Prof. Nhlanhla Maake
Prof. Nhlanhla Maake
Prof. Nhlanhla Maake launches his book, Kweetsa ya Pelo ya Motho, at the 2007 Wordfest.
About Nhlanhla Maake
Nhlanhla Maake was born in Eastwood (Pretoria), grew up and went to primary school in Thokoza and attended high school in Soweto in the early 1970s. He worked as a teacher and actor, then went on to take degrees at the universities of the North, Witwatersrand, Unisa, Strathclyde (Scotland) and Keele (England). He has held Fellowships at the Universities of Cape Town (RSA), Yale (US) and Aarhus (Denmark). He has published more than sixty articles, reviews, poetry and short stories, and nineteen books.
Nhlanhla has been married to Matshediso for more than twenty-five years. He has worked as lecturer and professor at the Universities of the Witwatersrand, London, Pretoria and Vista. He is currently employed as Director at the Vaal triangle campus of the North-West University.
Kweetsa ya Pelo ya Motho
Maake - Kweetsa ya Pelo ya Motho
Nhlanhla Maake explores human behaviour from four different points of views, each point of view represented by a main character. Interpersonal relations in times of trouble such as suspicion (of conspiracy, collaboration and betrayal), and blackmail, a sensitive social issue such as backyard abortion, as well as human need to loved and be loved – these contribute to define an admirable narrative that looks back.
First there is Tshepiso, the attractive and intelligent activist, initially trained a lawyer, was expelled from university owing to his political activities, became a teacher, but left the teaching profession […]. While his ‘desire’ or ‘quest’ to participate in overthrowing the state, cannot be linked directly to sexual desire – as Laçan would have it – the sexual desire does feature in the female characters […]. The desire fluctuates between to-be-loved, to know more, motherly care, and sexual inquisitiveness.
The above extract is derived from Prof Chris Swanepoel’s articles entitled, “Kweets a ya pelo ya motho (N. P. Maake): narrative of human political turmoil”, published in the South African journal of African Languages, Vol. 1991), pp.52-9.
