Mapping texts differently : a case for re-reading the South African imaginary
Part of : Γράμμα : περιοδικό θεωρίας και κριτικής ; Vol.13, No.1, 2005, pages 131-146
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131-146
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Literary history in transnational perspective
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This essay argues that an overly narrow conception of what constitutes a national or regional literature can skew the way in which literary history is "read" and a national and regional identity is understood. In the African and the South African case, the ongoing production and consumption of performed art in the form of song constitutes a major part of the way in which people imagine themselves in the world, both locally and globally. Such songs often stem from older oral forms and are frequently available through the electronic media. In other cases, classic art forms such as praise poetry are still present as ways of mediating identity and making history. The essay takes particular examples of genres that either cross between print and performance, or, when seen together as a copresence, provide a much firmer understanding of how the "self-writing" of South Africa is taking place. The essay takes the example of praise poetry, and discusses how the tragic phenomenon of the pandemic of AIDS surfaces first in the contemporary performance tradition of isicafhamiya, or "nightsong," and secondly in the novel Welcome to our Hillbrow by Phaswane Mpe. I argue that if the South African imaginary is to be deeply understood, such cross-readings need to take place. Only when literary scholars find a means of accessing such readings, can we begin to speak of meaningful transcultural literary histories.
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