Dennis Brutus

Dennis Vincent Brutus (28 November 1924 – 26 December 2009) was a South African activist, educator, journalist and poet best known for his campaign to have South Africa banned from the Olympic Games due to its racial policy of apartheid. Quotes I think only dead people don't change, and even they putrefy so that there is a form of change. Explaining that writers continually reassess their own work and ideas over time. You ought to write for the ordinary person: for the man who drives a bus... If you can write poetry which makes sense to those people, then there is some justification for writing. Brutus explained how imprisonment transformed his philosophy of writing, saying that literature should be accessible to ordinary people. There must be no ornament, absolutely none. Brutus said he deliberately abandoned elaborate poetic language in favor of clarity and directness. I don't believe one ought to turn art into propaganda. Brutus distinguished politically engaged poetry from propaganda, arguing that poetry should retain its artistic integrity while still confronting injustice. I really believe that there is a thing called artistic integrity. Brutus defended the independence of literature, arguing that political commitment should never come at the expense of artistic honesty. Every poem in Sirens, Knuckles, and Boots was written for a particular person or to serve a particular function. Brutus explained that his early poems were deeply personal and were not originally intended for publication. I was always interested in sport, but I became convinced that sport was one of the most powerful instruments for social change. Brutus explained his involvement in the anti-apartheid sports boycott and his belief that international sporting isolation could pressure the apartheid government. Sport is not just a game. It reflects the society in which it exists. Brutus discussed the role of sport in reproducing racial inequalities under apartheid and why he believed sport could not be separated from politics. The struggle against apartheid was a struggle for human dignity. Brutus reflected on the wider meaning of the anti-apartheid movement, emphasizing that the goal was not only political change but restoration of the dignity of oppressed people. Poetry is a way of exploring experience, of understanding what it means to be human. Brutus described poetry as a means of exploring personal experience, suffering, hope, and the search for justice. The writer cannot escape the realities of the society in which he lives. Brutus discussed the responsibility of writers in societies experiencing injustice and oppression. I think the function of the poet is to make people more aware. Brutus explained his belief that poetry should awaken awareness and encourage people to confront injustice. External links Category:Activists from South Africa Category:Anti-apartheid activists Category:Journalists from South Africa Category:Poets from South Africa Category:1924 births Category:2009 deaths