culture into South African Christianity, especially in the African Instituted Churches (AIC), which have adopted and transformed elements of mediumist practice and ritual. In recent years it has spread to urban culture and to white milieus in South Africa and Europe, where it is received in Esoteric contexts and beyond as a form of (alternative) “healing”. The spiritual aspects have been received as expressive of a “universal” spirituality, in particular by Jungian psychoanalysts. This reception involves reinterpretation in Jungian terms as by Ch. Bühler, which may be criticized as ambivalent. Although its concepts, phenomena and experiences exceed the Jungian or Esotericist frames of references, they are acknowledged by some, e.g., J.B.F. Laubscher. On an academic level this reception has been facilitated by approaches of anthropology of experience (V. Turner, W. Dilthey) in dissertations on the authors’ initiation and training as Sangomas, and by L-R.N. Mlisa and J.T. Wreford. In their itineraries of double spiritual or religious and therapeutic practice, epistemic repercussions on both sides and in their academic work are interesting, with observable transformations. Effects of “reductionism” can be observed where Sangomas in academia reframe their practice and its epistemic concepts in terms of Pragmatism or Positivitism or of Esotericism.
    [Show full text]
  • The Beauty & Rich Culture of South Africa
    THE BEAUTY & RICH CULTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA August 17-27, 2014 Experience the beauty, history, and culture of South Africa. Join Penn Professor Marybeth Gasman, who has traveled the country extensively over the past nine years. Book Today! Call 800.556.7896 Overview THE BEAUTY & RICH CULTURE OF SOUTH AFRICA August 17-27, 2014 Experience the beauty, history, and culture of South Africa with Penn Professor Marybeth Gasman, who has traveled extensively throughout South Africa. Begin in Cape Town and travel the diverse countryside, visiting Table Mountain, Robben Island, Cape Point, and the wine country. Explore Johannesburg and Soweto with the people of South Af- rica, including a special visit with the residents of Kliptown, a shanty village near Soweto. Then, end the tour with a visit to Pilansburg National Park to enjoy the country’s wildlife on an exciting safari. This tour will focus on the rich history of the country as well as examine its difficult past with lectures and discussion groups led by Professor Gasman. beauty history & culture beauty history culture ITINERARY Sunday, August 17 Africa’s struggle for freedom. Afterwards, have lunch at a local winery. In the afternoon, visit the famed wine producing region of Stellenbosch, Depart the United States on our group flight from John F. Kennedy Air- and stop for a tasting at a well-known South African vineyard. Enjoy port in New York to Cape Town. dinner together tonight. (B,L,D) Commodore Hotel Monday, August 18 Cape Town Thursday, August 21 Day trip to Hermanus Arrive in Cape Town and transfer to the Commodore Hotel, selected for its central location near the Victoria and Albert Waterfront.
    [Show full text]
  • Artists and Entertainers Against Apartheid: an Update
    Artists and Entertainers Against Apartheid: An Update http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1991_05 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org Artists and Entertainers Against Apartheid: An Update Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 5/91 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid Publisher United Nations, New York Date 1991-04-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1991, 1965 - 1988 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description BACKGROUND. CULTURAL ISOLATION OF APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA, 1965-1988. United Nations policy of cultural isolation. Activities by artists and cultural personalities.
    [Show full text]
  • Study Guide South Africa
    Study Guide World Music in the Schools • Living Room Learning: World Music & Dance South Africa: Music & Culture Teaching Artist: Nomsa Burkhardt • Nomsa’s Artist Profile ​ Video link: https://video.link/w/Znmkb ​ ​ Sanibonani: “I see you!” Yebo: “Yes, I am here!” A greeting in Zulu, which is one of South Africa’s ​ ​ ​ 11 official languages. There is so much to learn from what might seem like a simple exchange of pleasantries. South Africa, often referred to as the “Rainbow Nation,” is a country full of cultural diversity. During this interactive assembly students will be introduced to South African music and culture through singing along with a traditional song in Zulu (South Africa’s most widely spoken language), and learning clapping patterns to accompany the infectious rhythms of African percussion. Learning Objectives: Students will learn . ​ ● How to greet one another in Zulu, and understand the cultural significance and meaning of this greeting ● To locate South Africa on the map ● To sing along with a song in Zulu ● The value of music in South African society ● To explore empathy through learning about a different culture Alignment with California Arts Standards for Public Schools: ​ ● Music: .MU:Cn11: Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical ​ context to deepen understanding Preliminary Activities Geography: ● On a world map, locate the continent of Africa, and notice how it is more colorful than other continents: It contains 54 countries ● South Africa is located at the southernmost tip of the continent of Africa ● South Africa has three capital cities: Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial), and Cape Town (legislative) ● South Africa is a multi-ethnic society, with 11 official languages History: ​ ● South Africa is a multiracial country with a complex and troubled history of interactions between indigenous Africans, European settlers, Asians, and people of mixed race.
    [Show full text]
  • Mind Your Colour the 'Coloured'
    Mind Your Colour The 'Coloured' Stereotype in South African Literature Vernon February bron Vernon February, Mind Your Colour. The 'Coloured' Stereotype in South African Literature. Kegan Paul International, Londen / Boston 1981 Zie voor verantwoording: http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/febr002mind01_01/colofon.php © 2014 dbnl / erven Vernon February vi Preface This book is essentially about stereotypes as found in the literature and culture of South Africa. It deals specifically with those people referred to in the South African racial legislation as ‘coloureds’. The book is also an illustration of the way in which stereotypes function as a means of social control and repression. One of the direct consequences of colonialism and racism is that the colonized or the discriminated invariably become the dupe of a series of rationalizations whereby the power-holders (i.e., the whites) justify their dominant position in society. Balandier, the French scholar, has given ample demonstration of this phenomenon as it operated in the former French colonies in West Africa and the Antilles. Here, the major channels of imposing French values were the French administrative officials and expatriates in the colonies, the school system and the policy of assimilation. Such a policy led to a reverence for the metropolis, Paris, an over-evaluation of French customs and norms, and a rejection of their own culture. This illusion was soon dispelled the moment the colonized set foot in France. Most blacks discovered that they were still looked upon as le nègre, even by the lowest of Frenchmen. The Dutch economic historian, D. van Arkel, has, on the basis of his work on the Austrian Jews, come to the conclusion that stereotypes arise when the following conditions are fulfilled: (1) there must be stigmatization, (2) social distance and (3) terrorization.
    [Show full text]
  • Acts of Culture: Searching for a National South African Identity in the Context of Arts, Culture and Heritage Diversity
    MISTRA WORKING PAPER ACTS OF CULTURE: SEARCHING FOR A NATIONAL SOUTH AFRICAN IDENTITY IN THE CONTEXT OF ARTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE DIVERSITY Andries Walter Oliphant We see therefore, that, if imperialist domination has the vital need to practice cultural oppression, national liberation is necessarily an act of culture. (Cabral, 1980: 143) 07 December 2020 1 Introduction It would not be an exaggeration to say that most South Africans, after over three centuries of life under the heel of colonial domination and white minority, racist rule, are relieved that white minority rule is gone. However, everywhere in society, people continue to see the deep and enduring inequality resulting from colonialism and apartheid. These features are imprinted in the physical, social and cultural fabric of society, which a quarter century of inclusive, non-racial democracy has not been able to erase. Accordingly, this chapter explores the role of the arts, the diverse cultures and the multiple heritage traditions of South Africans in developing a shared, post-colonial national identity in which diversity is underpinned by equality. This requires the removal of the social and cultural barriers – institutionalised by colonialism and apartheid – between the diverse cultures of South Africa. These barriers were designed to maintain a hierarchical system that elevated minority colonial culture as the official culture of a racist state, while enlisting indigenous African cultures for the engineering of separate ethnic identities – the latter designed to divide the African majority in a system of segregation calculated to secure white minority rule. This chapter thus engages with some interrelated matters around ‘The National Question’, which circulated in liberation discourse during the 20th century and has remained an important topic in the two decades of post-apartheid, democratic rule.
    [Show full text]
  • Ubuntu: Music and Arts of South Africa
    EMBARGOED UNTIL: Wednesday January 29, 2014 at 11:30 a.m. Contact: Tonya Bell & Matt Carlson Tel: 212-903-9750 E-mail: [email protected] CARNEGIE HALL PRESENTS UBUNTU: MUSIC AND ARTS OF SOUTH AFRICA A CITYWIDE FESTIVAL EXPLORING SOUTH AFRICAN ARTS & CULTURE October 10 to November 5, 2014 Dozens of Events at Carnegie Hall and Partner Venues Across New York City Explore South Africa’s Dynamic and Diverse Culture Including Music, Film, Visual Arts, and More Featured Artists Include Trumpeter, Vocalist, and Composer Hugh Masekela; Vocalist Vusi Mahlasela; Jazz Pianist Abdullah Ibrahim; Vocalist Angélique Kidjo; Vocal Ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo; Visual Artist William Kentridge; and Many Others carnegiehall.org/SouthAfrica (For Immediate Release: January 29, 2014, NEW YORK)—Carnegie Hall today announced UBUNTU: Music and Arts of South Africa, a three-week festival from October 10 to November 5, 2014, featuring an exciting array of events to be presented at Carnegie Hall and partner venues throughout New York City, inviting audiences to explore the incredibly dynamic and diverse culture of South Africa. With its UBUNTU festival, Carnegie Hall salutes South Africa, a country with a dizzying patchwork of cultures, eleven official languages, and a cultural life like none other. Roughly translated as “I am because you are,” ubuntu is a philosophy from Southern Africa that emphasizes the importance of community, a way of thinking that has influenced recent moves toward reconciliation and cultural inclusion in South Africa as fostered by the country’s former president, the late Nelson Mandela. The spirit of this philosophy is embodied in the festival’s programming, which features a varied lineup of artists representing the many threads that together make up the country’s musical culture.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Apartheid Political Culture in South Africa, 1994-2004
    University of Central Florida STARS Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 2009 Post-apartheid Political Culture In South Africa, 1994-2004 Andrew Kinsell University of Central Florida Part of the History Commons Find similar works at: https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd University of Central Florida Libraries http://library.ucf.edu This Masters Thesis (Open Access) is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019 by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STARS Citation Kinsell, Andrew, "Post-apartheid Political Culture In South Africa, 1994-2004" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2004-2019. 4084. https://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4084 POST-APARTHEID POLITICAL CULTURE IN SOUTH AFRICA 1994-2004 by ANDREW KINSELL B.A. University of Central Florida, 2005 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of History in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida Summer Term 2009 ©2009 Andrew Kinsell ii ABSTRACT Between 1994 and 2004 the African National Congress (ANC) dominated government at every level of every branch. As a result, the checks and balances that are a necessary part of any democracy were non-existent. Understanding the powerful position they occupied, the ANC increasingly acted on its own accordance without any regard for the wishes of the South African populace. This lack of public consideration, coupled with the failure to economically redistribute wealth among the vast unemployed majority, turned an optimistic political culture with mass participation in 1994 into a disillusioned political culture with reduced political participation in 2004.
    [Show full text]