Sjaka Septembir
Encyclopedia
Sjaka Septembir is a South African poet, writer, performer and director.
He is the married to the vocalist Melanie Basson.
His work is influenced by Punk
, Dada
, Abject Art and the Beats. He has become infamous for his unsettling happenings, cut-‘n’-paste magazines and self-published books of poetry.
He has been described as a "contemporary literary terrorist".
The name Sjaka S. Septembir was created by pairing up the name of the Zulu warrior king Shaka Zulu with the Cape coloured surname. Coloured
here is a politically and socially controversial term, and it refers to a predominantly Afrikaans
people of which the roots can be traced back to Creole
and Dutch
ancestry - the slave trade at the Cape being the vehicle which brought these peoples together and which resulted in what has commonly (and controversially) been referred to as Coloured
people. It is a prevalent surname in the Western Cape
– but in this context it is spelt September. The initial “S” in Sjaka S. Septembir functions as a mask or a chameleon which is free to take on any word that starts with “S”, e.g. Sjaka Shagwell Septembir.
’s Ronde Roman.
In 1996, he self-published Christ Spiders Like a Coacaroach (sic) in English and Terpentyn Canves (sic) in Afrikaans
(publications). These two books of poetry appeared under the name Shaka September.
and Naomie Smit.
It’s only after the formation of PORSELYNNKAS at the end of 1996 that the names spelling changed to Sjaka S. Septembir. The name PORSELYNNKAS comes from the Afrikaans
idiom
‘Daar’s ‘n aap in die porseleinkas’ that is equal to ‘There’s a bull in the china shop’). PORSELYNNKAS was a ground breaking movement, especially in Afrikaans literature
and drama. The movement references aspects of Anarchy
, Dada
and experimental poetry in a way which has never before been seen in a South African context.
The publication of student newspaper Die Matie
with Sjaka on the front cover was met with extreme resistance. In a period of two years, PORSELYNNKAS performed 38 Dadaist style Poetry Happenings and publish 22 publications under PORSELYNNKAS publishers. Their Afrikaans poetry and performances get them banned in many venues in Stellenbosch, banned from appearing on the student radio station Radio Matie and booed off stage in Cape Town
. The performances made use of abjection and shock value to mock religion
and norms around sexuality. The group also performed public executions of Afrikaans
icons such as Johan Stemmet, Steve Hofmeyr
and Patricia Lewis
.
Writer and filmmaker Matthew Kalil has made a Porselynnkas documentary called Porselynnkas: Dokiementer, which premiered on 12 June 2011.
met in Johannesburg
in 1999 and started a collaboration called Cybervaseline
. This zine showcased different artists such as Swart Steep and Nadine Botha. Cybervaseline
was published until the end of 2002 and 18 editions appeared. Only 300 numbered copies of each edition were made.
.
His poetry was featured in the publication A Look Away.
in June 2011.
He is the married to the vocalist Melanie Basson.
His work is influenced by Punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
, Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
, Abject Art and the Beats. He has become infamous for his unsettling happenings, cut-‘n’-paste magazines and self-published books of poetry.
He has been described as a "contemporary literary terrorist".
Pseudonyms & Identities
The name Sjaka S. Septembir is a constructed identity, and a gang of multiple identities arise from it. These include Dr. Adam Chaos, Diamandt Wolf and Jan Afganistan.The name Sjaka S. Septembir was created by pairing up the name of the Zulu warrior king Shaka Zulu with the Cape coloured surname. Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
here is a politically and socially controversial term, and it refers to a predominantly Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
people of which the roots can be traced back to Creole
Creole peoples
The term Creole and its cognates in other languages — such as crioulo, criollo, créole, kriolu, criol, kreyol, kreol, kriulo, kriol, krio, etc. — have been applied to people in different countries and epochs, with rather different meanings...
and Dutch
Dutch people
The Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
ancestry - the slave trade at the Cape being the vehicle which brought these peoples together and which resulted in what has commonly (and controversially) been referred to as Coloured
Coloured
In the South African, Namibian, Zambian, Botswana and Zimbabwean context, the term Coloured refers to an heterogenous ethnic group who possess ancestry from Europe, various Khoisan and Bantu tribes of Southern Africa, West Africa, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaya, India, Mozambique,...
people. It is a prevalent surname in the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
– but in this context it is spelt September. The initial “S” in Sjaka S. Septembir functions as a mask or a chameleon which is free to take on any word that starts with “S”, e.g. Sjaka Shagwell Septembir.
Early Years
In 1994, Sjaka self-published his first novellette Viva Dada! under the name Jan Afganistan. Antjie Krog describes it as ‘a book about this, that and everything' (Die Suid-Afrikaan). Viva Dada! later inspired Koos KombuisKoos Kombuis
Koos Kombuis is a South African musician, singer, songwriter and writer who became famous as part of a group of anti-establishment maverick Afrikaans musicians, who, under the collective name of Voëlvry , toured campuses...
’s Ronde Roman.
In 1996, he self-published Christ Spiders Like a Coacaroach (sic) in English and Terpentyn Canves (sic) in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
(publications). These two books of poetry appeared under the name Shaka September.
PORSELYNNKAS
He was a founding member of the art movement PORSELYNNKAS. PORSELYNNKAS was made up of artists, writers and performers situated in Stellenbosch between 1996-1999. Other members included Floyed de Vaal as Sigmunt Floyed, Alex Omega, Jaap Ysbeert, Willem Mulder, Vuyo, Asha ZeroAsha Zero
Asha Zero is a South African artist.Asha Zero is a pseudonym, intended to draw attention to identity as a shifting, unstable concept, while deflecting attention from the so-called person behind the name...
and Naomie Smit.
It’s only after the formation of PORSELYNNKAS at the end of 1996 that the names spelling changed to Sjaka S. Septembir. The name PORSELYNNKAS comes from the Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
‘Daar’s ‘n aap in die porseleinkas’ that is equal to ‘There’s a bull in the china shop’). PORSELYNNKAS was a ground breaking movement, especially in Afrikaans literature
Afrikaans literature
Afrikaans literature is literature written in Afrikaans – especially since the standardization of the Afrikaans language from 14 August 1875 to the beginning of the twentieth century. Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch and is spoken by the majority of people in the Western Cape of South Africa...
and drama. The movement references aspects of Anarchy
Anarchy
Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...
, Dada
Dada
Dada or Dadaism is a cultural movement that began in Zurich, Switzerland, during World War I and peaked from 1916 to 1922. The movement primarily involved visual arts, literature—poetry, art manifestoes, art theory—theatre, and graphic design, and concentrated its anti-war politics through a...
and experimental poetry in a way which has never before been seen in a South African context.
The publication of student newspaper Die Matie
Die Matie
Die Matie is a student newspaper at the University of Stellenbosch. Founded in 1941, Die Matie is published every two weeks during the academic year. The editorial content includes sections on news, student life, sport, arts and entertainment, current affairs and news from other campuses...
with Sjaka on the front cover was met with extreme resistance. In a period of two years, PORSELYNNKAS performed 38 Dadaist style Poetry Happenings and publish 22 publications under PORSELYNNKAS publishers. Their Afrikaans poetry and performances get them banned in many venues in Stellenbosch, banned from appearing on the student radio station Radio Matie and booed off stage in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
. The performances made use of abjection and shock value to mock religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
and norms around sexuality. The group also performed public executions of Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
icons such as Johan Stemmet, Steve Hofmeyr
Steve Hofmeyr
-Career:Hofmeyr matriculated in 1982 at Grey College. After two years compulsory army and border duty, he went to Pretoria Technikon Drama School.-Recording star and performer:...
and Patricia Lewis
Patricia Lewis
Dr. Patricia Lewis is a British nuclear physicist and arms control expert, who is currently the Deputy Director and Scientist in Residence at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She was previously the Director of the United...
.
Writer and filmmaker Matthew Kalil has made a Porselynnkas documentary called Porselynnkas: Dokiementer, which premiered on 12 June 2011.
Cybervaseline
Sjaka and the artist Asha ZeroAsha Zero
Asha Zero is a South African artist.Asha Zero is a pseudonym, intended to draw attention to identity as a shifting, unstable concept, while deflecting attention from the so-called person behind the name...
met in Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
in 1999 and started a collaboration called Cybervaseline
Cybervaseline
Cybervaseline is the name of a punk-style fanzine brought forth by the performance artist and poet Sjaka Septembir, which circulated mainly in Cape Town, South Africa....
. This zine showcased different artists such as Swart Steep and Nadine Botha. Cybervaseline
Cybervaseline
Cybervaseline is the name of a punk-style fanzine brought forth by the performance artist and poet Sjaka Septembir, which circulated mainly in Cape Town, South Africa....
was published until the end of 2002 and 18 editions appeared. Only 300 numbered copies of each edition were made.
Poetry
Sjaka writes poetry both in English and AfrikaansAfrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
His poetry was featured in the publication A Look Away.
Current Work
Sjaka has appeared in Spyt in 2011, written by Ingrid Winterbach. He is has translated Ouma into English and is taking Red to the National Arts FestivalNational Arts Festival
The National Arts Festival is one of the most important events on the South African cultural calendar, and the biggest annual celebration of the arts on the African continent....
in June 2011.