American Imperialism In South Africa Essay

Nevertheless, one has to consider that living in a time when black Africans were subjected to the inequalities of colonial rule many Africans saw the English as a key. The same point was stated in the columns of Imvo Zabantsundu (An Xhosa/English weekly newspaper) that without English, blacks would have “remain[ed] one of the uneducated, living in the miserably small world of Boer ideals, or those of the untaught natives” (Willan, 1984: 36). South Africa was ruled by the English and Plaatje recognized that he could never change anything for his people or himself “without the command of English” (Willan, 1984: 36). So black artists and writers alike took their missionary-based education and used it to express the black experience, and whether it was a biography, an historical account, a work of fiction of poetry, “[was] not so important. What [was] of vital importance [was] that the black artists, in particular, should understand he ha[d] a purpose” (Mutloatse, 1980: 1). English became a weapon to fight against colonialism; its exploitation, oppression and racism. To say, however, that Plaatje was an ‘imitator of whites’ because he mimicked the
However, it is important to recognize one’s readership. Subsequently if the writer wanted the widest readership they would undoubtedly have to write in English as it has become the worlds language; a common language of sorts. Plaatje’s book Native in South Africa, was meant for the latter. The text was ultimately written as a petition for polemical purposes. It was meant to persuade international (particularly British) public opinion of the injustice that was taking place in South Africa at that time. Plaatje, knew that he could use English – as a strategy - to convey the atrocities to a larger audience. Plaatje clearly mentions in the prologue of Native Life in South Africa