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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:Exile and the diasporic voice: Bloke Modisane's BBC radio plays 1969-1987
Author:Gunner, LizISNI
Year:2003
Periodical:Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa
Volume:15
Issue:2
Pages:49-62
Language:English
Geographic term:South Africa
Subjects:literature
drama
About person:William Bloke Modisane (1923-1986)ISNI
Abstract:Bloke Modisane is widely known as a key figure of the 'Drum' era of the 1950s, but the trajectory of his life after his departure from South Africa, with London as his destination, until his death in 1986, is unclear. This article explores a hitherto undocumented aspect of his writing, namely three radio plays which were produced by the BBC and which span almost two decades, the first being in 1969 and the last being played shortly after his death, in 1987. Modisane is seen as an exilic figure, but also as a member of the black diaspora of artists from Africa and the Caribbean who were based in London during the 1960s in particular. He is also discussed as a key figure of black modernism, with the radio plays allowing him to explore his preoccupations with time, space and form, which he had begun to do in 'Blame me on history' (1963). The article also touches briefly on Modisane as a writer constantly aware of the discourse of nationalism and its limitations. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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