In 2007 I had the pleasure of meeting the poet and social activist Dennis Brutus on a balmy, typically tropical evening at the Berea, Durban house of a mutual friend. Such was the warmth of that evening that Brutus agreed to meet me at the grand dame of Durban hotels, The Royal Hotel for a conversation that I think we both enjoyed very much. It may have been my first meeting with Brutus, but it was one that I had been looking forward to for a long time because of the great work that Brutus has done in both the areas of poetry and social justice. We settled to a wide ranging conversation that I published as part of my series of Literary Podcasts, and I now take this opportunity to republish what I consider one of my favourite interviews.
The great poet may have departed from this world but he leaves behind a towering legacy, and those that care for using the arts to promote social justice would do well to emulate his example. I was struck by his insistence that those who seek to promote social justice cannot be seduced by Free Market evangelists, and this was well before the catastrophic decline in world markets as a result of the 2008 global recession. He was not just fearless, he was eloquent and this made him a formidable foe, and a great ally.
2007 marks the 30th anniversary of Steve Biko’s death. In tribute, The Victor Dlamini Literary Podcast presents episodes that explore, explicitly or implicitly, the effect this African philosopher has had on South Africa.
Join me in a conversation with one of South Africa’s most powerful poets, Dennis Brutus, an artist who has used his stature and his incisively eloquent views to oppose tyranny and injustice wherever they occur in the world. As you’ll hear, he brings a fresh and vivid perspective to topics ranging from Steve Biko to race and literature – especially the depiction by South African writers of sexual relations across the color line.
With his first two collections of poetry, Dennis quickly established a wide audience in Europe, the United States, Africa and the Caribbean. He used his finely-written verse to call the world’s attention to the crime of apartheid. Once he had achieved fame as a writer, Dennis used every opportunity to oppose South Africa’s heinous race laws.
Dennis played an important role in the expulsion of apartheid South Africa from the Olympics, and he used the literary and other world stages that were opening up to him to help isolate South Africa’s all-white sports teams. He brought considerable influence as a poet and academic to other campaigns against apartheid – giving them a large measure of credibility and power.
Since South Africa’s achievement of political freedom, Dennis has became one of the leading activists in the growing global justice movement, campaigning against what he calls “Global Apartheid”. He remains an eloquent opponent of all forms of injustice, and he delivers cogent, powerful speeches at the World Social Forum, where he speaks annually. He travels across the globe to join other activists that seek to put an alternative agenda on the world stage. He has joined thousands to march for peace, democracy, and justice, and he was one of those who marched against the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002.
During apartheid, Dennis was arrested and imprisoned on Robben Island – the same prison that held South Africa’s true leaders, such as Robert Sobukwe, Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and many others. When he was released from prison, he travelled across Africa before making his way to the United States, where he resumed his career as a poet and anti-apartheid campaigner. As an academic, Dennis has held appointments at institutions that include Northwestern University and the University of Pittsburgh.
His works include the following collections: Sirens Knuckles Boots & other Early Poems, Letters to Martha, A Simple Lust, Poetry & Protest, Stubborn Hope, Remembering Soweto, Leafdrift and No, Ex-Comrade Thabo.
Please tune into my chat with Dennis Brutus on The Victor Dlamini Literary Podcast:
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