Indigenous Language Media in Africa, a research niche area on the North-West University’s (NWU’s) campus in Mahikeng hosted a public lecture on 25 April 2019 to celebrate one of South Africa’s most accomplished political and literary figures, Solomon Thekisho Plaatje. 

The lecture, themed “Remembering Sol Plaatje: Restoring Mahikeng to the Narrative”, was delivered by Dr Brian Willan. He is a historian and honorary research associate at the Institute for the Study of English in Africa at Rhodes University.

According to Prof Pamela Maseko, executive dean of the Faculty of Humanities, these public lectures about great people such as Sol Plaatje, is part of the faculty initiative to bring scholarly engagement on the African voice and African literary works to the academia.

During the lecture, illustrated with some rare photographs, Dr Willan argued that Sol Plaatje was a more complex figure than previously suggested. Dr Willan also looked at how Sol came to be in Mahikeng, and the role it played in shaping his later career.

According to Dr Willan, Sol Plaatje was committed to what might be considered today as somewhat unfashionable causes. These included the temperance movement, the interdenominational brotherhood organisation which he founded in Kimberly, and his political and legal ideas associated with Cape liberalism.

Dr Willan said that there are areas where his contribution is not sufficiently recognised, for instance his passionate defence of Setswana and his determination to preserve it.

“Today Sol Plaatje is celebrated as one of South Africa’s most accomplished political and literary figures,” said Dr Willan. “He was a pioneer in the history of the black press, editor of several newspapers, and one of the founders of the African National Congress in 1912.

“He led the ANC’s campaign against the notorious Natives Land Act of 1913 and travelled overseas to represent the interests of his people. He wrote a number of books, including Native Life in South Africa (1916), a powerful denunciation of the Land Act and the policies that led to it, and a pioneering novel, Mhudi (1930).

“Years after his death his diary of the siege of Mafeking was retrieved and published, providing a unique view of one of the best-known episodes of the South African War between 1899 and 1902,” added Dr Willan. 

Brian Willan has written extensively on Sol Plaatje and other aspects of 19th and 20th century South African history.

His most recent book is Sol Plaatje’s Native Life in South Africa: Past and Present, co-edited with Janet Remmington and Bheki Peterson (Wits University Press, 2016). He is also the author of the biography titled Sol Plaatje – A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje 1876–1932.

 Dr Brian Willan, Prof Pamela Maseko and Prof Abiodun Salawu pose together after the lecture in commemoration of Sol Plaatje.