Wat sê die swyende Kubaan vandag vir ons? Oor konflikliteratuur

Abstract

The escalation of conflict and its representation in the media have an overwhelming effect on society. Re-reading Etienne van Heerden’s seminal short story, “My Kubaan”, may help rectify negative responses to violence, including enforced silence, as portrayed in literature and related art forms. The term “literature of conflict”, the historiographical aspects of the text, the relevance of this kind of text and the eroticism of violence are investigated and illustrated by texts showing that in a war situation there are only victims, and that writers write in solidarity with those manipulated into silence. Possible explanations for the Cuban’s “silence” are given. The universality of “My Kubaan” is echoed in recent texts depicting the futility of war and the culture of violence.