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fashionlordchic · 10 months

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The Women Who Used Words To Fight For Better

Today is National Women’s Day - 20 000 of all races and all walks of life descended on the Union Buildings, the seat of power of the apartheid regime, to hand over a petition calling for the discontinuation of passes issued to women. They’d hoped to find an audience with Prime Minister JG Strijdom but were only met by his assistant.

Today, I would like us to take a look at the lengths women went to in order to have their literary works published and recognized in the mainstream.

Mme Miriam Tlali holds the honour of being the first black South African woman to publish a novel in 1975. Her debut novel was the semi-autobiographical ‘Muriel at Metropolitan’ but it was quickly banned by the apartheid regime. Not to be deterred, it found an audience overseas and was published under a different title namely; ‘Between Two Worlds’. This spurred her on to release a second novel, ‘Amandla’ but that too went onto the banning list. Mme Tlali’s never went unnoticed and one of her most prestigious accolades includes the presidential Order of Ikhamanga in Silver for her contributions to the literary arts. She passed away on 24 February, 2017, aged 83.

Another celebrated author in our illustrious history is Lauretta Ngcobo. Married to AB Ngcobo, one of the founders of the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC), she was educated at the University of Fort Hare, one of a handful of tertiary institutions for black Africans. Following her husband’s imprisonment under the Suppression of Communism Act, she went into exile where she settled in the UK and taught for 25 years. During those years, she managed to publish ‘Cross of Gold’ in 1981 & ‘And They Didn’t Die’ in 1990. Her writing was noted for its unique insights into the plight and experiences of black women during the apartheid era. She also published a children’s book called ‘Fikile Learns to Like Other People’ in 1994 and anthology series on South African women in exile called ‘Prodigal Daughters’ released in 2012. After returning to South Africa in 1994, she settled in Durban. She also became a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature, retiring in 2008. She was also a recipient of the Order of Ikhamanga for her excellent achievements in the literary fields, amongst other honours. She passed away on 3 November, 2015, following a stroke aged 84.

Bessie Amelia Head, best known for her novel, ‘Maru’, was born in Pietermaritzburg, Natal Province (now KwaZulu-Natal). Born to a wealthy white Scottish mother, her life was doomed even before her birth as the Immortality Act forbade persons of different races having romantic and sexual relationships. Her mother was committed to a mental asylum for that act, where Bessie was born. Her racial identity brought about an unstable upbringing as she juggled child welfare organisations and foster family life. Her foster father’s death came with the shock and revelation that her mother was actually white but had gone ‘insane. At this time, Head was attending high school at Saint Monica’s Home, an Anglican Mission Orphanage. After receiving her Junior Certificate in 1953, she enrolled for a teachers certificate for two years. she taught for 18 months and resigned and took up a post Golden City Post in Cape Town. Her reporting work politicized her and she joined the PAC in 1960. She got married to Harold Head and had her only child, a son named Howard in May 1962. In 1964, she applied for a teacher’s post in Botswana. Her application was successful but her passport application was denied which forced her to take an exit permit. She left with her son and first settled in the Sebine ward of Serowe, Botswana. Life was never easy in a foreign country & for many years, Head struggled to hold onto employment due to her fiery and defiant spirit. Her mental health also contributed to her instability but nonetheless, it never dimmed her talent. She went on to publish ‘When Rain Clouds Gather’ based on Botswana’s ambitious agricultural programs, ‘Maru’ and her most ambitious work, ‘A Question of Power’. In 1977, she became the first black South African woman to publish a set of short stories called ‘The Collection of Treasures’. Her writing success saw her being granted Botswana citizenship in 1979. Her last known body of work is the novel, ‘A Betwitched Crossroad: An African Saga’ published in 1984. She succumbed to hepatitis in 1986 and was survived by her son. She posthumously received the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold for her “exceptional contribution to literature and the struggle for social change, freedom and peace”. The Pietermaritzburg Library was renamed the Bessie Head Library in her honour. The Khama III Museum in Serowe is home to the Bessie Head Papers.

Mam’Sindiwe Magona is well-known for her work in children’s literature. She’s published well over 100 books, stage plays, short stories, novels, radio plays and a screenplay. Not only that but she is Anglican Archbishop Ndungane’s official biographer! Her writing sheds light on the abject poverty she experienced growing up. Having only received her matric in adulthood, while being a mother of three with no fixed income. Her academic endeavours saw her receive a BA degree from the University of South Africa (UNISA) and a Master of Science Degree in Organisational Social Work from Columbia University. She spent 25 years working for the UN in the Department of Public Information where she worked in the Anti-Apartheid Radio Programmes in New York. She also worked for the UN and retired in 2003. One of her many accolades includes the Order of Ikhamanga in Bronze for her outstanding achievements in literature and playwriting and for using her pen as a weapon in the struggle for peace, social change and freedom.

Mam’Helen Nontando Jabavu, affectionately known as Noni, is another important woman in the literary history of South Africa that not many know about. Born in Middledrift, Cape Province (now Eastern Cape), her family was one of the early prominent African families in South Africa. Her father, Davidson Don Tengo Jabavu was a prominent Xhosa author, teacher and politician. Her mother was was Thandiswa Florence Makiwane, founder of Zenzele Woman's Self-Improvement Association. Her grandfather, John Tengo Jabavu was a notable politician and journalist who recreated the country’s first Xhosa newspaper called ‘Imvo Zabantsundu’. Noni received her education in Britain from age 13. Her parents had hoped she’d become a doctor and serve her people but life had other plans. Following stints at the Royal Academy of Music and the Mount School, she also contributed to the war effort as a semi-skilled engineer as World War 2 had broken out during this time. She was married to film director Michael Cadbury Crossfield in 1951 but couldn’t travel to South Africa with him due to the passing of the Immorality Act. Her travels included stints living in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Uganda, with the latter being the place in which her writing seriously took off. She had a three-month stint in South Africa in which she wrote her first autobiographical work, ‘Drawn In Colour’. Another followed in 1963 called ‘The Ochre People’. She holds the distinction of being the first black South African woman to publish her memoirs. In 1961, she made history when she became the editor The Strand, a British literary magazine. So huge was her achievement, that she was featured in an issue of Ebony Magazine. She made regular trips to South Africa and in one of her trips, while researching her father’s biography, she wrote 49 columns for the Daily Dispatch. Noni was well aware of the dichotomy between her pampered upbringing and the struggles of being a black woman in South Africa. She returned to the country in 2002. She received the South African Literary Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. She passed away in 2008 while living at the Lynette Elliott Frail Care Home in East London, aged 88.

These are just a few women who were instrumental in telling the lived experiences of black South African women in one of our darkest moments in time. Their courage and brilliance is something to be honoured and appreciated. May more efforts be made to tell the story of our struggle for freedom from the one group mostly sidelined by history.

May you have a wonderful Women’s Day

#NationalWomensDay #Apartheid #MiriamTlali #SindiweMagona #NoniJabavu #LaurettaNgcobo #BessieHead #Journalism #PublishingSouthAfrica #SouthAfrica #UnionBuildings

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cricpoint · 1 year

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The Union Budget for FY 2023-24 this year aims to further strengthen India's economic status. In the 75th Year of India's Independence, the World has recognized the Indian Economy as a 'bright star' with its Economic Growth estimated at 7 per cent, which is the highest among all major economies.

#UnionBudget#UnionBudget2023#india#NarendraModi

#NirmalaSitharaman#budget#trending#Update

#dailynews#cricpoint #unionbudgetnews#UnionBuildings

#nirmalaseetharaman#budget#Budget2023

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godsbutler-fashionlife · 5 years

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Battlefield Landscape 💣! • • “I’ll betray the world before the world betrays me.” • Every battle start in the mind. • • • ——————————————| #landscapedesign #landscapes #photograp #photography📷 #mobilephotographer #iphone7camera #menblogger #menblog #blackbloggers #mamelodi #soshanguve #pretoria #tshwane #johannesburg #jozi #joburg #unionbuildings #limpopo #arsenal #war #europe #londonist #uk #frenchphotographer #amsterdam🇳🇱 #brooklynstyle #chicagoblogger #newyorklife #parisparis #satravel #capetown #capetownsouthafrica #nigeria #lagos #africaboy #blackmovement #kasi #vosloorus (at South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxJ8uVEn7ET/?igshid=16s1gqwm470xj

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throughballmarketing · 3 years

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Black & White Floral Shirt On This Lovely Monday... Looking Forward To Having A Good Day And Also Wishing Everyone A Good Day Too... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #mzansimen #mzansimenkillingit #mzansimenswear #southafricanmensfashionweek #southafricanmenfashion #unionbuildings #unionbuildingspretoria #pretoria #pretoriaeast #pretoriaphotographer #pretorian #mzansifashion #mzansiyouth #pretoria_insta #fashion #pretoriafashion (at Pretoria, South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ8FPbNDYie/?utm_medium=tumblr

#mzansimen #mzansimenkillingit #mzansimenswear #southafricanmensfashionweek #southafricanmenfashion #unionbuildings #unionbuildingspretoria #pretoria #pretoriaeast #pretoriaphotographer #pretorian #mzansifashion #mzansiyouth #pretoria_insta #fashion #pretoriafashion

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nomad4everrr · 4 years

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Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the South African🇿🇦 anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader, and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999 - is nowadays omnipresent in Pretoria. He was the country's first black head of state and the first elected in a fully representative democratic election. His government focused on dismantling the legacy of apartheid by tackling institutionalised racism and fostering racial reconciliation. Ideologically an African nationalist and socialist, he served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) party from 1991 to 1997. But even Mandela was a controversial figure for much of his life. Although critics on the right denounced him as a communist terrorist and those on the far-left deemed him too eager to negotiate and reconcile with apartheid's supporters, he gained international acclaim for his activism. Widely regarded as an icon of democracy and social justice, he received more than 250 honours—including the Nobel Peace Prize—and became the subject of a cult of personality. He is held in deep respect within South Africa🇿🇦, where he is often referred to by his Xhosa clan name, Madiba, and described as the "Father of the Nation". His famous statue here is in front of the Union Buildings, which were meant to house Public Services after the Union of South Africa achieved Independence from being a British Colony, but nowadays they're the official seat of the South African Government and also house the offices of the President of South Africa. -- #SouthAfrica #Apartheid #UnionBuildings #Mandela #NelsonMandela #Madiba #Pretoria #ANC #Government #SeatOfGovernment #MandelaStatue #Statue #LargerThanLife #BronzeStatue #DayOfReconciliation #Embrace #EmbraceAll #EmbraceTheNation (at Nelson Mandela Statue, Union Buildings) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8l-LL8jV6n/?igshid=1gqus3bij82h9

#southafrica #apartheid #unionbuildings #mandela #nelsonmandela #madiba #pretoria #anc #government #seatofgovernment #mandelastatue #statue #largerthanlife #bronzestatue #dayofreconciliation #embrace #embraceall #embracethenation

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ianscott360 · 5 years

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This 13 feet tall (4 meter) shiny stainless steel sculpture is called "The Giant Shaft of Light" and was installed by Annington at the Union Buildings in Aldershot. #unionbuilding #unionbuildings #union #building #thegiantshaftoflight #giantshaftoflight #shinysculpture #mirroredsculpture #sculpture #art #aldershot #lovealdershot #rushmoorboroughcouncil #annington #anningtonhomes (at Aldershot) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3IKi5JBGA6/?igshid=hpdq6wcp04lk

#unionbuilding #unionbuildings #union #building #thegiantshaftoflight #giantshaftoflight #shinysculpture #mirroredsculpture #sculpture #art #aldershot #lovealdershot #rushmoorboroughcouncil #annington #anningtonhomes

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bonjouronourtour · 3 years

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🇿🇦DAY 3: ☀️ •24 °C 🦟 •Getting stung by mosquitoes 🤸🏼‍♂️ •Playing with the kids 🏛 •Visiting the Union Buildings ⛰ •Booking a nice trip for the weekend 🍽 •Salad, Potatoes and chicken-schnitzels (Cheating on our vegan diet this holiday🤭) 🤹🏼‍♀️• Playing Machiavelli #wateenmooiewereld #thisisafrica #pretoria #unionbuilding #bonjouronourtour (bij Union Buildings) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLv9vLpUD6/?utm_medium=tumblr

#wateenmooiewereld #thisisafrica #pretoria #unionbuilding #bonjouronourtour

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francoispistorius · 7 years

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W i n t e r G l o w @christina_kourie Hair Styling @hollywoodhairpta #unionbuildings #fashionstory #red #orange #pretoria (at Union Buildings)

#unionbuildings #fashionstory #orange #red #pretoria

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impossibledelusionkryptonite · 5 years

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Statue of Nelson Mandela at the Union Building in Pretoria 9m high and more than 3.5 tons bronze statue of former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela was unveiled at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on 16 December 2013. . . . . . #unionbuildings #nelsonmandela #statue #monument #sculpture #pretoria #southafrica #citylife #africa #exploringafrica #africanadventure #adventuresinafrica #travelphotography #canon #canoneos6d #canon6d #eos #travelblogger #travel #africarising #thisissouthafrica #africaisrising #southafricanadventure #southafricathroughmyeyes #southafricathroughmylens #beautifulsouthafrica #iloveafrica (at Union Buildings) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrrrmbuAq4o/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=gzrdyk39yj42

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teganedwards · 5 years

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My second family My running family 💗 #running #runners #family #runningfamily #unionbuildings #nelsonmandela (at Union Buildings) https://www.instagram.com/p/BriWlVMHxif/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11j1nrt6uqd83

#running #runners #family #runningfamily #unionbuildings #nelsonmandela

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throughballmarketing · 3 years

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Growing up a friend of mine once told me Adidas stands for everyday I dream about soccer. Until I watched the documentary just recently, I realized that it was named after the owner Adi Dassler... The brand was started by two brothers Adi & Rudi Dassler but they had a fight and Rudi started Puma... You can actually learn a lot from documentaries... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . #pretoriafashion #pretoria_insta #mzansifashion #mzansiprints #mzansifashionkillers #mzansimenfashions #mzansimenkillingit #mzansimenswear #southafricanmensfashionweek #southafricanmenfashion #unionbuildings #unionbuildingspretoria #pretoria #pretoriaeast #pretorian #mzansimen (at Pretoria, South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ6T8SajzSO/?utm_medium=tumblr

#pretoriafashion #pretoria_insta #mzansifashion #mzansiprints #mzansifashionkillers #mzansimenfashions #mzansimenkillingit #mzansimenswear #southafricanmensfashionweek #southafricanmenfashion #unionbuildings #unionbuildingspretoria #pretoria #pretoriaeast #pretorian #mzansimen

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irfaanebrahim · 6 years

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“There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.” - Nelson Mandela • • • • • #unionbuildings #pretoria #southafrica #thisissouthafrica #africa #nikon #iamnikonsa #mynikkor #nelsonmandela #photography #photooftheday #picoftheday #instagram_sa #meetsouthafrica #colours #mood #cityofpretoria #lightroom #snapseed #awesome #buildings #architecture #architecturelovers #nikonphotography #d5500 (at Union Buildings, Pretoria, South Africa) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoHByxpAI73/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t0eok6lu13w4

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normanchefwessels-blog · 6 years

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Quick wardrobe change and off to see the big guy at the union building in ptown.......@circusgypsy_megz hood. #nelsonmandela #pretoria #southafrica #unionbuildings @pretoriasagauteng @pretoria.co.za @cityofpretoria @pretoria_fm @pretoria_insta (at Nelson Mandela Statue, Union Buildings)

#unionbuildings #southafrica #nelsonmandela #pretoria

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thelifesway · 6 years

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Want to see or capture more, than you definitely need #360camera #SeeMoooreSA #TheLifesWay #Photoyatra #aashishRai #SocialMediaInfluencer #Blogger #techJournalist #mobilePhotography #SmartphoneCamera #shotwithmygalaxy #DoBiggerThings #GalaxyNote8 #walkingwithcamera #photographerwithpassion #instagrammer #NelsonMandela #NobelPeacePrize #Pretoria #UnionBuildings #TouristSpots #Tourism #Garden #Naturelover #shotwithlove #icatching (at Union Buildings)

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sketchbookssince1999 · 6 years

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#sketchbook #2000 #pretoria #unionbuildings

#sketchbook #2000 #unionbuildings #pretoria

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yellonight-blog · 7 years

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Day8: Pretorian Day. . Jacaranda City, Purple City, Mandela, Union Buildings, Capital Craft Beer Academy 🍻. Last night in🇿🇦! . mall of Africa, #nationalzoologicalpark, #craftbeer #capitalcraftbeeracademy #savage #pretoria #jacaranda #jacarandacity #crimecity #jacarandatree #purpulecity #southafrica #short #shortmovie #roadtrip #trip #africa #adventure #citytrip #mallofafrica #mandela #nelsonmandela #unionbuildings #johnnycash #سفر (à Pretoria, South Africa)

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