Local is lekker. Or is it?
Lekker is an Afrikaans word that is dictionary translated as dainty, nice, sweet, palatable. It is used by South Africans to denote happy, nice, good, enjoyable.
South Africans pride themselves on being patriotic and supporting local stars and sports teams. Charlize Theron, an academy award winning actress, will always remain onse Charlize (our Charlize). The support for our rugby team The Springboks is legendary. In the 2010 Soccer World Cup there were many disappointed supporters who expected the national soccer team, Bafana Bafana, to get into the second round.
But this pride and patriotism doesn’t translate into support for local literature.
I invited South African crime writer Joanne Hichens to chat to me about South African literature and her debut solo novel Divine Justice. Joanne also co-authored a crime-thriller called Out to Score. More about Joanne can be found at her website: www.joannehichens.co.za
My interview with Joanne can be found on the Mslexia Blog.
