Bessie Head

Bessie Amelia Emery Head (Phukwi a le garataro 1937 – Moranang a le lesome le bosupa 1986) e ne ele mokwadi wa letso la Aforika Borwa. E re ntswa a ne a tholega ko Africa Borwa o ne a tsewa ele mokwadi wa tlhwatlhwa wa Botswana. O kwadile dibuka tsa go roba sogo, le tse dikhutshwane ga mmogo le tsa botshelo jwa gagwe tse di tletseng semoya le go tlhatlhanya.https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bessie-Emery-Head Dibuka tsa gagwe tse di itsegeng di akaretsa When Rain Clouds Gather (1968), Maru (1971) le A Question of Power (1973).

 Botshelo jwa gagwe 
Bessie Amelia Emery o tsholetswe kwa Pietermaritzburg, Union of South Africa, ke ngwana wa mosadi wa mosweu le monna wa motho montsho ka nako eo dikamano tsa semorafe di neng di sa letlelelwe mo Aforka Borwa.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Head#cite_note-womenwriting-2 Mmaagwe Bessie, Fiona Emery, go tswa mo lwapeng le le humileng la Aforika Borwa,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Head#cite_note-3 o ne a nna dingwaga di le mmalwa kwa bookelong jwa malwetse a tlhaloganyo morago ga loso lwa ngwana wa gagwe wa ntlha, mosimane yo o neng a bidiwa Gerald Emery, yo o neng a tlhokafala morago ga dibeke di le robabobedi a tshotswe.O ne a le kwa kokelong e kgolo ya malwetse a tlhaloganyo kwa Pietemaritzburg fa a ne a tshola Bessie. Le fa a ne a sa letlelelwa go tshola ngwana, o ne a naya morwadie leina la gagwe. Rraagwe ga a itsewe.

Lesea Bessie le ne la bewa la ntlha le batsadi ba basweu ba ba mo godisitseng ka kakanyo ya gore ke mosweu. Dibeke di le mmalwa moragonyana, batsadi bano ba ne ba lemoga gore o na le mmala mme ba mmusetsa kwa balaoding. Morago ga moo o ne a bewa le lelapa la merafe e e tlhakaneng kgotsa ya "mmala", ba ga Heathcote, mo lefelong le le humanegileng le le seng la basweu kwa Pietermaritzburg. Fano, o ne a gola le mme yo o neng a mo godisa mo go gagametseng, e bong Nelly Heathcote, mme o ne a tsena Kereke ya Roma ya lefelo leo le sekolo se sebotlana. Ga a ise a ko a lemoge sentle gore e ne e se Mo-Heathcote. O ne a itumelela bongwana jo bo batlang bo tlwaelesegile jwa nako ya gagwe le lefelo la gagwe, kwa ntle ga gore mmaagwe yo o mo godisitseng o ne a sa rate go rata dibuka ga gagwe.Gillian Eilersen (1995). Bessie Head: Thunder Behind Her Ears: her life and writing. Wits University Press. p. 9–18. ISBN 978-0-435-08984-9. OCLC 802874023. Wikidata Q112683813.

Fa Bessie a le dingwaga di le lesome le bobedi, fa a sena go fetsa dingwaga di le nne tsa thuto ya sekolo se sebotlana, balaodi ba ne ba mo fudusetsa kwa Legaeng la Basetsana ba Mmala la St. Monica, sekolo sa Anglican se se nang le matlo a borobalo kwa Durban. Kwa tshimologong, Bessie o ne a leka go tshaba le go boela gae. Moragonyana, o ne a simolola go anaanela khumo ya dibuka le kitso e sekolo seo se neng se e naya. Kwa bokhutlong jwa ngwaga wa gagwe wa bobedi, o ne a itshokela kutlobotlhoko e kgolo ya ntlha mo botshelong jwa gagwe. Balaodi ba ne ba mmolelela ka tshoganyetso gore ke morwadia mosadi mongwe wa mosweu, e seng Nelly Heathcote, le gore ga a kitla a letlwa go boela kwa legaeng la gagwe la pele ka malatsi a boikhutso a Keresemose. Mosha yono o ne a utlwile botlhoko thata mme a ikgogela morago.

Dingwaga di le pedi moragonyana, kwa bokhutlong jwa 1953, Bessie o ne a pasa tlhatlhobo ya gagwe ya Setlankana sa Junior. O ne a tswelela go dira Setlankana sa Katiso ya Barutabana sa dingwaga di le pedi kwa kholetšheng e e fa gaufi, fa a ntse a nna kwa St. Monica. La bofelo, kwa tshimologong ya 1956, kgotlatshekelo e ne ya bolela gore ke mogolo; o ne a newa setankana sa nakwana sa go ruta; mme a amogela tiro ya go nna morutabana kwa sekolong se se botlana sa mmala kwa Durban.Mary Ellen Snodgrass, "Head, Bessie (Bessie Amelia Emery Head)", Encyclopedia of the Literature of Empire, Infobase Publishing, 2010, pp. 131–132. Ka nako eno o ne a nna le botsala jo bogolo le badiri ba le mmalwa ba basweu ba St. Monica, mmogo le maloko a le mmalwa a setšhaba sa "Maindia", mme kgatlhego ya gagwe mo ditumelong tse e seng tsa Bokeresete e ne ya atlega, segolobogolo Bohindu.

Ka fa letlhakoreng le lengwe, o ne a na le kgolagano e e fetang fela le bontsi jwa "bantsho" jwa Aforika kwa Natal, ba e neng e le Mazulu ka bontsi.

Mo bogareng jwa 1958, a lapisitswe ke ditiro tsa gagwe tsa letsatsi le letsatsi le go lora ka dilo tse dikgolo, Head o ne a tlogela tiro ya gagwe. O ne a nna le moletlo wa letsatsi la matsalo a dingwaga tse masome mabedi le motso le ditsala tsa gagwe tsa bogologolo, morago ga moo a palama terena go ya kwa Cape Town, kwa a neng a ikaeletse go nna mmegadikgang gone.

 Cape Town le Johannesburg 
Batho ba Aforika Borwa ba ba neng ba le kwa ditoropong ba e seng basweu ba ne ba simolola go fuduega ka fa tlase ga melao e e neng e ntse e thibela le go feta ya tlhaolele. Dikuranta le dimakasine di le mmalwa tsa mmaraka wa batho ba le bantsi di ne di setse di thusa ka dilo tse ba di ratang, mme mo go tsone Drum ya beke le beke e ne e le yone e e neng e tumile thata. Head o ne a batla tiro go na le moo mo kgatisong ya kgaitsadie Drum, e leng Golden City Post e e neng e tswa beke le beke. O ne a bereka koo mo e ka nnang ngwaga, a faela dikgang tsa kgotlatshekelo le ditiro tse dingwe tse dinnye tse di neng di newa batho ba ba sa tswang go simolola mo phaposing ya dikgang. O ne a kwala ka leina la gagwe la mmatota, Bessie Amelia Emery."Bessie Amelia Head, SA novelist dies", South African History Online, 17 April 1986.

Le fa ka nako eo Cape Town e ne e le bogolo jo bo tshwanang le jwa Durban, e ne e le mefutafuta thata e bile e raraane, e na le ditso tse ditelele thata. E ne e le motsemogolo wa sepolotiki wa lefatshe e bile ke yone, e le legae la Palamente ya yone. Kwa Pietermaritzburg le kwa Durban, Bessie o ne a ntse a le leloko la setlhopha se sennye sa batho ba ba seng bantsi, e leng Ba-Colored (ba merafe e e tlhakaneng) ba ba buang Seesemane. Kwa Cape Town ka tshoganetso o ne a nna leloko la setlhopha se segolo sa merafe ya selegae — Coloured — mme e le se se neng se bua Seburu mo botshelong jwa sone jwa letsatsi le letsatsi. Le fa a ne a sa ke a phuthologa mo puong eno e e neng e tswa mo baagi ba ntlha ba MaDutch ba Cape Town, go ise go ye kae o ne a kgona go tshela. Se a neng a fitlhela se le thata go se amogela e ne e le dikgaogano tse di neng di le teng mo setšhabeng seo ka mmala wa letlalo le maemo a itsholelo. O ne a le montsho thata go ka tsenela batho ba maemo, ka jalo o ne a rata go kopana le badiri le batho ba maemo a a kwa tlase mo Kgaolong ya Borataro, morafe o mogolo wa Bammala o o neng o nna kwa letlhakoreng la bophirima la Table Mountain, e seng kgakala le bogare. Fa gare ga tiro ya gagwe le marobalo a gagwe kwa Kgaolong ya Borataro, mosha yoo yo o sa tswang go goroga kwa kgaolong o ne a simolola ka bonako go dirisa mofuta le lebelo la toropo e kgolo. Gape o ne a lemoga ka kelotlhoko dikgotlhang tse dintsi tsa ka fa gare ga Aforika Borwa.

Ka 1959, Head o ne a fudugela kwa Johannesburg go ya go dira kwa Home Post, e leng kgatiso e nngwe e e neng e le kgaitsadie Drum; o ne a newa padi ya gagwe le tuelo e e tlhomameng. Fano o ne a kopana le bakwadi ba ba itsegeng thata ba ba jaaka Lewis Nkosi, Can Themba le Dennis Brutus, mme a lekeletsa go kwala ga gagwe ka nosi. Mme maitemogelo a gagwe a a neng a fetola botshelo jwa gagwe ka nako eo e ne e le gore o ne a kopana le dikwalo tsa sepolotiki tsa bosetšhaba jwa bantsho, segolobogolo tsa ba-Pan-Africanist George Padmore le Robert Sobukwe. Nngwe ya dibuka tsa ga Padmore "e ne ya nnaya letlalo le lesha le botshelo jo bosha jo bo neng bo sa amogelesege gotlhelele mo maemong a a kwa tlase koo," o ne a kwala jalo moragonyana.Bessie Head, in South African Review of Books, 1990, p. 12. O ne a kopana le Sobukwe mme a mo fitlhela a le teng thata ka namana. Gape o ne a kopana le diopedi tsa jazz le jazz, mme a rata Abdullah Ibrahim yo mmotlana ka bonako, yo ka nako eo a neng a itsege jaaka Dollar Brand, yo o neng a etelela pele setlhopha se se kwa pele sa jazz mo nageng.

Setho le sepolotiki di ne tsa thunya mo tshimologong ya 1960. Head o ne a tsenelela Kokoano ya Pan-Africanist (PAC) ya ga Sobukwe dibeke di le mmalwa pele ga lekoko leo le etelela pele boipelaetso jwa bontsi jo bo neng bo tla bolaya kwa Soweto, Sharpeville, le kwa metsesetoropong e mengwe ya batho bantsho. Polao ya Sharpeville e ne ya latela, mme ya tsosa diphetogo tse di botlhokwa tsa sepolotiki le tsa loago mo Aforika Borwa. Makoko a sepolotiki a batho bantsho a ne a thibelwa mme diketekete tsa balweladitshwanelo tsa tshwarwa. Head o ne a dira ka bokhutshwane go tshegetsa magolegwa a PAC pele ga a tshwarwa ka boene mo tiragalong e e maswe ya go oka ba bangwe mo gare ga batlhomogi ba PAC. Le fa gone kgabagare ditatofatso tse a neng a di latofadiwa di ne tsa kgaolwa, go ise go ye kae o ne a tshwenyega thata mo maikutlong mme a leka go ipolaya. Morago ga go robadiwa kwa kokelong ka nakwana, o ne a boela kwa Cape Town, a robegile mowa ka nakwana mme a swabisitswe ke dipolotiki. Mo e ka nnang ka 1969, Head le ene o ne a simolola go nna le matshwao a bolwetse jwa go fetofetoga maikutlo le bolwetse jwa tlhaloganyo.Puchner, Martin. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 4th edn, F, W.W. Norton & Company, 2013.

Morago ga ngwaga wa go rapama kwa tlase, Head o ne a tlhagelela gape mo ditlhopheng tsa batlhalefi le ba sepolotiki ba Cape Town, a kopanela le batlhalefi ba merafe e mentsi ya Liberal Party mmogo le batlhotlheletsi ba PAC. O ne a simolola go goga motsoko le go nwa. Ka Phukwi 1961, o ne a kopana le Harold Head, lekawana la Mmala le le neng le bua sentle go tswa kwa Pretoria le le neng le na le dikgatlhego tse dintsi tsa tlhaloganyo tse di tshwanang le tsa gagwe. Dibeke di le thataro morago ga foo ba ne ba nyalana, mme ka Motsheganong a le lesome le botlhano ka 1962 ngwana wa bone a le esi, Howard Rex Head, o ne a tsholwa. Lesea le ne le tshwailwe ke bolwetse jo bonnye (jo ka nako eo bo neng bo sa lemogiwe) jwa phetelo ya bojalwa kwa leseeng, jo bo neng bo tla mo ama botshelo jwa gagwe jotlhe.Accone, Darryl (17 May 2019). "Head's journalism eclipsed". Mail&Guardian.

Bobedi jwa ga Harold le Bessie ba ne ba kwala dipadi ka nako eo, gantsi ba ne ba kwalela The New African, e leng makasine o o simololang wa kgwedi le kgwedi o o neng o gatisiwa kwa Motsekapa. Bessie o ne a kwala gape buka ya drama, The Cardinals, e e neng ya se ka ya gatisiwa ka dingwaga di le masome mararo. Mme boora-Head ba ne ba  humanegile mme lenyalo la bone le ne le tlhotlhorega. Howard o ne a itshupa e le lesea le le sa nyenyeng. Ka kgobego marapo e kgolo Bessie o ne a tswa kwa Cape Town kwa bokhutlong jwa 1963 go ya go nna le matsalaagwe gaufi le Pretoria, a tsamaya le Howard. Fa botsalano joo le jone bo thubega, Head o ne a lapile. O ne a kopa tiro ya borutabana kwa lefatsheng le le mabapi la Bechuanaland Protectorate (e jaanong e bidiwang Botswana) mme a amogelwa. Le mororo a ne a sa kgone go bona pasa ya mosepele, tsala nngwe ya gagwe e ne ya mo thusa go bona tetla ya go tswa ka tsela e le nngwe fela. Go ela kwa bokhutlong jwa Mopitlo 1964, ene le morwawe ba ne ba palama terena ba ya kwa bokone. Head ga a ise a ke a bone Aforika Borwa gape.

 Botswana 
Ka 1964, a tlogela botshelo jwa gagwe kwa Aforika Borwa, o ne a fudugela le morwawe yo monnye kwa Botswana (ka nako eo e ne e santse e le Bechuanaland Protectorate) a batla botshabelo,"Bessie Emery Head", Encyclopædia Britannica. ka a ne a amega thata mo dipolotiking tsa Pan-Africa. Go ne go tla tsaya dingwaga di le lesome le botlhano gore Head a bone boagedi jwa Botswana. Head o ne a nna kwa Serowe,Lewis, Desiree (2003). "Bessie Head". In Margaret J. Daymond; Dorothy Driver; Sheila Meintjes (eds.). Women Writing Africa: The Southern Region. Feminist Press at CUNY. p. 290. ISBN 9781558614079. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025. e leng "motse" o mogolo go gaisa wa Botswana (i.e., mafelo a setso go na le ditoropo tsa baagi). Serowe e ne e tumile ka bobedi ka botlhokwa jwa yone mo ditsong, jaaka motsemogolo wa morafe wa Bamangwato, le ka sekolo sa tekeletso sa Swaneng sa ga Patrick van Rensburg. Kgosi e kgolo ya Bamangwato e e neng e tlositswe mo setilong, Sir Seretse Khama, e ne e tla tloga e nna tautona wa ntlha wa Botswana yo o ipusang."Making History | Sir Seretse Khama - first President of Botswana". BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025.

Loso lwa gagwe a sale mmotlana kwa Serowe ka 1986 (a le dingwaga di le 48) ka ntlha ya bolwetse jwa sebete lo ne lwa tla fela ka nako ya fa a ne a simolola go amogelwa jaaka mokwadi mme a ne a sa tlhole a humanegile thata jaana."Head, Bessie: Introduction | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025."Bessie Head | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025.

 Go kwala 
Bontsi jwa dibuka tsa ga Bessie Head di ka ga Serowe, go akaretsa le dipadi tsa When Rain Clouds Gather (1968), Maru (1971), le A Question of Power (1973). Boraro jo gape ke ka gagagwe; When Rain Clouds Gather e ikaegile ka maitemogelo a gagwe a go nna mo polaseng ya tlhabololo, Maru e akaretsa maitemogelo a gagwe a go tsewa e le yo o kwa tlase ka lotso, mme A Question of Power e dirisa tlhaloganyo ya gagwe ya gore go ne go ntse jang go itemogela kgatelelo e e tseneletseng ya tlhaloganyo.

Head o ne a gatisa gape dikgankhutshwe di le mmalwa, go akaretsa le kokoanyo ya The Collector of Treasures (1977). O ne a gatisa buka e e buang ka ditiragalo tsa Serowe, motse o a neng a thibelela mo go one, e bidiwa Serowe: Village of the Rainwind. Padi ya gagwe ya bofelo, A Bewitched Crossroad (1984), ke ya ditso, e e kwadilweng mo Botswana wa ngwagakgolo wa bo lesome le boferabongwe. O ne a kwadile gape kgang ya baporofeti ba babedi, yo mongwe a humile mme yo mongwe a tshela ka bohumanegi e e bidiwang "Jacob: The Faith-Healing Priest".Head, Bessie (1992). The collector of treasures: and other Botswana village tales. Oxford: Heinemann International Literature and Textbooks. ISBN 9780435909819. OCLC 27760535. Tiro ya gagwe e akareditswe mo bukeng ya 1992 ya Daughters of Africa, e e rulagantsweng ke Margaret Busby.Magwood, Michele (5 July 2019). "'New Daughters of Africa' is a powerful collection of writing by women from the continent". Wanted. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025.

Tiro ya ga Head e ne e lebile botshelo jwa letsatsi le letsatsi jwa batho ba ba tlwaelesegileng le seabe sa bone mo dikgaratlhong tse dikgolo tsa sepolotiki tsa Aforika. Gantsi dikgopolo tsa bodumedi di ne di tlhagelela thata, jaaka mo bukeng ya A Question of Power. Head o ne a godisiwa kwa tshimologong e le Mokeresete; le fa go ntse jalo, moragonyana o ne a tlhotlhelediwa ke Bohindu (jo a neng a bo bona ka setšhaba sa Baindia sa Aforika Borwa).Smith, Lauren (1999). "Christ as Creole: Hybridity and the Revision of Colonial Imagery in the Works of Bessie Head". English in Africa. 26 (1): 61–80. ISSN 0376-8902. JSTOR 40238875.

Bontsi jwa dikwalo tsa gagwe di diragetse fa a ne a le kwa botshabelo kwa Botswana, a dule mo Aforika Borwa ka 1964. Se se sa akarediweng ke padi ya The Cardinals (e e gatisitsweng morago ga loso lwa gagwe ka 1993), e e diragetseng mo Aforika Borwa.

Ka ditsela dingwe, Head o ne a nna motho yo o tswang kwa ntle mo lefatsheng le a neng a le itlhophetshe, mme bangwe ba lemoga gore o ne a na le kamano nngwe ya lorato le letlhoo le lone. O ne a lwantshana le bolwetse jwa tlhaloganyo mme a nna le tiragalo e kgolo ya tlhaloganyo ka 1969, e e neng ya dira gore a robadiwe ka lobaka lo lo rileng kwa Kokelong ya Tlhaloganyo kwa Lobatse. A Question of Power, e Bessie Head a neng a e tsaya e le "e e batlang e le ya botshelo jwa gagwe" e ne ya kwalwa morago ga tiragalo eo.Davis, Caroline (16 April 2018). "A Question of Power: Bessie Head and her Publishers". Journal of Southern African Studies. 44 (3): 491–506. doi:10.1080/03057070.2018.1445354. ISSN 0305-7070. S2CID 149759698.

 Ditlhotlheletso 
Bontsi jwa tiro ya ga Head e ne e tlhotlheleditswe ke Mahatma Gandhi, mme o ne a re ga a ise "ke ke bale sepe se se tsositseng maikutlo a me jaaka dipolelo tsa sepolotiki tsa ga Gandhi". Head o ne a tlhotlhelediwa thata ke Gandhi le tsela e a neng a tlhalosa dikgang tsa ga jaanong tsa sepolotiki ka tsela e e utlwalang sentle ka yone. Fa a bala dipampiri tsa gagwe, Head o ne a gakgamadiwa ke tiro mme a fitlhelela tshwetso ya gore Gandhi o tshwanetse a bo e le "Modimo jaaka motho".

 Ditlotla le dietsele 
Ka 1977, Head o ne a tsenelela Lenaneo la Boditšhabatšhaba la go Kwala la Yunibesithi ya Iowa, le go lalediwang fela palo e e tlhophilweng ya bakwadi go tswa kwa lefatsheng lotlhe.Golden, Audrey (30 December 2016). "Bessie Head's Experience at the International Writing Program".

Ka 2003, morago ga loso lwa gagwe o ne a abelwa Sekgele sa Aforika Borwa sa Order of Ikhamanga ka Gauta ka ntlha ya "seabe sa gagwe se se kgethegileng mo dikwalong le mo kgaratlhong ya phetogo ya loago, kgololesego le kagiso.""Profile of Bessie Head". S A National Orders. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025. Sekolo sa Werda kwa Durban, Aforika Borwa, se se neng se itsege jaaka Sekolo sa Basetsana sa St Monica."Bessie Head, Struggle for identity". Sunday Times Heritage Project. Retrieved 27 Phalane 2025.

 Boswa 
Ka 2007, go ne ga tlhongwa Trust ya Boswa ya Bessie Head, mmogo le Dietsele tsa Dikwalo tsa Bessie Head.Bessie Head Literature Awards. Phukwi a le lesome le bobedi ka 2007 Motlobo o mogolo wa dibuka wa Mmasepala wa Msunduzi kwa Pietermaritzburg e ne ya bidiwa Motlobo wa dibuka wa Bessie Head go mo tlotla."Msunduzi Municipal Library Services", Pietermaritzburg.

Dipampiri tsa ga Bessie Head di bolokilwe kwa Motlobong wa ditso wa Segopotso sa Khama III kwa Serowe."Museum publishes Catalogue of the Bessie Head Papers", Bessie Head Heritage Trust.

 Tse dingwe 

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