Volume, Power, Originality: Reassessing the Complexities of Soweto Poetry

Tom Penfold

Journal of Southern African Studies, 2015, vol. 41, issue 4, 905-923

Abstract: This article aims to reassess recent and continuing analyses of Soweto poetry that merely confirm it as a product and expression of a Black Consciousness vogue. Discussing works by Mongane Serote, Sipho Sepamla, James Matthews and Njabulo Ndebele, I argue that although Black Consciousness ideas of self-respect and self-assertion are unmistakably included, this canon is situated within a profoundly complex historical and social context. Adopting Steve Biko's alternative definition of a ‘national culture’, I argue that Soweto poetry is a medial literature. This oeuvre creates a dialogue between common binary constructions of race, agency, culture and locale, and therefore becomes a factor in the creation of Black Consciousness and not simply its reflection.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1080/03057070.2015.1055547

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