Negotiating the ambivalent construction of 'coloured' identity, in relation to the work of Malika Ndlovu and the Cape Town-based Black Women's Writers Collective, WEAVE

This dissertation focuses on the work of writers for whom the nature of 'Coloured' identity is a problematic issue. ('Coloured' is the Apartheid term used to describe people of mixed descent living in South Africa). I base my analysis of their writings around 'Coloured' identity in postcolonial theory, in order to examine constructions of self and other. Chapter one introduces the reader to the Black woman writer, Malika Ndlovu and the collective Women's Education and Artistic Voice Expression (WEAVE), of which Malika Ndlovu is a founder member. Chapter two uses a postcolonial lens to discuss constructions of identity. This chapter looks at the ways in which postcolonial theorists oppose Europe and the West as the centre, and the Third World as the periphery to that centre. I contextualise the manner in which Ndlovu and WEAVE reject and subvert ideas of self and other in accordance with postcolonial theory. This chapter also deals, with Ndlovu's rejection of feminism in so far as it is a Western construct, speaking on behalf of all women. It concludes with the claim that postcolonial theory sheds light on a unique dimension in South African history, namely the ways in which colonialism and Apartheid created the category 'Coloured' for those who did not fit into the polarised Black and White division (which can be found in all colonised countries). Chapter three gives a brief history of the developments of and resistance to concepts of 'Coloured' identity. In chapter four, I examine the relationship Malika Ndlovu has to the label 'Coloured' which was designated to her at birth; her rejection of such a label, and her chosen African identity. Chapter five examines WEAVE's collective writings. This chapter explores the ways in which the writers' work falls within the ambit of postcolonial literature, looking specifically at how they respond to colonial and Apartheid discourses. A brief concluding chapter summarises the main points and observations emerging from this paper, and indicates to evidence of the writers' ambivalence towards 'Coloured' identity.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of English Language and Literature

Year dc:date.issued

2001

Author dc:creator

• Tobin, Fiona

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• McCormick, Kay

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7884

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/7884