Resistance to Oppression in a Selection of Palestinian and South African Poetry

Abstract

The present thesis is a study of the theme of resistance as a reaction to oppression in a selection of Palestinian and South African poetry of resistance. The idea for such a comparison was born partly because of the similar backgrounds and the comparable systems of apartheid, South Africa and Palestine have and partly from the similar historical and aesthetic traditions the ‘Palestinian Culture of Resistance’ and the ‘Black Consciousness Movement’ have. The aim of the thesis is to reveal the theme ‘resistance to oppression’ in a selection of Palestinian and South African poetry. For that purpose, samples of poems written by the Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and the South African poet Mongane Wally Serote have been selected.

The study shows how Darwish and Serote used their poetry to express the struggle at a particular historical moment. Their poetry has succeeded in demonstrating how cultural resistance is endemic in oppressed communities. The researcher examines a selection of poems from these two countries as works of resistance that cover similar issues to produce an equally similar thematic goal. The thesis represents their discourse of resistance to oppression.