Our assignment was to talk to people who both knew Bessie Head personally and knew her through her writings. We wanted to find out how they reacted to her writings and whether they thought she was a good writer or a bad one and why. We restricted interviewees to University students and lecturers.
We asked our interviewees the following questions:
Bessie Head was a politically minded person who protested against social ills through literary work. I like her works; one thing is the fact that some were set in my mother country (Botswana) so I could associate with them. I also hated apartheid and thus liked her protest against it. She was indeed a good writer. She used flashbacks in some of her novels and she could keep you in suspense so that you read more to find out how the story finally ends. I think a lot of people have read her works--there are some like When Rain Clouds Gather used in Junior Secondary Schools which means every student going through CJSS reads them.
I think Bessie Head was a person who lived almost her whole life in pain. Yes, I like her works because her works are a reflection of Botswana society and are also autobiographical. I think she was a good writer because upon reading her works I was struck by the metaphors she uses. No, I don't think many people have read her works because she has not received attention from many critics in the literary world especially locally. It was not until recently that her works were read in the university (Botswana).
Bessie Head was a revolutionary. She brought totally a new dimension to African literature, especially taking cognizance of her themes and concerns. Yes, I like her works; Her stories depict a typical African community set-up. As you read her stories, you automatically feel part of them because you are well aware of the setting (South African setting). Definitely yes, I think she is a good writer! She wrote literature in an African context, from an African perspective, so Africans would understand her style, themes and concerns. She's a moving writer. I think a considerable number read her, obviously not as many as Chinua Achebe but at least our curriculum/syllabus is nowadays getting students to learn more about Bessie Head, e.g., the University of Botswana, junior secondary schools, etc. So with time Bessie's legacy will be felt on a global front.
I don't really like her work. I had to read the book [When Rain Clouds Gather] at my Junior Secondary School because it was assigned in class, so I had no choice. I don't think she is a good writer; her work is too shallow for my liking. She was down to earth and loved peace and tranquillity; no wonder she moved to Botswana. I don't think many people have read her because she has not really been exposed earlier as compared to now.
Bessie Head was an animated intellectual, had a nervous breakdown, was withdrawn, brittle, and extremely perceptive. I have read all her works. My favorite is Maru and the best is A Question of Power. In Maru, Bessie is the first person to tackle the issue of relationships between "Masarwa" and the rest of Botswana. She could not ignore this relationship. The book upsets some Batswana, and it was attacked for her use of Setswana, e.g., "Masarwa" for a single person. Bessie Head can be described as a terrific writer who managed to turn her madness into something positive (being a writer). Her standard of writing was very high. She was a person who read a lot and researched issues she wrote about. From reading materials produced by other writers, she learnt skills and technique in writing. Of course many people read her! I think most people have been inspired by her writings both professionally and personally, in the sense that she has shown people that there is a lot to write about in Botswana, as Bessie set all her fictional work in Serowe. She also made people see that a person can blossom wherever they are, no matter what the circumstances are. Bessie has shown people that you should speak for what you believe in; it is clear that she wasn't afraid to voice her opinions. For example, she brought up the case of the ill-treatment of the Basarwa in Botswana which she thought was very wrong.
Bessie Head thought people were against her because of the discrimination she went through in South Africa. Yes, I have read some of her books and found A Question of Power very challenging as its concepts are not easy to grasp, and it's really difficult to get the meaning the book is supposed to deliver.
On the basis of what the respondents have said, one tends to believe that really Bessie Head had left an indelible imprint in the domain of literature and imported a side of knowledge which a lot of people lacked. A lot f people love her novels and believe that indeed she was a good writer. Her status as a good novelist is manifested and enhanced through the state's recognition of her works and her inclusion in the Botswana curricula. It is crystal clear that she was a great woman of great influence. Though a lot of people acknowledge Head as a good writer, there are those who believe she was not a good novelist. Her works have been translated into many international languages which obviously pays tribute to her as a writer.
Copyright © 2003 the authors.
Last updated 29 February 2004