Noni Jabavu was a SA writer: A book shows how relevant she still isNoni Jabavu was the first black South African woman to publish memoirs and one of the first African women to pursue a literary career abroad.
by The Conversation
23-03-2023 15:15
in Books
Noni Jabavu at her London office, 12th September 1961. Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Noni Jabavu was the first black South African woman to publish memoirs and one of the first African women to pursue a literary career abroad. She left the country as a teenager to pursue an education and returned intermittently throughout her life. She returned to South Africa in 1977 to research her father's biography. Some of her best known work became the witty, insightful and politically charged columns she wrote for the Daily Dispatch newspaper. But this pioneering figure had been all but forgotten until writer and academic Makhosazana Xaba and historian Athambile Masola focused their attention on her life and work. Now they have released a book of Jabavu's columns, called Noni Jabavu: A Stranger at Home. We asked Masola about the writer.
--
WHO WAS NONI JABAVU? Noni Jabavu was born in 1919 in Alice, the then-Cape province of South Africa. South Africa had become the Union of South Africa in 1910 and the devastating Native Land Act was passed in 1913 which exacerbated the displacement of Africans in the region. She was the eldest daughter of Florence Thandiswa Jabavu (born Makiwane) and Don Davidson Tengo Jabavu. Her mother was one of the pioneers of the Zenzele self-help groups for women in rural areas. Her parents were prominent figures who often appeared in newspapers and public platforms.
ALSO READ: Agatha Christie's Miss Marple lives on in short story collection
Her father was a politician, writer, and academic at Fort Hare College (present day University of Fort Hare). The college was extremely important as a space for black thinkers and African leaders. She comes from a network of families who were the pioneers in African modernity through their links at Lovedale, Healdtown, Fort Hare and travels abroad. These early intellectuals, teachers, and journalists shaped the cultural exchange as early recipients of missionary education while holding onto African traditions.
--
NB Publishers She left South Africa aged 13 for Mount School, a girls boarding school in York, England. She writes about this departure in her columns where she meets Jan Smuts whom she describes as Oom Jan . It is at his house where she meets Arthur Gillet and Margaret Clarke who would be her guardians while she is abroad. In her columns she explains that her family in England were English tycoons, upper class, bankers, industrialists, conservative liberals . She remained in England and studied further until her education was disrupted by World War II. It was also during this period where she worked for the BBC radio. In 1941 she married her first husband and a year later gave birth to her daughter Tembi.
ALSO READ: Activists condemn Malaysia's ban on LGBTQ books
Her literary career began while she was in England when her first memoir, Drawn in Colour, was published in 1960. The success of this publication precipitated her appointment as the editor of the New Strand, a literary magazine published in London. This made her the first woman and black person to hold this position in 1961. Her appointment was so significant that she was featured in Ebony Magazine. An Italian translation of the book was published in 1962, further demonstrating an interest in her work. In 1963 her second memoir was published, The Ochre People. Throughout her life she lived in Uganda, Jamaica, Kenya, Zimbabwe to mention a few. In writing she explains the effects of her transnational life on her life as a writer. She returned to South Africa in 2002 and passed away in 2008 while living at the Lynette Elliott Frail Care Home in East London.
--
WHY IS SHE IMPORTANT? Noni Jabavu's life is significant because she was a pioneer writer both in South Africa and abroad during the 1960s. Much of her adult life was spent traversing the world, making her part of a network of transnational writers. She crafted a literary career which was unusual for women in the 1960s. Her career inspired the likes of Margaret Busby (editor of Daughters of Africa who became the first black woman to enter publishing as a career in London. On one of her visits home to work on her father's biography, Jabavu began writing for the Daily Dispatch. She contributed 49 columns to the Daily Dispatch. Her readers were varied and openly shocked by the cheekiness and forthright opinions she held in her columns. They were particularly fascinated by her unconventional love life and the friends she mentioned in her columns. Nineteen seventy-seven was a tumultuous year in South Africa with the 1976 student uprising and the death of Steve Biko in 1977.
ALSO READ: Silence of the Shadows': SA author wins esteemed literary prize
HOW DID YOU COME TO BE INTERESTED IN HER COLUMNS? We were both working on long term projects on Noni Jabavu. Makhosazana Xaba began working on Noni Jabavu while she was pursuing her Masters in Creative Writing in 2006. I began my research in 2017 and much of my research is possible because of Makhosazana Xaba's work. Many people became increasingly interested in our work but it was frustrating that both her memoirs were out of print. It seemed that one of the ways of addressing this was to garner interest around a collection of her columns which would hopefully ensure that there would be a renewed interest in her work. The columns also presented a different genre to the memoirs she was known for.
WHAT DOES SHE ADDRESS IN THE COLUMNS? Jabavu's columns present a variety of themes ranging from the political commentary of the 1970s, to a nostalgia of the life
Africa Stories
16/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
13/07/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
09/07/2024
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that is created...
02/07/2024
Arabsat, ASBU and Globecast are commemorating 20 years with a renewed multi-year deal for Global Arabic Bouquet (GAB) services, providing a wide range of DTH di...
11/06/2024
Tuesday 11 June 2024, Johannesburg. The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF...
31/05/2024
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), the custodians of the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs), has learned of the allegations of ill-tr...
22/05/2024
Judge blocks auction of Elvis Presley's Graceland estateA judge in Tennessee has temporarily halted a foreclosure sale of Graceland, the historic home of El...
22/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 22 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African so...
22/05/2024
Tonight's Scandal: Jojo draws a line in the sand and Phaka must make a decis...
22/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: A costly request from Adani and Keletso, breaking the...
22/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Dikeledi's death at the hands of Mthetho leave...
22/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Tuesday's episode, 21 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soap...
22/05/2024
Shaka ILembe': Mzansi Magic denies food poisoning incident, confirms deathMzansi Magic has responded following reports that two Shaka ILembe' season tw...
22/05/2024
Bridgerton's third season sizzles with record-breaking viewership Bridgerton' Season 3 Part 1 shattered records with a staggering 45.1 million views wit...
22/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: The Maputlas find out about Ntswaki's liesDon't miss Wednesday, 22 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Saam ...
21/05/2024
WATCH: Tonight's Scandal teaser - 21 May 2024Don't miss Tuesday, 21 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on DStv channel ...
21/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Sthoko and Babeile's reunion puzzles and shatters the...
21/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka is forced to lie after Mampho catches him prepar...
21/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Monday's episode, 20 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapi...
21/05/2024
Popular children's TV shows you may have forgottenSouth African television channels have entertained us over the years. Here is looking back at some popular...
21/05/2024
Actor Dumisani Dlamini discusses his role in Isitha: The Enemy'Legendary actor Dumisani Dlamini has landed the character of Nsimbi in e.tv's popular te...
21/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: General's romantic gesture to Lulu meets with ...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Ntswaki sneaks Toby into the house but sadly for her, Lee...
20/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka decides to explore things with Ona while still s...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Jaxon and Caesar fail in their attempt to corrupt ...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle's work life suffers as she struggles to hold it a...
20/05/2024
RIP: Two deaths' on Shaka ILembe' productionTwo people, who are part of the Shaka Ilembe' production set to return for a second season, have repo...
20/05/2024
Gangsterism in movies and television: Wees geskool'Gangsterism has been portrayed in movies and television: but have you ever seen these films and televisi...
20/05/2024
School project features Die Antwoord' [Watch]School projects are difficult. However, this student took some inspiration from the controversial band Die An...
20/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Ntswaki sneaks Toby into the house but sadly for her, Lee...
19/05/2024
House of Zwide' June Spoiler: The Zwides recover their millions The House of Zwide' June teasers reveal that Funani and Nkosi will recover a share of t...
18/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Friday's episode, 17 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soapi...
18/05/2024
Shaka Ilembe' approved for season threeMzansi Magic's hit series Shaka Ilembe' which stars Nomzama Mbatha has been commissioned for a third season....
17/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa gets a rude awakening when Kgosi blackmails himDon't miss Friday, 17 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem ...
17/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Dorothy is blown away by Ona's sketches for her w...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: Dintle has a visit from her past that leaves her very unsett...
17/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 16 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African soa...
17/05/2024
Prison Journalism: Letter to my mothersThabo Mthembu was incarcerated in Pollsmoor Prison from 2014 to 2019. Read Thabo's story
by Thabo Mthembu
17-05-20...
17/05/2024
Paul McCartney becomes UK's first billionaire musicianMusic icon Paul McCartney has become the UK's first billionaire musician, according to the Sunday ...
17/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Sakhile advises Tiny against sabotaging PetuniaDon't miss Friday, 17 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Smoke ...
16/05/2024
Tonight on House of Zwide: Nkosi is angry and accuses Shoki of keeping secrets f...
16/05/2024
Tonight on Smoke and Mirrors: Phakathi examines the CCTV coverage and questions ...
16/05/2024
Tonight on Scandal: A terrifying story pushes Dintle into making a life-altering...
16/05/2024
Irma Stern's 1930 portrait Cape Girl with Fruit headlines SA art auctionAn Irma Stern painting from 1930 leads Strauss & Co's diverse catalogue of moder...
16/05/2024
Prison Journalism: The role my mother played in my lifeWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Resto...
16/05/2024
Actress Sibongokuhle Cele joins Muvhango'Model and former Durban Gen' actress Sibongokuhle Cele has secured a role in SABC2's soapie Muvhango'...
16/05/2024
Tonight on Skeem Saam: Carol sees Ntswaki getting up to no good with TobyDon't miss Thursday, 16 May's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem Sa...
16/05/2024
Skeem Saam: Wednesday's episode, 15 May 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African so...
16/05/2024
Monet painting fetches R640 million at New York auctionA Monet has sold for nearly R640 million at auction, Sotheby's said, marking a solid start to New Yor...
Noni Jabavu was a SA writer: A book shows how relevant she still isNoni Jabavu was the first black South African woman to publish memoirs and one of the first African women to pursue a literary career abroad.
