`Without culture you have nothing'

By Gillian Hector

PERTH -- Fatima Dike, the renowned South African poet, playwright and actor, spoke on July 17 at an event sponsored by Cultural Dissent and the Western Australian South African Solidarity Group.

Gwen Baldini spoke about cultural struggle and how it relates to indigenous Australians. She drew the audience's attention to the similarities between the plight of Aborigines and black South Africans. The afternoon also featured performances by Zimbabwean singer/songwriter Nkhensani, and Themba and Rodney, who put poetry to music.

But the highlight was the lively talk given by Dike. Born and educated in Langa, a township near Cape Town, Dike's plays have been performed in South Africa as well as Europe and the US. Her plays include The Sacrifice of Kreli, The First South African, The Crafty Tortoise, and The Glass House.

She has been named an honorary fellow in writing by the University of Iowa, and was acclaimed by the Chicago Arts Organisation.

According to Dike, “Your culture is your past, your culture is your future. Without the past, you have no future and without culture, you have nothing.

“We must learn to bring our cultures into the present and make the modern way of life marry with the past.”

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