A Wilting Whisper of Antjie Somers: A Meditation on the Witchery and Gender-Nonconformance of Afrikaans Folklore Figure Antjie Somers

Abstract

In this article, I go on a journey with Antjie Somers, a gender-nonconforming, Queer, stigmatised, witch-like figure well known among Afrikaans people. Bringing permutations of their story into conversation with writing about outcasts like witches and Queer people, I consider the parallels that might be drawn between the experiences and knowledge of such ostracised, unconventional figures. By considering how the stories of abuse and marginalisation of Antjie, Queer people, and (other) witches coincide and overlap, I speculate about the root of the widespread violent reactions toward them. This leads me to reflect on the various similarities between their ambiguity and non-conformance and how this uncontainable queer(y)ing of binaries exposes the fear of the unknowable that upholds (hetero)normativity. I also consider how Antjie's story and the story of other queer figures might be able to guide us in the present toward a powerfully recuperative language of storytelling.