Revisiting Sol Plaatje’s Mafeking Diary

Sol Plaatje’s Mafeking Diary, written (in English) during the famous siege of 1899–1900, is one of South Africa’s finest pieces of writing, inspired by the events he witnessed and his own part in the siege. Perceptive, beautifully written, often very funny, it is one of the best of the many diaries written during the South African War, and it is the only one by a black South African. Its author, Sol Plaatje, would later achieve fame as a journalist, writer and political leader, but in October 1899, when he began his diary, he was just 23 years old and worked as an interpreter in the local magistrate’s office. Yet, despite being well known to literary scholars and historians, Plaatje’s diary has never had the attention it deserves, and Plaatje’s other writings – his novel Mhudi and his political book, Native Life in South Africa – are far better known and more widely read. Plaatje’s Diary was only published for the first time in 1973. Fifty years on we both celebrate and take stock. We have brought together a distinguished cast of writers, drawn from several different disciplines, to engage creatively with the diary. This book includes short stories inspired by Plaatje and his diary; an exploration of Plaatje’s use of language; accounts of the historical and literary contexts that shaped the diary and the impact it had; the connections between Plaatje’s experiences during the siege and his later career as a journalist; and an illuminating comparison between Plaatje’s Diary and that of another famous black South African, Tiyo Soga. This book will be essential reading for anybody seeking a better knowledge and understanding of one of South Africa’s most remarkable pieces of writing.