Mafeking Diary

"Sol Plaatje's Mafeking Diary is a document of enduring importance and fascination. The product of a young black South African court interpreter, just turned 23 years old when he started writing, it opens an entirely new vista on the famous Siege of Mafeking. By shedding light on the part played by the African population of the town, Plaatje explodes the myth, maintained by belligerents, and long perpetuated by both historians and the popular imagination, this this was a white man's affair. One of the great epics of British imperial history, and perhaps the best remembered episode of the Anglo-Boer war of 1899-1902, is presented from a wholly novel perspective. "At the same time, the diary provides an intriguing insight into the character of a young man who was to play a key role in South African political and literary history during the first three decades of this century. It reveals much of the perceptions and motives that shaped his own attitudes and intellectual development and, indeed, those of an early generation of African leaders who sought to build a society which did not determine the place of its citizens by the colour of their skin. The diary therefore illuminates the origins of a struggle which continues to this day." -- John L. Comaroff (ed.) in his preface

The introduction contains a biographical sketch of Sol T Plaatje.

The Siege of Mafeking remains one of the most renowned actions of the Second Boer War, with the British Army defeating a Boer force of up to 8,000 men with barely 1,500 troops. In a siege that lasted 217 days, Robert Baden-Powell and his troops withheld attack from the Boers against all the odds and Mafeking was finally relieved on 17 May 1900. It caused much public excitement in Victorian Britain, with Baden-Powell emerging as a national hero. If you want to understand what happened and why – read Battle Story. One of the most famous, if controversial, battles of the Second Boer War – memorialised across South Africa, Canada and the United Kingdom The Siege of Mafeking was instrumental in turning Robert Baden-Powell (later founder of the Scouts) into a national hero Includes significant contribution from South African, Canadian and Australian troops.

Mafeking ranks as one of the major military epics of the Anglo-Boer War. A courageous garrison led by British Army Colonel Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts, withstood more than seven months of starvation, death and destruction before they were relieved. A powerful story of human endurance.

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Ce livre classique a été initialement publié il y a des décennies sous le titre "" Mafeking A Diary of a Siege "". Il a maintenant été traduit par Writat en langue française pour leurs lecteurs francophones. Chez Writat, nous sommes passionnés par la préservation du patrimoine littéraire du passé. Nous avons traduit ce livre en français afin que les générations présentes et futures puissent le lire et le conserver.

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Seetsele Modiri Molema’s Sol T. Plaatje: Morata Wabo is the first biography of Solomon Plaatje written in his mother-tongue, Setswana, and the only book-length biography written by someone who actually knew him. The manuscript had long been housed in the Wits Historical Papers and was accessible only to scholars. D.S. Matjila and Karen Haire have mined the archive to produce the first English translation of Molema’s biography, Lover of His People. Molema balances Plaatje’s public and political persona – as a pioneer black politician and man of letters – with an intimate account of Plaatje, the human being: his physical features, habits, temperament, talents, personality, character, fears, struggles, dreams and aspirations. He illuminates the spirit of Plaatje, painting a personal portrait. Recognising that the biographer was an extraordinary scholar, intellectual and politician in his own right, the book includes an essay on the life and legacy of Seetsele Modiri Molema and his contribution to South Africa’s black intellectual heritage. The editors highlight some of the ways in which the book might be relevant to contemporary South African readers and, in inspiring them about a local historical figure, prompt critical thinking about pertinent issues such as gender, the future of African languages and the re-writing of history.