M.D. Teenstra

(1795-1864) Born Marten Douwes Teenstra in Het Ruigezand, Groningen. A Dutch writer and traveller in South Africa and the Dutch East Indies. During the time in the Cape he tried the restorative waters of the Caledon baths, and visited Genadendal Mission, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch. The account of his stay at the Cape from 12 March to 7 July 1825 was published as De vruchten mijner werkzaamheden (fruits of my labours) and provides a description of his trip, the personalities and places he came across, and commentary on the social, political and economic life of the Cape colony. It also included a dialogue to illustrate the "bastardised Dutch”spoken at the Cape: this dialogue possibly represents the first dramatic use of Afrikaans, and perhaps the first consciously written Afrikaans text of any sort. [JH/TH]

Return to
Return to ESAT Personalities T

Return to South African Theatre Personalities

Return to Main Page