Phaswane Mpe
Encyclopedia
Phaswane Mpe was a South Africa
n poet
and novelist. He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand
, where he was a lecturer in African literature. His debut novel
, Welcome to Our Hillbrow
, was published in 2001
. A collection of short stories and poems, Brooding Clouds, was published posthumously in 2008.
Mpe was born in the northern city of Polokwane
, and moved to Johannesburg
at the age of 19 to attend university. Due to his lack of money he ended up living in the deprived inner city area of Hillbrow, a place where he later set his first novel. Welcome to Our Hillbrow was an important work as it was the first novel to deal with the changes of inner-city life in South Africa in the ten years since Nelson Mandela
and F. W. de Klerk engineered apartheid's demise. Far from enjoying the freedoms allowed by democracy, the book depicts the native black South Africans facing the new challenges of poverty, unemployment, and HIV
/AIDS
. The only black people who benefited from apartheid, according to Mpe, were the better educated immigrants from other parts of Africa
. Xenophobia towards these black immigrants is another core theme of the novel; it was widely felt in the inner-cities that it was these people who were responsible for the explosion of HIV in South Africa.
HIV and AIDS were common themes in his work, unsurprising considering the prevalence of the disease in South Africa, and before his death he embarked on doctorate studies on sexuality in post-apartheid South African literature with a particular focus on these two issues.
Mpe died suddenly at the age of 34 from an unknown illness (almost certainly HIV-related), at the time he was about to begin training as a traditional healer.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
and novelist. He was educated at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, where he was a lecturer in African literature. His debut novel
Debut novel
A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...
, Welcome to Our Hillbrow
Welcome to Our Hillbrow
Welcome to Our Hillbrow, is a novel by South African novelist Phaswane Mpe which deals with issues of xenophobia, AIDS, tradition, and inner city status in the Hillbrow neighborhood of post-colonialism Johannesburg...
, was published in 2001
2001 in literature
The year 2001 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* The film version of J. R. R. Tolkien's classic book, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, is released to movie theaters...
. A collection of short stories and poems, Brooding Clouds, was published posthumously in 2008.
Mpe was born in the northern city of Polokwane
Polokwane
Polokwane, meaning "Place of Safety",is a city in the Polokwane Local Municipality and the capital of the Limpopo province, South Africa. It is also often referred to by its former name, Pietersburg. Polokwane is a major urban centre, the biggest and most important north of Gauteng. The population...
, and moved to Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
at the age of 19 to attend university. Due to his lack of money he ended up living in the deprived inner city area of Hillbrow, a place where he later set his first novel. Welcome to Our Hillbrow was an important work as it was the first novel to deal with the changes of inner-city life in South Africa in the ten years since Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and F. W. de Klerk engineered apartheid's demise. Far from enjoying the freedoms allowed by democracy, the book depicts the native black South Africans facing the new challenges of poverty, unemployment, and HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. The only black people who benefited from apartheid, according to Mpe, were the better educated immigrants from other parts of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. Xenophobia towards these black immigrants is another core theme of the novel; it was widely felt in the inner-cities that it was these people who were responsible for the explosion of HIV in South Africa.
HIV and AIDS were common themes in his work, unsurprising considering the prevalence of the disease in South Africa, and before his death he embarked on doctorate studies on sexuality in post-apartheid South African literature with a particular focus on these two issues.
Mpe died suddenly at the age of 34 from an unknown illness (almost certainly HIV-related), at the time he was about to begin training as a traditional healer.