Sol T. Plaatje
Sol T. Plaatje (1876–1932)[1] was a South African intellectual, journalist, linguist, politician, translator, poet, novelist, historian, and playwright. Simply referred to as Sol Plaatje in some cases.
Contents
Biography
Born Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje on 9 October 1876
Career
Edited the Mafeking newspaper Koranta ea Becoana for seven years, and was court interpreter during the Siege of Mafeking. The first general secretary of the African National Congress (1912), going to London as part of the delegation to oppose the Land Act of 1913. Stayed there for a number of years.
His books include Native Life in South Africa (1916) and the novel Mhudi (1930).
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
As playwright he translated a number of plays into Setswana, including William Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors (1930 as Diphoshophosho) and Julius Caesar (as Dintshontsho tsa bo-Julius Kesara (1937).
In 2008 Place of the Rock – How The Land Was Taken, a one man play based on his writings, was performed, directed by Maishe Maponya.
Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Plaatje
Mona de Beer. 1995. Who Did What in South Africa. Johannesburg: Ad Donker.
Shole J. Shole. 1990/91. "Shakespeare in Setswana: An Evaluation of Raditladi's Macbeth and Plaatje's Diphosophoso", Shakespeare in Southern Africa 4 (1990/91): 51-64. [2]
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