ShareDoc
Born when the San were hunted, Ouma Katrina Esau hid her N|uu language and identity as a teen in 1950, posing as an Afrikaans-speaking Coloured woman. At 67, with only 19 N|uu speakers left, she embraced her heritage, launching a mission to save N|uu. Though illiterate, she founded a N|uu school in 2002 and co-created the first N|uu book, !Qhoi N|a Tjhoi. Now in her 90's, Ouma Katrina works with her granddaughter Claudia and David Van Wyk, whom she taught N|uu, to preserve this language.
Help us support Katrina Esau with her mission to save N|uu language.
Unfortunately we cannot load this video because of your cookie preferences. Please allow third-party cookies if you want to view this video. Visit the Cookie Policy page.
Born during a time when there was an official license to hunt, stalk and kill the San people, Katrina Esau abandoned her true identity and stopped speaking her language – N|uu, when she was a 17 year old in 1950. She then identified as an Afrikaans speaking Coloured person (term for people of mixed race in South Africa) until she was 67 years old in 1996.
LANGUAGE OF MY SOUL contrasts an era when the San were denied their humanity and a period when they were finally free to speak their language. This portrayal of the enduring consequences of imperialism and the disappointments of democracy, follows the struggles of a matriarch concerned about her legacy.
In collaboration with international award-winning editor – C.A. Van Aswegen S.A.G.E., Gregory employs his creative vision for a special salutation of an African elder who is at the intersection of race, gender and cultural exclusion.
EN
FR
DE
ES