Bessie Head
Struggle for identity6 July 1937 - 17 April 1986 |
Artist: Jane du Rand Location: Werda Hoerskool, 90 Parkside Road, Hillary, KZN
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A magnified view of Bessie Head's memorial at her former school, St. Monica's Diocesan School for Girls, now known as Werda Hoerskool. In 1950, aged 12, Bessie Head, one of Africa's most respected writers, was removed from the woman she believed to be her mother and sent to what was then St. Monica's Diocesan Home for Coloured Girls. She spent six years at the Home, where she was encouraged to read and study for the first time. In 1951 she was told that she was the child of an 'insane' white woman and an unknown 'native' man. Her resulting struggle with issues of identity is reflected in her writing - as is a positive influence from this time, that of Home Warden Margaret Cadmore, whose name Head used for the protagonist in her second book, Maru. From The Archives 'Things I don't like'The poem 'Things I Don't Like', was the only one of Bessie Head's poems published in her lifetime. Glimpses of hapinnessBessie finds love, gets married and mothers a son - bringing a glimmer of hope, albeit short-lived. Her happiness never seemed to last in any situation. Bessie Head's eulogyPatrick van Rensburg, a friend, writer and apartheid activist, delivered Bessie's eulogy at her funeral on the 26th of April 1986. Life Stories Struggle for identityBorn to a mother incarcerated in a mental institution presented serious challenges to Bessie's childhood. Her mixed-race nature in a race division-obsessed apartheid government seemingly made matters worse. A traumatic incidentAt only fourteen, the young Bessie Head learnt of her roots in the most inhumane manner possible. A search for inner peaceBessie was to realise that achieving inner peace and contentment with one's identity is a complex exercise, especially under the unsavoury climate of apartheid rule. Life in SeroweBessie settled in Serowe, Botswana, where she eventually gave up her teaching career to become a full-time writer. Making the Memorial Who is Jane Du Rand?The Durban based artist has made quite a name for herself, especially in townships where she initiated projects that included the participation and training of local artists. The Light Bulb Moment - The Artist's ConceptJane says Bessie's life was one of contrasts and of polar differences which she battled to come to terms with. She aimed to portray these differences in Bessie's memorial artwork. She elaborates: |
