KWU-werkersklasdramas in Afrikaans (ca. 1930 - ca. 1950)

Abstract

GWU working class theatre in Afrikaans (ca. 1930 - ca. 1950) In 1984 Elsabé Brink drew attention to plays, prose and poetry written between 1930 and 1950 in Afrikaans by members of the Garment Workers’ Union (GWU). Scholars such as Stander and Willemse (1992), Van Niekerk (1996) and Van Wyk (1995, 1997) have also referred to GWU plays. Apart from these overviews, GWU plays as such have not yet received the attention they deserve. This article presents a revaluation, initially by providing an overview of their contents, followed by an examination of cultural, economic and political influences. It is argued that - retrospectively - the GWU plays reflected a unique cultural specificity from the framework established by Sitas (1986) for more contemporary working class theatre.