Magister Artium - MA / The novel Philida by André P, Brink is classified in the genre of slave novel. The novel tells the story of a slave woman, Philida, who lodged a complaint with the Slave Protector because she and her children were about to be sold to a new master. In this study I will look at how the author, Brink, uses different narrative strategies to give an authentic voice to Philida. Amongst these strategies are the unique voice of the character Philida, multiple narrators, language use and the creative use of historical and archival sources. The study will focus on the characterization of Philida and the depiction of aspects of slavery. It will also explore the voices of other characters such as Frans Brink, Cornelis Brink and Ouma Nella. The theoretical basis of the study is informed by aspects of narratology, postcolonialism and feminism.

Text in Afrikaans with abstracts in Afrikaans, English and isiZulu / Hierdie studie van Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo (DRK) strek vanaf 1912 - toe DF Malan die eerste wit Afrikaner geword het wat ‘n reisbeskrywing oor sy besoek aan die Kongo gepubliseer het (Naar Congoland, 1913) - tot 2012 . Die navorsingsverslag ondersoek beeldvorming rondom die Kongo/(Midde-)Afrika in die korpus tekste wat opgespoor is, binne die breë teoretiese raamwerk van koloniale/postkoloniale studies, met toespitsing op “Africanism” en “Whiteness studies”. Daar is bevind dat beeldvorming in verband met die Kongo rondom twee hooftrope geskied: die Kongo as Conradiaanse “heart of darkness”, waar barbaarsheid in al sy geledinge hoogty vier; en die Kongo as “Eldorado” – die land wat as 15de-eeuse Afrika-koninkryk beskik het oor ‘n ontwikkelde beskawing en ongekende rykdom - lank voordat dit “ontdek” is deur Portugese seevaarders. Hierdie hooftrope en hul uitlopers funksioneer as ‘n kontinuum eerder as volstrekte teenoorgesteldes in die meeste Afrikaanse tekste oor die Kongo. Tekste van die koloniale era (tot die 1960’s in die Kongo) sluit aan by Eurosentriese diskoerse waarin die imperiale/koloniale tydgees weerspieël word, en tipies manifesteer in binêre opposisies (byvoorbeeld primitiwiteit versus beskawing) en trope soos “imperial eyes” (wit toeëiening van die koloniale ruimte). Malan se ideaal van ‘n Dietse invloedsfeer gebaseer op die taalverwantskap tussen Hollands/Afrikaans in Suid-Afrika, en Vlaams in die destydse Belgiese Kongo, herinner aan die ekspansionistiese ywer waarmee die Kaap-tot-Kaïro-droom van Britse imperialiste nagejaag is, maar blyk nouer verwant te wees aan die Afrikanernasionalistiese klem op die “taal as volk”. In postkoloniale tekste word die siening van die wit Afrikaner as ‘n nasaat van die geïdealiseerde Voortrekkers/Dorslandtrekkers toenemend gerelativeer deur tekste waarin die wit Afrikaner herverbeel word as “wit sangoma” of “Witboy in Afrika”; en wit vrese en vergrype word op skerp satiriese wyse aan die kaak gestel as die wrange erflating van die aartskolonialis, “Pappa in Afrika”. Die koloniale projek word in Equatoria as mislukking uitgebeeld, terwyl Horrelpoot ʼn distopiese verbastering van Afrikanerskap en Afrikaans in (Suid-)Afrika poneer. Witheid mag uiteindelik in Afrika uitgewis en vervang word met egte skakerings van aardsheid, of herdefinieer word in ʼn niehegemoniese verband (The Poisonwood Bible). Slegs die tyd sal leer. / This study of Afrikaans literary texts on the Congo (DRC) covers 100 years: 1912 – 2012. In 1912 DF Malan became the first white Afrikaner to travel to the Congo and publish a travelogue based on his travels (Naar Congoland, 1913). This thesis investigates the representation of the Congo/Central) Africa in the corpus of texts discovered, within the broad theoretical framework of colonial/postcolonial studies, and the paradigms of “Africanism” and “Whiteness Studies”. The Congo has been represented in terms of two main tropes: the Congo as the Conradian “heart of darkness”, the seat of utter savagery; and the Congo as “Eldorado” – the African kingdom that presided over a well-developed civilisation and untold wealth long before it was “discovered” by Portuguese explorers in the fifteenth century. These main tropes and their sub-tropes function in most Afrikaans texts on the Congo as a continuum and not in absolute contrast. Literary texts of the colonial era (up to the 1960’s) are characterised by Eurocentric discourses in which the imperial/colonial Zeitgeist typically manifests in binary oppositions (primitivism versus civilisation), and tropes like “imperial eyes” (white appropriation of colonial space). Malan’s dream of a Dutch sphere of influence - based on the affinity of Dutch/Flemish in the Congo with Dutch/Afrikaans in South Africa – and extending from Cape Town to the erstwhile Belgian Congo, is reminiscent of the expansionist fervour characterising the imperialist Cape-to-Cairo idea, but is based on the close link between language and nationhood in Afrikaner nationalism. In postcolonial texts the view of the white Afrikaner as ‘n descendant of the idealised Voortrekkers/Angolan trekkers is increasingly deconstructed by re-imagining the Afrikaner as a “white sangoma” or “whiteboy in Africa”, while white fright and guilt are revealed - in a sharply satirical fashion – as the bitter legacy of the white arch-colonialist “Pappa in Afrika”. The colonial project is portrayed as a disaster in Equatoria, while Horrelpoot poses a dystopic vision of the degeneration of Afrikanerdom and Afrikaans in (South) Africa. Whiteness may eventually be erased and replaced by authentic, earthy African colours, or be redefined within a non-hegemonic context (The Poisonwood Bible). Time alone will tell. / Lolu cwaningo olumayelana nemibhalo yesiBhunu ezincwadini zaseCongo (eDRC) lubheka isikhathi esingangeminyaka eyi-100: 1912 – 2012. Ngo-1912, uDF Malan waba yiBhunu lokuqala elimhlophe elaya eCongo laqopha umbiko omayelana nohambo lwakhe (Naar Congoland, 1913). Lo mbiko wocwaningo ucubungula indlela okwethulwa ngayo iCongo kanye nezinye izindawo eziMaphakathi Ne-Afrika eqoqweni lwemibhalo etholakale ohlakeni lwemibhalo eyimihlahlandlela emayelana nezifundo zangezikhathi zombuso wamakoloni/ nezikhathi zangemva kombuso wamakoloni, kanye nokuhleleka kwezifundo ngaBomdabu nangaBamhlophe. Izwe laseCongo lethulwa ngokufanekiswa ngezindlela ezimbili: ICongo njengesizinda sobumnyama (“heart of darkness”), nanjengesihlalo sobulwane bokungaphucuzeki (seat of utter savagery) njengoba kufanekisa umbhali uJoseph Conrad, kanti futhi ibuye ifanekiswe njengeCongo eyi-“Eldorado” – ubukhosi base-Afrika obabubusa endaweni ephucuzeke ngokuphelele nenothe ngendlela emangalisayo, ngaphambi kokuba itholwe ngabasingimazwe baMaputukezi ngekhuluminyaka leshumi-nanhlanu. Lokhu kufanekisa kanye nemifanekiso ehambisana nako evela emibhalweni eminingi engesiBhunu maqondana neCongo isetshenziswa ukuveza okubili okubonakala sengathi kuyefana yize kungafani kunoba ikuveze obala njengezinto ezingafani nhlobo. Imibhalo esezincwadini yangesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni (kuze kufinyelele esikhathini sangeminyaka ye-1960) iphawula kakhulu ngezindaba ezincike emasikweni nasemilandweni yamazwe aseYurophu nokuyilapho umoya wobukhosi obubusa ngaphezu kwamanye amakhosi/ nombuso wamakoloni uziveza njengokulindelekile ngezindlela ezimbili eziphikisanayo (ukubambelela endleleni yokwenza yasendulo kuqhathaniswa nempucuko), kanye nemifanekiso enjenge-“imperial eyes” (ukuzithathela kwabamhlophe umhlaba ezweni ababusa kulona okungelabanye abantu). Iphupho likaMalan lokuba kube nendawo eyenza ngokwemfundiso yamaDashi – okwakuncike ekuhlanganyeleni kwamaDashi/namaFlemishi eCongo kanye namaDashi/namaBhunu eNgingizimu Afrika – nokwakuzohamba kusuke eKapa kuze kufinyelele eCongo eyayaziwa ngokuthi yiBelgian Congo, kudala, ikhumbuzana uthando olukhulu lokwandisa indawo noma umnotho olwaluvela kumqondombono walabo abasekela umbuso wobukhosi bamazwe amaningi weCape-to-Cairo, kodwa-ke lokhu kwakuncike ekusondelaneni kolimi kanye nothando lobuzwe ebuzweni bamaBhunu. Emibhalweni yangemva kwesikhathi sombuso wamakoloni, ukuthathwa komuntu oyiBhunu elimhlophe njengoyisizukulwane saBafuduki (amaVoortrekker)/ saBafuduki base-Angola kuyaqhubeka nokuhlakazwa ngokudweba kabusha isithombe seBhunu emqondweni, liyi“sangoma esimhlophe” noma lingu“mfana omhlophe e-Afrika”, kodwa kube kugqama ukwesaba nokushawa ngunembeza – ngendlela ebhuqa kakhulu – njengegalelolifa elinganambitheki lomeseki wombuso wamakoloni oqavile u-“Papa in Afrika”. Umsebenzinhloso wezindaba eziphathelene nombuso wamakoloni uvezwa ngengowonakala wangaphumelela nhlobo ku-Equatoria, kanti uHorrelpoot yena uveza umbono wokuphela kobuBhunu kanye neSibhunu eNingizimu Afrika. Ubumhlophe bungagcina buphelile bese esikhundleni sako kungene imibala yoqobo ezothile esamvelo yomhlaba edabuka e-Afrika, kumbe buchazwe kabusha ngaphansi kwengqikithi engahambisani nokuphatha (The Poisonwood Bible). Sekobonakala phambili. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / D. Litt. et Phil. (Afrikaans)

Text in Afrikaans / ’n Merkbare opbloei in die publikasie van literêre niefiksietekste wêreldwyd het gelei tot die klassifikasie van sodanige tekste as ’n vierde genre. Die politieke oorgang in Suid-Afrika in 1994 het gelei tot ’n soortgelyke toename in outobiografiese tekste waarin kommentaar gelewer word op die Suid-Afrikaanse politieke werklikheid deur die vertel van sowel persoonlike as kollektiewe geskiedenisse. Daymond en Visagie (2012) identifiseer outo-etnografie, apologie en belydenis as kenmerke van die Suid-Afrikaanse outobiografie ná 1994. In hierdie navorsingsverslag word enkele resente skrywersoutobiografieë van onderskeidelik Elsa Joubert (’n Wonderlike geweld: jeugherinneringe (2005); Reisiger (2009)), André P. Brink (’n Vurk in die pad (2009)) en Koos Kombuis (Seks & drugs & boeremusiek: die memoirs van ‘n volksverraaier (2000); Die tyd van die Kombi’s: ‘n persoonlike blik op die Afrikaanse rock-rebellie (2009)) gemeet aan die kriteria wat deur Daymond en Visagie voorgestel word. Die beskrywing en interpretasie van verskeie outo-etnografiese merkers lei daartoe dat hierdie outobiografieë as ’n vorm van kulturele introspeksie beskou kan word. / A marked proliferation in the publication of literary nonfiction globally led to the classification of such texts as a fourth genre. The political transition in South Africa in 1994 caused a similar increase in autobiographical texts in which commentary is offered on the South African political reality through the telling of both personal and collective histories. Daymond and Visagie (2012) identify autoethnography, apologia and confession as characteristics of post-1994 South African autobiographies. In this research report some contemporary writers’ autobiographies, respectively those of Elsa Joubert (’n Wonderlike geweld: jeugherinneringe (2005); Reisiger (2009)), André P. Brink (’n Vurkin die pad (2009)) and Koos Kombuis (Seks & drugs & boeremusiek: die memoirs van ‘n volksverraaier (2000); Die tyd van die Kombi’s: ‘n persoonlike blik op die Afrikaanse rock-rebellie (2009)) are evaluated using the criteria proposed by Daymond and Visagie. The description and interpretation of various autoethnographical markers confirm that these autobiographies can be considered a form of cultural introspection. / Afrikaans and Theory of Literature / M.A. (Afrikaans)