Sol Plaatje
Sol Plaatje (actually Solomon Tshekiso Plaatje ; born October 9, 1876 in Boshof , Orange Free State , † June 19, 1932 in Johannesburg ) was a South African journalist , writer and politician .
Life
Plaatje was born to Christian parents from the Barolong tribe in the Boshof district. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to the Pniel mission at Barkly West , which was run by the Berliner Missionswerk . There he went to school and was trained as an assistant teacher. In 1894 Plaatje went to Kimberley , where he worked as a postman and trained privately. Shortly before the outbreak of the Boer War , he was sent to Mafikeng as a translator and employed in both the court and the native administration. In addition to his native Tswana , he was fluent in English , Afrikaans , Dutch , German , French , Sotho , Zulu and Xhosa .
His work in the public service allowed him to work as a journalist . With financial support from the Barolong chief Silas Molema, he was the editor of the first bilingual newspaper Koranta ea Becoana ("Tswana Gazette)" from 1901 to 1908 and since 1912 of the Tsala ea Batho ("Friend of the People"). He himself published in his own newspapers as well as in the Kimberley Diamond Fields Advertiser . In 1912 he was a co-founder of the South African Native National Congress (SANNC) - since 1923: African National Congress (ANC) - and from January 8th he was the first Secretary General of the SANNC. His first political campaign was against the Native Land Act ; In 1914 he traveled to Great Britain with a delegation to protest the law with the British government. The objection was unsuccessful, but Plaatje stayed there until 1917, worked at the University of London as a language assistant and published three books. In 1919 he returned to London and had a meeting with David Lloyd George . In 1920 he traveled to Canada and the USA to find support for the cause of the black population.
Since 1923 Plaatje was back in South Africa. He published, took part in parliamentary sessions and made contacts with the African People's Organization of Abdullah Abdurahman . In December 1930, he served on the ANC's delegation to the Native Affairs Department to raise complaints against the legislation. He died during a trip to Johannesburg at a pneumonia .
Plaatje translated a number of works by Bantu into European languages and works from English into Tswana, particularly dramas by William Shakespeare .
Awards
- The municipality of Sol Plaatje in the North Cape Province is named after him.
- In 2004, the South African President posthumously awarded him the Order of Luthuli in gold.
Works
- Mhudi , a historical novel (1913)
- Native Life in South Africa (1914)
- Sechuana Proverbs and Their European Equivalents (1916)
- Sechuana Phonetic Reader (1916)
- Bantu Folk-Tales and Poems
literature
- Brian Willan (Ed.): Sol Plaatje: Selected Writings . Johannesburg 1996
Web links
- Biographical appreciation on the website of the South African President's Office (English)
- Plaatje's CV at South African History online (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Plaatje, Sol |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Plaatje, Solomon Tshekiso (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | South African linguist, journalist, writer and statesman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 9, 1876 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boshof , Orange Free State , South Africa |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 19, 1932 |
| Place of death | Johannesburg |