Ronelda S. Kamfer
(South Africa, 1981) is one of today's most important South African authors. She writes in Cape-Afrikaans, a spoken language containing English words and slang. Her work has been translated into Dutch, French, Greek, Italian and English. Her first poetry collection Noudat Slapende Honde (Now Then Sleeping Dogs, 2008) paints a sharp picture of poverty. Santekraam (2012) contains stories in verse about a fishing village that must make way for a military site. Mammie (2017) is a loving as well as raw ode to her mother. Chinatown (2021) is typically hard-hitting. Kamfer's poems, as controlled as they are intimate and darkly humourous, tackle violence, the position of women, love and parenthood. Her first novel, Kompoun, was published in 2021. She compiled Die maan is swart (The Moon is Black, 2022), a collection of poetry by Adam Small, and has translated two of Kirsty Applebaum's Princess Minna children's books into Afrikaans.
Past events
Garbage In, Garbage Out: Poetry event
With Simone Atangana Bekono, Ronelda S. Kamfer, Astrid Lampe, Dewi de Nijs Bik and Zheng Xiaoqiong
Het Zwarte Schaap (The Black Sheep): Spoken word you won't hear anywhere else
Ronelda S. Kamfer, Jasper Albinus, Khadija Ibourk El Idrissi, Eva van Manen and host Sophia Blyden with spoken word in poetic, rhythmic and musical acts
Who's Afraid of the Female Future?
An intimate program for poetry lovers, about the relationship between poetry, womanhood and dystopia.
Wintercafé 2: Hold on! Oulipo.
If you play the game, you make the rules. With Saskia de Coster, Karin Amatmoekrim, Anton Valens and Joke van Leeuwen. In Dutch
I speak your language
A new generation of poets about their language and poetry. With Ronelda Kamfer, Alfred Schaffer and Hagar Peeters. Dutch/Afrikaans
