A Decolonial Reading of Ronnie Govender’s “Over My Dead Body”

Abstract

This article discusses the contribution of Ronnie Govender, a South African writer, to build decolonial sensibilities and delink from the grand narrative of the colonial literary landscape in the short story “Over My Dead Body”. Govender uses the world of art to make a decolonial statement. Decolonial artists work in the entanglement of power and engage with a border epistemology, those in the margins, the wretched of the earth. “Over My Dead Body” foregrounds the wounds infringed by racism, a pillar of Eurocentric knowing, sensing and believing that sustains a structure of knowledge. This structure is embedded in characters, institutions and languages that regulate and manage the world of the excluded. Healing is the process of delinking, or regaining pride, dignity, and humanity. The legacies of the community of Cato Manor that was pushed out of their land are built in Govender’s stories. Decoloniality then is a concept that carries the experience of liberation struggles and recognises the strenuous conditions of marginalised people together with their strength, wisdom, and endurance. The body invoked by decolonial thinkers like Fanon and Biko is a black body, a racialised and humiliated body.

Opsomming

Hierdie artikel bespreek die Suid Afrikaanse skrywer Ronnie Govender se bydrae tot groter dekoloniale ontvanklikheid en losmaking van die dominante mentaliteit van die koloniale literere landskap in die kortverhaal “Over My Dead Body”. Govender gebruik die kunswereld om 'n dekoloniale bewering te maak. Dekoloniale kunstenaars kry te doen met magsversperrings en is betrokke by 'n randepistemologie, by die gemarginaliseerdes, die armsaliges van die wereld. “Over My Dead Body” handel oor die wonde wat mense weens rassisme opdoen. Rassisme is 'n steunpilaar van Eurosentriese kennis, gevoelens en oortuigings wat 'n bepaalde kennisstruktuur ondersteun. Hierdie struktuur is vasgele in die karakters, instellings en tale wat die wereld van gemarginaliseerdes reguleer en beheer. Losmaking of die herwinning van die eie trots, waardigheid en menslikheid lei tot heling. Die nalatenskap van bewoners van Cato Manor wat van hulle grond afgesit is, vind neerslag in Govender se werk. Die konsep van dekolonialiteit dra die belewenisse van diegene wat vir vryheid gestry het, en erken die moeilike omstandighede waarin die gemarginaliseerdes krag, wysheid en uithouvermoe getoon het. Die liggaam wat dekoloniale denkers soos Fanon en Biko oproep, is 'n swart liggaam, 'n veragte en vernederde liggaam.