J.H.H. de Waal

J.H.H. de Waal (1871-1937) was a teacher, writer, poet, dramatist and editor.

He also wrote under the names Janni or Janni de Waal, particularly in earlier years.

Biography
Jan Hendrik Hofmeyr de Waal, he generally wrote and published as J.H.H. de Waal, though in earlier years, he was also referred to as Janni or Janni de Waal.

He trained as a lawyer and initially became a teacher in Uitenhage and Utrecht, then moved to Cape Town in 1893?*. A founding member of the Die Afrikaanse Taalvereniging (3 November 1906), he battled to get Afrikaans recognized in the Cape courts.

Editor of De Goede Hoop (1903-1914), in which most of his verse, prose plays - written in an early form of Afrikaans - first appeared.

Became a member of parliament in 1915 and served as Speaker of the House between 1929 and 1933.

He is best remembered as a writer of the novel Johannes van Wyk and for his one-act plays.

An autobiographical work, My herinnerings van ons taalstryd ("My memories of our language struggle"), was published by Nasionale Pers in 1932.

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
His one-act plays, which linked up with the farces of Melt Brink as well as the historical romanticism of S.J. du Toit, are not rated highly as literature, but they nevertheless provided plenty of material for amateur theatre groups and schools over the years. In this way they helped establish an Afrikaans theatre culture. F.C.L. Bosman (1928, 1980) considers him one of the founding fathers of Afrikaans theatre.

His early "samesprake" ("dialogues"), written especially for small concerts he did with the Christian youth group (CJV, Christen Jongelieden Vereniging) of the Nieuwe Kerk ("New Church") and performed in the Wicht Hall of the in Cape Town.

These include Di dokter van di dorp ("The doctor of the town"), Jan en Katrina, 'n Les oor di Tier ("a lesson about the tiger") and Jacob Riem en di Varki ("Jacob Riem and the Pig"), which appear to have been among the very first plays specifically performed in Afrikaans (possibly in Uitenhage in 1892, in Cape Town ca.1893 or 1894).

Among his later plays the better known are Anjelina (1903), Die Spioen en sy Handlangers (“The spy and his cronies” - 1907), Amper maar nog nie (“Almost but not quite” – 1907). Much later came Oupa (1926), Die Dobbelspelletjie (“The gambling game” – 1930) and Die Jonge Skrywer (“The young writer” - 1931), in which he reacts strongly to negative criticism, notably from Preller and Schoonees.

De Waal also contributed to the stock of dramatic literature in Afrikaans by translating a number of European and English works, including 'n Anonieme Briefwisseling ("An anonymous correspondence", 1907), ‘n Skoonvader ("A Father-in-Law", 1910)

Many of his short dramatic works were published in a collection of stories, rhymes en short plays called Stompies in 1911.

(JH/TH)

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