Abstract
Political rewritings of the Our Father prayer in four Afrikaans poems. The utilisation of religious elements is a prominent trend in Afrikaans poetry − often in service of the political struggle, for example during the apartheid years. In this article four rewritings of the “Our Father” prayer are examined, using Linda Hutcheon’s theory of parody, as discussed in (among others), her pioneering work, “A theory of parody” (2000). For Hutcheon, parody does not necessarily imply ridiculing a previous text. According to her well-known definition, parody is “ironic transcontextualization, is repetition with difference. A critical distance is implied between the backgrounded text being parodied and the new incorporating work, a distance usually signaled by irony.” The rewritings of the “Our Father” by Jan Blom (Breyten Breytenbach), Ronnie Belcher and André Letoit (Koos Kombuis) are distinct examples of ironic inversion, while in Hans du Plessis’s poem (in Griqua Afrikaans) the irony is less obvious and the critique (if any) more subdued. As Hutcheon explains and motivates, parody does not always take place at the expense of the parodied text. Thus the parodical rewritings of the “Our Father” need not necessarily be seen as destructive and belittling of the prayer itself, but as critically constructive vis-à-vis the Christian community.
Highlights
Die benutting van religieuse elemente is ’n besonder opvallende tendens in die Afrikaanse poësie − dikwels in diens van politieke verset, soos tydens die apartheidsjare
There is an unexpected emergence of religious motifs and themes in both deconstruction and postmodernism
A critical distance is implied between the backgrounded text being parodied and the new incorporating work, a distance usually signaled by irony
Summary
In hierdie afdeling word ’n bespreking van die Ons(e) Vader-gebed gebied ten einde die grondslag te lê vir die bespreking van die geselekteerde gedigte. Wanneer daar na die belangrikheid van die Ons(e) Vader vir Christene gekyk word, is dit te verstane dat hierdie gebed as ’n voertuig vir parodiëring gebruik word. Hugh (1951:7) skryf dat die Ons(e) Vader-gebed as ’n samevatting van die totale Christelike evangelie beskou kan word. Dit lyk asof die digters wat in hierdie artikel ter sprake kom nie noodwendig van God verwag om die nood in die gemeenskap te verlig nie, maar Christene eerder aan hulle verantwoordelikheid teenoor die gemeenskap wil herinner. Crosby (1977:2) skryf: “For a Franciscan to pray the Our Father in a world marked by the grave sin of social injustice, there are grave economic, political, and social consequences.” Waetjen (1999:xi) beklemtoon voorts die sosiale verantwoordelikheid wat vir hedendaagse Christene met die Ons(e) Vader gepaard gaan. Vervolgens word die aanhef bespreek, en daarna die ses afsonderlike bedes
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