Dennis Brutus

● Born in Zimbabwe (then Rhodesia) 28 November

1924.
● Moved to South Africa at four years old.
● Classified “coloured” by the South African
government, due to his diverse ancestry (Khoi,
French, Dutch, English, German and Malaysian).
● Attended Fort Hare University and Wits, where he
studied English and then Law.
● Became an activist, educator, journalist and poet.
● Taught English and Afrikaans in various high schools
until he was fired in 1948, for criticising apartheid.
● Worked against the government’s “Coloured Affairs”
Department.
● Formed the South African Sports Association in
1959, which campaigned to boycott racially
segregated National and International sports.
(Image from https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/brutus-dennis-1924-2009/)
● Founded the South African Non Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC) in 1962. The committee
aimed to prevent apartheid South Africa from participating in the Olympics.
● Banned for SANROC activities in 1961 and forbidden to write, teach or publish in South Africa.
● Shot in the back by a policeman when he
tried to escape arrest in 1963. Lay bleeding
on a pavement in central Johannesburg for
half an hour until a “Black” ambulance arrived
to take him to hospital.
● Jailed on Robben Island for 16 months in the
cell next to Nelson Mandela’s. Spent 5
months in solitary confinement. He worked in
the limestone quarry on the island.
● Refuses to accept the Mbari Poetry Prize
(awarded to a Black poet of distinction) for his
first collection Sirens, Knuckles and Boots,
published in Nigeria in 1963, while he was in
prison. This was because he had always
resisted racial classification.
(Image from: https://hadithi.africa/why-nelson-mandela-had-no-tears/)
 ● Went into exile in 1965: in the UK and then in the
USA. He continued to work for the boycotting of
segregated sports in South Africa, and to publish
anti-Apartheid articles and protest poetry.
● Returned to South Africa after the transition to a
democratic government. He was to be inducted
in the South African Sports Hall of Fame in
December 2007, but publicly rejected his
nomination at the induction ceremony, saying: “It
is incompatible to have those who
championed racist sport alongside its
genuine victims. It's time—indeed long past
time—for sports truth, apologies and
reconciliation.”
● Died in Cape Town on 28 December, 2009.

Image from
https://whistleblowersblog.org/whistleblower-news/remembering-dennis-brutus-1924
-2009/)
 At A Funeral - Dennis Brutus
Black, green and gold at sunset: pageantry
And stubbled graves: expectant, of eternity,
In bride's-white, nun's-white veils the nurses gush their bounty
Of red-wine cloaks, frothing the bugled dirging slopes
Salute! Then ponder all this hollow panoply 5
For one whose gifts the mud devours, with our hopes.

Oh all you frustrate ones, powers tombed in dirt,

Aborted, not by Death but carrion books of birth
Arise! The brassy shout of Freedom stirs our earth;
Not Death but death-head tyranny scythes our ground 10
And plots our narrow cells of pain defeat and dearth:
Better that we should die, than that we should lie down
(From “A Simple Lust”, published by Heinemann in 1973)

Note: This was written in memory of Valencia Majombozi who died shortly after qualifying to be a
doctor.
 At A Funeral - Imagery
1) Re-read the poem and look up the meaning of any words you do not understand.
2) Look at the pictures that follow, and then re-read the poem to try and understand the imagery

Painting by George Pemba: “ANC funeral in the red location, Port Elizabeth”, 1965 (from http://artthrob.co.za/05mar/)
 Painting by George Pemba “At the Clinic”
From https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/2021-10-17-george-pemba-is-proof-that-story-of-sa-art-is-often-the-story-of-travel/
Image above from
https://www.newframe.com/witnessing-the-bloody-unspoken-in-kwazulu-na
tal/

Image to left from

https://www.blackagendareport.com/co-optation-african-national-congress-
south-africas-original-state-capture
Image from http://www.diggerhistory.info/pages-tributes/00-cat-index-tributes.
Image from
https://www.dailymav
erick.co.za/article/202
1-01-26-the-agony-wh
en-the-burial-of-a-love
d-one-is-out-of-reach/
LEFT: Death/The Grim
Reaper
RIGHT: Death’s head
badge
(Totenkopf badge from
A Nazi SS soldier’s cap)

Images from
https://www.123rf.com/photo_32045240
_sketch-illustration-of-grim-reaper.html;
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/art
s/holocaust-museums.html:
https://www.warrelics.eu/forum/ss-metal-
cap-insignia-forum/real-fake-deaths-hea
d-5362/)
PASSBOOKS
In 1952, laws were passed to force all Black South Africans over
the age of 16 to carry an internal passport (“passbook”).
The passbook contained the person’s name, identity details,
photograph, fingerprints and details of their employer.
Any black person found in a “white” area without a passbook
could be arrested, evicted from an area, imprisoned or departed
to a designated “homeland” area (e.g the Transkei). Employers
could also refuse to endorse their passbook.
Many people protested against the hated passbook (dompas).

Images from
https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/
western-cape/carrying-apartheids-book-
1828624 and
https://www.nlsa.ac.za/womensmonth/
 At A Funeral - Dennis Brutus
Black, green and gold at sunset: pageantry
And stubbled graves: expectant, of eternity,
Line 1: “Black, green and gold” - the colours of the ANC
flags; “sunset” - the end of the day, connotations of
darkness, sadness and death; “pageantry” - a pageant is
a form of public entertainment where people wear
elaborate costumes (e.g. a beauty pageant). This implies
a formal ceremony with symbolic clothing and rituals.
Line 2: “stubbled” - stubble is the stalks of crops left
sticking out after a harvest (see picture), or the remains
of a person’s beard left on their face after shaving. If the
graves are “stubbled”, what does this imply about the
church yard? The gravestones could also be seen as the
stubble of the Grim Reaper. “Expectant” - ambiguous as
either the graves (personified) expect eternity, or the
mourners do, as they believe in an afterlife.
Image from https://pixabay.com/images/search/stubble/
In bride's-white, nun's-white veils the nurses gush their bounty
Of red-wine cloaks, frothing the bugled dirging slopes
Line 3: The old-fashioned nurse’s outfit was a
white dress, with a short white veil and a red
cloak. The funeral is for a doctor and nurses
attended in their uniform. The connotations of
“brides” and “nuns” are innocence, purity,
holiness and a new life. How is this linked to
the imagery of death? “Bounty” - generosity
(nurses give of themselves to heal others).
Red is the colour of passion and blood. “Wine”
can symbolise sacrifice or hospitality.
Line 4: froth (see picture) also creates visual
imagery of what the crowds of nurses might
look like. A dirge is a mournful song for the
dead, usually used as part of a funeral
ceremony. The slopes around the graveyard
are also personified, as though the land itself
is mourning the young doctor. “Bugle” -
musical instrument used to play “the last post”
or “taps”. This was usually played at night as a
Image from https://cdn1.pulseuniform.com/coffee-time/images/Australian-travel-nurses.jpg; signal for soldiers to go to bed, or at military
https://cdn1.pulseuniform.com/coffee-time/images/short-sleeved-nursing-uniforms.jpg;
https://unsplash.com/photos/X-Far-t1woI funerals. Why is this appropriate at this
doctor’s funeral?
Salute! Then ponder all this hollow panoply
For one whose gifts the mud devours, with our hopes.
Line 5: “Salute” - means 5 to honour, or literally
salute the dead (as one would a soldier - the
picture is of the black power salute, used in
the ANC); “ponder” - to think about something
deeply; “hollow” - literally empty but implies
meaninglessness; “panoply” - a splendid
display.

Line 6: “Devour” - eat greedily, hungrily or

quickly. The mud of a graveyard is compared
to a hungry mouth of an animal or a human.

Notice that the reader is given two

instructions in these lines (“Salute!” followed
by “ponder”). There is a contrast between
honouring the dead and the implication that
the burial and graveyard ceremonies are
meaningless.

What do the poet’s diction (choice of words)

and tone (emotional quality of his words)
Image from imply about his attitude towards the funeral
https://unsplash.com/pho
tos/b9wsEM40Cv0 and the death of this doctor?
Oh all you frustrate ones, powers tombed in dirt,
Aborted, not by Death but carrion books of birth
Line 7: “Frustrate” - to prevent the success of something or to cause irritation and anger by preventing things from
happening. Note that the dead are described as “powers tombed in dirt” and as “frustrate” (a verb) NOT
“frustrated” (an adjective) because they are powerful enough to cause frustration (to the government) rather than
being passively frustrated. The poet apostrophises the dead, telling them to “Arise!” (line 9)

Line 8: “Aborted” - abortion is the deliberate ending of

Image above: A lioness eating carrion
Image from https://unsplash.com/photos/sbSjIOUm5gw
pregnancy by killing an unborn foetus. Note that the dead
are described as being “aborted” (i.e. killed before they
could live), not by Death but by “books of birth” (a
reference/allusion to the dompas or passbooks). Why is
this ironic/paradoxical?
“Death” with a capital letter - Death personified or the grim
reaper.
“Carrion” - decaying, dead animals. Note that the
dompass/passbook is described as “carrion”, rather than
the bodies of the dead (which would actually be decaying).
Why does the poet do this?
In these lines, the poet implies that apartheid and laws
such as the passbook laws are more deadly and corrupting
than Death itself.
Arise! The brassy shout of Freedom stirs our earth; Line 9: “Arise!” - literally - “Stand up!” but also
Not Death but death-head tyranny scythes our ground a reference to “rise up!” which means “Start a
revolution!”. It is also an allusion to Jesus
raising Lazarus from the Dead in the Bible, by
telling Lazarus to “Arise!”. “Freedom” is
capitalised, as it is personified as shouting to
wake the dead. Describing Freedom’s shout
as “brassy” refers to the bugle in line 4, which
was used to play the “dirge”/Last Post/taps.
Notice that here, music does not send the
dead to their rest, but wakes them.

Line 10: “Death” - Death is personified as the

Grim Reaper with his scythe (a harvesting
tool, used to “harvest” or collect the dead).
The poet compares the South African
apartheid government to the death-head
Death as the Grim Reaper (left); apartheid police wearing Nazis in World War Two. “Tyrant” - a
arresting a protester (centre); Nazi totenkopf/death’s ruthless and cruel dictator. According to the
poet, Death is not destroying South Africa, but
head badge (right) “death-head tyranny”, instead. “Our ground” is
Images from
https://www.123rf.com/photo_32045240_sketch-illustration-of-grim-reaper.html; a reference to the land, where the Group
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/07/apartheid-south-africa-cape-town-police-pr Areas act excluded people of colour.
otests; https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/09/arts/holocaust-museums.html)
And plots our narrow cells of pain defeat and dearth:
Line 11: “plots” - a small piece of land (e.g. a plot where a grave is dug) or
to “plot” - to plan something, often something evil. “cell” - a very small
room - either in a prison, or where a nun or monk sleeps. “Narrow cells of
pain” could be the graves in a graveyard, the prison cells where prisoners
of the apartheid governement had been jailed, or the small houses in
disadvantaged areas that people of colour had been forced to live in, as a
result of the Group Areas Act. “dearth” - things that are in short supply
(e.g. food or basic necessities). The poet implies that pain, suffering and
death was deliberately by the apartheid government.

Better that we should die, than that we should lie down

Line 12: “lie down” - if a person “lies down” when attacked or arrested,
they show that they are surrendering or submitting. The poet implies that it
is better that the people resisting apartheid should choose to die, rather
than give up or surrender. Notice that there is no full stop after “we should
lie down”. This implies that there is no end to resistance and no surrender.
This line also implies that the poet has come to terms with the tragedy of
the young doctor’s death - she died, rather than choosing to “lie down” or
surrender to apartheid, and the poet sees this as “better”. Notice that the
poet uses “we” and therefore identifies with the struggle against apartheid.
Images from: https://unsplash.com/photos/PPWXd6bvRoM; https://unsplash.com/photos/lQMtXKvBmuw
 What Dennis Brutus has to say about the poem …

“It's about a young woman called Valencia Majombozi, an African woman

who managed to qualify as a doctor after enormous hardship and sacrifice
by her parents. Her mother took in washing and ironing, did the cleaning of
apartment buildings, and put her through University. She got her medical
degree and then, by an incredible irony, just after Valencia had completed
her internship, she died. I went to her funeral. The poem is about the years
of sacrifice that end in nothing, and you could read the poem entirely on that
level, as just an expression of frustrated and aborted hopes.” (Denis Brutus - from
https://escholarship.org/content/qt6tc554rb/qt6tc554rb_noSplash_cafc5459b573a0ac2fe60c436aae168b.pdf?t=mniomb)

Do you agree that this poem is “just an expression of frustrated and aborted
hopes”? Consider the poet’s use of paradox and irony in your response.
 What Dennis Brutus has to say about the poem …

I saw a film in South Africa called "Judgement at Nuremberg." It begins with the
tanks rolling through the streets of Berlin with the Panzer Divisions whose
insignia was a skull and crossbones - the death's-head - being wildly cheered
by the audience. The Nazis are regarded as great heroes by the South African
regime and people imitate them; the Nazis are the model for how one should
behave if you are a white in South Africa. I was trying to say that it is not the
physical event of Death which destroys the Blacks; their destruction does not
come from Death which I capitalize but from a tyranny which is associated with
the death's-head. I'm saying it's the Nazi system in South Africa which destroys
people; they're destroyed even before they die.

Do you think it is possible to be “destroyed before you die”? How can this
happen? Is it a choice? Justify your response with references to the poem.
(Denis Brutus - https://escholarship.org/content/qt6tc554rb/qt6tc554rb_noSplash_cafc5459b573a0ac2fe60c436aae168b.pdf?t=mniomb)
 What Dennis Brutus has to say about the poem …

“... you can see how one could look at the poem simply as a description of
the funeral of a particular person or see it operating at another level, as a
poem which is making a political statement. In the last two lines I'm
anticipating prison. I anticipate the "narrow cells." and I assume that in
resistance to the system it is necessary to go to prison. Then I conclude by
saying ‘Better that we should die than that we should lie down.’ … That's a
very conscious change of mood and tempo to make the concluding
statement. ” (Denis Brutus -
https://escholarship.org/content/qt6tc554rb/qt6tc554rb_noSplash_cafc5459b573a0ac2fe60c436aae168b.pdf?t=mniomb)

Is “At a Funeral” a protest poem, an elegy, or both? Refer to the diction,

imagery and structure of the poem to substantiate your answer. (Note that an
elegy is a lament for a dead person, typically with a serious, reflective tone.)
 Dennis Brutus speaks about freedom and his work as a poet
“Freedom is an appetite, a lust which we have . And if you can't have it, you'd rather
die than go without freedom. And so I wrote this poem about it:

A simple lust is all my woe:

the thin thread of agony
that runs through the veins
after the flesh is overspent
in over-taxing acts of love:

only I speak the other's woe:

those congealed in concrete
or rotting in rusted ghetto-shacks;
only I speak their wordless woe,
their unarticulated simple lust.
(December 1971, “A Simple Lust, pg 176, from Denis Brutus -
https://escholarship.org/content/qt6tc554rb/qt6tc554rb_noSplash_cafc5459b573a0ac2fe60c436aae168b.pdf?t=mniomb)
"Brutus was arguably Africa's greatest and most influential modern poet after Leopold Sedar
Senghor and Christopher Okigbo, certainly the most widely-read, and no doubt among the
world's finest poets of all time. More than that, he was a fearless campaigner for justice, a
relentless organizer, an incorrigible romantic, and a great humanist and teacher." (fellow
writer Olu Oguibe, interim Director of the Institute for African American Studies at the University of
Connecticut) (Information from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Brutus. Image from http://www.womeninandbeyond.org/?p=589)