Browsing by Author "Vermeulen, Dalene"

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    ’n Ondersoek na Ronelda Kamfer se poësie aan die hand van bell hooks se filosofie oor ras en taal
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2018-03) Vermeulen, Dalene; Foster, P. H.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Afrikaans and Dutch.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: With her debut collection Noudat slapende honde in 2008, Ronelda S. Kamfer became the first woman of colour to publish a complete volume of poetry through a mainstream Afrikaans publishing house. Despite the historical significance of this publication, copious media interest and multiple nominations for literary prizes, the fact remains that few academic analyses of Kamfer’s poetry have been undertaken. This study is based on the theorising of black American feminist and philosopher, bell hooks, whose work is, firstly, exposited and secondly, adapted for the interpretation of Kamfer’s poetry in the South African context. Emphasis is placed on the constructs of race and language, as discussed, among others, by hooks in her collection of essays Yearning: Race, gender and cultural politics (1990). Due to the intertwined nature of these concepts with the general discourse surrounding black feminist issues, other terms like gender and class are also employed where applicable. Research elucidating the South African and Afrikaans contexts is brought to light to span the divide between the American and South African contexts. Poems from all three volumes of Kamfer’s poetry – Noudat slapende honde (2008), grond/Santekraam (2011) and Hammie (2016) – are discussed. In investigating Kamfer’s poems, hooks’s theories prove to be a rewarding read and provide a framework for inter-preting Kamfer’s poems. Concerning race, a multiplicitous view on coloured identity and a critical engagement with whiteness are emphasised, with the goal of forming a radical coloured (female) subjectivity. The poet-speaker’s use of counter language and her implementation of Afrikaans forms an oppositional perspective, which is reminiscent of hooks. Various similarities between hooks and Kamfer are identitfied, most notably the use of accessible language, a critical perspective, and an interest in pop culture. One finally reaches the conclusion that this theoretical framework can be applied successfully not only to Kamfer’s work, but also to other coloured Afrikaans poets. It could also be adapted for interpretation in other literary fields such as prose, and more accessible forms such as slam poetry or rap.