Ian Martin's Blog - Posts Tagged "shockspeare"
Is Kikaffir A Racist Book?
In response to a phone call from the Human Rights Commission I sent them a copy of Kikaffir – a Black Comedy, the second bovel in my SHOCKSPEARE series.I also issued the following Press Release:
14 NOVEMBER 2011
THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IS INVESTIGATING A RACIST NOVEL
The Human Rights Commission is investigating allegations of racism relating to South African author Ian Martin’s controversial novel ‘Kikaffir – a Black Comedy’, allegations the author is denying.
The Commission received an enquiry about the book, published earlier this year, but said that no complaint had yet been lodged. Cameron Jacobs, Senior Researcher at South African Human Rights Commission, was not permitted to say who raised the enquiry.
Martin responded to accusations of racism by saying that, “My work isn’t intended to be politically correct, and I don’t write for the mainstream market. If readers are put off by the title, they needn’t read any further. Which is probably wise because there’s a lot of grossly explicit material in the book. But I’m no racial bigot”.
The book follows the exploits of roving bands of whites (‘Vitvarks’ and ‘Frikkers’), Africans (‘Kikaffirs’ and ‘Bacoons’) and coloureds (‘Hortnorts’) in the southern Cape after an apocalyptic event in the near future. Most of the characters end up dying or being murdered, notably through decapitation, crucifixion and disembowelling. There are also scenes of bestiality and rape.
Martin said that the Commission had been in touch with him and that he was working with them to address the inquiry, and had agreed to supply Jacobs with a copy of the novel. “He will need to acquaint himself with the contents,” Martin said. “You can’t judge a book by its title.”
The author said that people needed to make up their own minds about whether his book is racist or not. “Don’t make false assumptions based on hearsay. My book is available from Amazon or from my website. And you can read extracts on the Kikaffir Facebook page. Prejudice is about forming an opinion based on insufficient knowledge, and a bigot is an opinionated person intolerant of those who hold different views.”
Martin is no stranger to controversy. His previous novel, Pop-splat!, was rejected by local publishers due to its explicit and unorthodox content, resulting in self publication in 2008. The book, about a disturbed student investigating his father’s Brett Kebble-style murder, has been called ‘a horrible story about horrible people’ and ‘pornographically sadistic’ by reviewers, yet it has gained a cult following amongst South Africa’s youth.
Recently a number of popular books have been accused of being racist. British bookstores pulled Herge’s ‘Tintin in the Congo’ over racism concerns, something the Vatican described as “politically correct lunacy”.
Some publishers have banned the book while others have put warning labels on the cover. The L’Osservatore Romano recently published a front page story calling Tintin a “hero of Catholicism” driven by a “sacred moral imperative to save the innocent and conquer evil”.
Other well known authors accused of racism include Astrid Lindgren for her Pippi Longstocking series and Enid Blyton, mainly for her depiction of golliwogs.
More information on Kikaffir can be found at www.ianmartintheauthor.com
—
14 NOVEMBER 2011
THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION IS INVESTIGATING A RACIST NOVEL
The Human Rights Commission is investigating allegations of racism relating to South African author Ian Martin’s controversial novel ‘Kikaffir – a Black Comedy’, allegations the author is denying.
The Commission received an enquiry about the book, published earlier this year, but said that no complaint had yet been lodged. Cameron Jacobs, Senior Researcher at South African Human Rights Commission, was not permitted to say who raised the enquiry.
Martin responded to accusations of racism by saying that, “My work isn’t intended to be politically correct, and I don’t write for the mainstream market. If readers are put off by the title, they needn’t read any further. Which is probably wise because there’s a lot of grossly explicit material in the book. But I’m no racial bigot”.
The book follows the exploits of roving bands of whites (‘Vitvarks’ and ‘Frikkers’), Africans (‘Kikaffirs’ and ‘Bacoons’) and coloureds (‘Hortnorts’) in the southern Cape after an apocalyptic event in the near future. Most of the characters end up dying or being murdered, notably through decapitation, crucifixion and disembowelling. There are also scenes of bestiality and rape.
Martin said that the Commission had been in touch with him and that he was working with them to address the inquiry, and had agreed to supply Jacobs with a copy of the novel. “He will need to acquaint himself with the contents,” Martin said. “You can’t judge a book by its title.”
The author said that people needed to make up their own minds about whether his book is racist or not. “Don’t make false assumptions based on hearsay. My book is available from Amazon or from my website. And you can read extracts on the Kikaffir Facebook page. Prejudice is about forming an opinion based on insufficient knowledge, and a bigot is an opinionated person intolerant of those who hold different views.”
Martin is no stranger to controversy. His previous novel, Pop-splat!, was rejected by local publishers due to its explicit and unorthodox content, resulting in self publication in 2008. The book, about a disturbed student investigating his father’s Brett Kebble-style murder, has been called ‘a horrible story about horrible people’ and ‘pornographically sadistic’ by reviewers, yet it has gained a cult following amongst South Africa’s youth.
Recently a number of popular books have been accused of being racist. British bookstores pulled Herge’s ‘Tintin in the Congo’ over racism concerns, something the Vatican described as “politically correct lunacy”.
Some publishers have banned the book while others have put warning labels on the cover. The L’Osservatore Romano recently published a front page story calling Tintin a “hero of Catholicism” driven by a “sacred moral imperative to save the innocent and conquer evil”.
Other well known authors accused of racism include Astrid Lindgren for her Pippi Longstocking series and Enid Blyton, mainly for her depiction of golliwogs.
More information on Kikaffir can be found at www.ianmartintheauthor.com
—
