Dennis Brutus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dennis Brutus
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in Washington DC at the Supreme Court, 29 January 2000
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| Born |
Dennis Vincent Brutus
24 November 1924 |
| Died | 26 December 2009 (aged 85) Cape Town, South Africa
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| Nationality | South African |
| Occupation | Activist, educator, journalist, poet |
| Known for | Anti-apartheid activism |
Dennis Vincent Brutus (born November 24, 1924 – died December 26, 2009) was a South African activist, teacher, journalist, and poet. He is best known for his important work to get South Africa banned from the Olympic Games. This was because of the country's unfair racial policy called apartheid.
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Dennis Brutus: A Life for Justice
Dennis Brutus was born in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia, in 1924. His parents were from South Africa. His family had many different backgrounds, including Khoi, Dutch, French, English, German, and Malaysian roots. When he was four, his parents moved back to Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Under the apartheid system, young Dennis was classified as "coloured." This meant he was treated differently because of his mixed heritage.
Brutus went to the University of Fort Hare and the University of the Witwatersrand. After 1948, he taught English and Afrikaans in high schools. However, he was later fired because he spoke out strongly against apartheid. He also taught at universities in the United States, like the University of Denver, Northwestern University, and University of Pittsburgh. He became a Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh. In 2008, he received a special award from the South African government. This award honored his lifelong dedication to poetry and literature around the world.
Fighting for Fairness in Sports
Dennis Brutus was a strong activist against the apartheid government in the 1950s and 1960s. He believed that everyone should be treated fairly, especially in sports. He saw how unfair it was that athletes were chosen based on their race.
He joined a group called the Anti-Coloured Affairs Department organisation (Anti-CAD). This group worked against government efforts to divide people by race. In 1958, he started the South African Sports Association. He successfully campaigned to stop a cricket tour to South Africa in 1959.
In 1962, Brutus helped create the South African Non-Racial Olympic Committee (SANROC). This group played a huge role in getting South Africa banned from the Olympics in 1964. Because of his political activities, Brutus was "banned" in 1961. This meant he could not meet with more than two people outside his family. In 1968, South Africa tried to rejoin the Olympics by saying they would have multi-racial teams. But SANROC showed that these teams were still chosen unfairly, based on race. This led to South Africa staying banned from the Olympics until 1992.
Arrested and Jailed
In 1963, Brutus was arrested for trying to meet with an official from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). He was accused of breaking his banning order. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail. However, he tried to leave South Africa to attend an IOC meeting in West Germany. He was arrested in Mozambique and sent back to South Africa. While trying to escape, he was shot in the back.
After recovering, Brutus was sent to Robben Island prison for 16 months. He spent five of those months in solitary confinement. His cell was right next to Nelson Mandela's. While he was in prison, he heard the news that South Africa was suspended from the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. This was a big victory for the cause he had fought for.
While in prison, Brutus was not allowed to teach, write, or publish in South Africa. His first book of poems, Sirens, Knuckles and Boots (1963), was published in Nigeria. The book won an award, but Brutus refused it because it was only for black poets. He believed in equality for all. He wrote 14 books in total.
Life in Exile
After being released from prison in 1965, Brutus left South Africa. He had an "exit permit," which meant he could not return home as long as the apartheid government was in power. He went to live in Britain.
South Africa tried hard to get back into the Olympic Games for the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. The Prime Minister said they would have a multi-racial team. At first, the IOC agreed. But SANROC showed that there were no mixed sports events within South Africa. This meant athletes were still chosen based on race.
In 1967, Brutus came to the United States to speak about the situation in South Africa. He told American sports groups about the unfair conditions for South African athletes. He also raised money to help those charged under apartheid laws. Many groups, including the Supreme Council for Sport in Africa, threatened to boycott the Games if South Africa was included. Jackie Robinson, a famous African American baseball player, also called for South Africa to remain suspended. Because of this international pressure, the IOC kept South Africa out of the Olympics until 1992.
Teaching in the United States
Brutus settled in the United States in 1971. He became a professor of African Literature at Northwestern University. In 1980, he faced deportation when his British passport was cancelled. He fought a long legal battle and was granted asylum in the United States in 1983. He continued to protest against the apartheid government while teaching. In 1990, the South African government finally "unbanned" him.
Brutus taught at several other universities, including Amherst College, Cornell University, and Swarthmore College. In 1986, he moved to the University of Pittsburgh, where he taught until he retired.
Return Home and Legacy
After apartheid ended, Dennis Brutus returned to South Africa. He worked at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He often took part in the annual Poetry Africa Festival. He also supported activism against unfair economic policies in modern South Africa. In December 2007, Brutus was inducted into the South African Sports Hall of Fame.
Fellow writer Olu Oguibe called Brutus "arguably Africa's greatest and most influential modern poet." He also described him as "a fearless campaigner for justice, a relentless organizer, an incorrigible romantic, and a great humanist and teacher."
Dennis Brutus passed away from prostate cancer on December 26, 2009, at his home in Cape Town, South Africa. He left behind a large family, including eight children. A book called The Dennis Brutus Tapes: Essays at Autobiography was published in 2011. It shares his thoughts on his life and career.
See also
- List of people subject to banning orders under apartheid
Images for kids
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Dennis Brutus during a press conference at Schiphol Airport, 1967
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