Aspects of the English speaking world

Georgette Petit Kelly van Donk 0812152

Contents

• History, geography, culture• Language issues and linguistic

features• Literature in Botswana

• Bessie Head• The Cardinals• Looking for a Raingod + exercise

series

The chosen country

• Botswana

History, geography, culture

5

History

• Former Botswana• Botswana in the 19th century• Botswana in the 20th century

6

Geography

• Surrounding countries• Capital of Botswana• Inhabitants• Climate• Infrastructure• Economy

7

Culture

• Food• Traditions• Greeting• Handshake• Clothing• Marriage and family

Language issues and linguistic features

• Spoken languages• Education• Geography and language• English and status

Literature in Botswana

Unity Dow (1959)

• Judge and human rights activist

• Themes: struggles between western and traditional values

• Titles: • Far and Beyon’ 2000 (sexual abuse)• The screaming of the innocent 2002/2003• Juggling Truths 2003• The heavens may fall 2006

Patrick van Rensburg (1931)

• African educationalist and anti- apartheid activist

• Themes: education in Africa• Titles:• Guilty Land 1962• Report from Swaneng Hill 1974• The Serowe Brigades: Alternative

education 1978• Atlas of African affairs 1962

Other Botswana writers

• Barolong Seboni • Moteane Melamu• Thomas Tlou• Andrew Sesinyi• General themes/ genre• Educational• Informative• Struggles between tradition and

western world

Bessie Head

• Born on July 6 1937 in South Africa.• 1958 hired as only woman reporter for

Golden City Post• 1960 ‘’mental illness’’• 1962 Bessie finishes Cardinals• 1964 leaves South Africa on an exit visa• Mental illness continues (schizophrenic)• Dies on april 17 1986

• Africaners love that country possessively and it’s with a destructive kind of love that wants to crush and keep the loved thing all to itself. A land and a people can form that kind of affinity- just like a love between a man and a woman. It’s wonderful to love but, God knows, it must be tempered with a little bit of sanity. The whole world should not come to a full stop because someone loves something or someone!

• Bessie Head

The Cardinals

• Written in 1960-1962• Published in 1993

• Short summary novel

• Main themes:Apartheid segregationPovertyForbidden love

• Symbolism

• Comparison with Maya Angelou ‘’I know why the caged bird sings’’

The character MOUSE Miriam

• Intelligent• Smart• Hurt

Quote on the slums Mouse used to live in:• ‘’Escape? I don’t think I was trying to

escape. I wanted to learn how to read and write and it did not seem possible if I stayed here’’

• Johnny to Mouse:• ‘’Whoever distributed creative gifts

did not intend you to use them doing work like this… either you stay home and become muck or you pull out before it’s too late’’

Looking for a raingod exercise series

sources

• Wikipedia• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_head• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Botswana

_writers• Bessie head heritage page• http://www.bessiehead.org/biography/biograph

y.htm• The Cardinals, Bessie Head ISBN 0435909673• Stories from around the world, ISBN