Keorapetse Kgositsile

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Keorapetse William Kgositsile (born September 19, 1938 in Johannesburg - † January 3, 2018 ) was a South African poet and political activist.

Life

Kgositsile graduated from high school in Johannesburg and wrote for the opposition newspaper New Age . He was a key member of the ANC in the 1960s and 70s . In 1961 he went into self-chosen exile in Dar es Salaam .

From 1962 to 1975 he lived in exile in the USA , first as a graduate student , later as a teacher and artist in residence at various universities. In the 1970s, as a central figure among African-American poets, he drew attention to Africa and to the practice of poetry as performance art . He was one of the first to bridge the gap between African poetry and black poetry in the USA and thus became one of the most important poets of the Pan-African movement .

In 1982 he went back to Tanzania and taught English at the University of Dar es Salaam . From 2001 he lived in Johannesburg, in 2006 he was the country's Poet Laureate . In 2008 he received the Order of Ikhamanga in silver.

He was married to Baleka Mbete . His son is Earl Sweatshirt , best known for the hip-hop group Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All . His grave is in West Park Cemetery in Johannesburg.

Works

  • For Melba (1970)
  • My name is Africa (1971)
  • The present is a dangerous place to live (1974)
  • Heartprints (1980), German: Herzspuren . ISBN 3-922087-45-0
  • When the clouds clear (1990)
  • If I could sing (2002)
  • This way I salute you (2004)

literature

  • Kevin Goddard (Ed.): Out of exile: South African writers speak. National English Literary Museum, Grahamstown 1992. ISBN 0-9583180-6-9 .
  • Ralph Pordzik: Modern English-language poetry in South Africa 1950–1980. A representation from a functional and impact-historical perspective. Carl Winter University Press, Heidelberg 2000.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Struggle stalwart Keorapetse Kgositsile dies at age of 79 . The Times (South Africa), January 3, 2018, accessed January 4, 2018.
  2. ^ Keorapetse Kgositsile . Encyclopædia Britannica , accessed January 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ National Orders Recipients 2008 . South African History Online , October 28, 2008, accessed January 4, 2018.
personal data
SURNAME Kgositsile, Keorapetse
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kgositsile, Keorapetse William; Kgositsile, Keorapetse Willie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION South African poet and political activist
DATE OF BIRTH September 19, 1938
PLACE OF BIRTH Johannesburg
DATE OF DEATH January 3, 2018