Sophonia Machabe Mofokeng's Leetong: a metonymy for political repression in South Africa

Abstract

Mofokeng’s volume of short stories, Leetong [On a Journey], is traditionally read as satire on repression in general and on South Africa in particular. The title, Leetong, has become a part of the conceptual political lexicon of the Sesotho language to refer to the corruption of apartheid ideology. This collection of short stories constitutes a body of protest fiction based on inferences from situations rather than actual incidents. Collectively the eight short stories combine to form one voice in contention with the political dispensation of oppressed South Africans during a particular historical era of political oppression, known as the apartheid era. The dehumanisation of black South Africans has not stopped since the apartheid era because the dominant image of black South Africans continues to be that of heathens. This article postulates the notion that the scheme of the short story volume Leetong [On a Journey] has created a powerful metonymy, to the extent that whenever one alludes to the title, one conjures up images associated with oppression

Mofokeng se bundel kortverhale, Leetong [“Op reis”], kan tradisioneel gelees word as ’n satire oor onderdrukking oor die algemeen en spesifiek in Suid-Afrika. Die titel Leetong het deel geword van die konseptuele politieke leksikon van die Sesotho-taal en verwys na die korrupsie van die apartheidsideologie. Sy bundel kortverhale is ’n versameling van protesfiksie gebaseer op gevolgtrekkings uit situasies eerder as werklike gebeure. Die agt verhale vorm saam een stem in stryd met die politieke bedeling van onderdrukte Suid-Afrikaners gedurende ’n spesifieke historiese era van politieke onderdrukking, bekend as apartheid. Die ontmensliking van swart Suid- Afrikaners duur sedert die apartheidsera steeds voort omdat die oorheersende beeld van swart Suid-Afrikaners steeds dié van heidene is. Hierdie artikel maak aanspraak op die idee dat die intrige van die kort-verhaalbundel Leetong ’n kragtige metonimie skep, soseer dat die titel beelde oproep wat met onderdrukking geassosieer word.