Agnes Sam (born 1942) is a South African writer.
Life
As a child of nine, Agnes Sam's great-grandfather had been 'shanghaied' into indentureship and brought to
Durban
Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...
in 1860 on the ''Lord George Bentinck II''. Sam was thus born into an Indian family in
Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, S ...
, and grew up there, near the family business.
She was educated at a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
school in Port Elizabeth.
There the Indian experience was never mentioned in history lessons:
Sam went on to study Zoology and Psychology at the
National University of Lesotho
The National University of Lesotho, the main and oldest university in Lesotho, is located in Roma, southeast of Maseru, the capital of Lesotho. The Roma valley is broad and is surrounded by a barrier of rugged mountains which provides magnifice ...
, and trained as a teacher in
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...
.
After briefly teaching science in
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are ...
, she went into exile in 1973 in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, bringing up three children there while also attempting to take a further degree.
Most of the stories in Sam's debut collection, ''Jesus is Indian'', are set in Port Elizabeth.
She returned to South Africa in 1993.
Works
* "South Africa: Guest of Honour Amongst the Uninvited Newcomers to England's Great Tradition". ''Kunapipi'', Vol. 7, No. 2 (1985), pp. 92–96.
* ''Jesus Is Indian and Other Stories''. England:
Women's Press, 1989.
* ''The Pragashini - Smuts affair''. York: Paloma Books, 2009.
* ''The Pragashini - Smuts Conspiracy''. York: Paloma Books, 2014.
* ''Dora: a screenplay''. York: Paloma Books, 2014.
References
Further reading
*
External links
Writing from the Edge: Official website of Agnes Sam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sam, Agnes
1942 births
Living people
South African writers
South African women writers
South African people of Indian descent