''Staffrider'' was a South African literary magazine that was published between 1978 and 1996.

History and profile

''Staffrider'' was first published in March 1978. Its founder was Mike Kirkwood. The magazine took its name from slang for people hanging outside or on the roof of overcrowded, racially segregated trains. It was one of the most important literary presences of the 1970s and 1980s, aiming to be popular rather than elite was consciously non-racial in the segregated

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

era. Borrowing its name and image from township slang for black youth who rode the over-crowded African sections of the racially segregated commuter trains by hanging onto the outside or sitting on the roofs, ''Staffrider'' had two main objectives: to provide publishing opportunities for community-based organizations and young writers, graphic artists and photographers; and to oppose officially sanctioned state and establishment culture. Produced by The Durban Moment that saw

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begin the

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, ''Staffrider'' had a view of literature with a small "l": its base was popular rather than elite and it sought to provide an autobiography of experience in its witness of daily black life in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. The magazine's nonracial policy and choice of English as a non-ethnic mode of communication attracted a cross-section of writers, artists and other contributors to the magazine. Debates around ''Staffrider''′s "self-editing" editorial policy were ongoing and the magazine eventually adopted quality control measures under the editorship of

Chris van Wyk Christopher van Wyk (19 July 1957 – 3 October 2014) was a South African children’s book author, novelist and poet. Van Wyk is famous for his poem "In Detention" on the suspicious deaths that befell South African political prisoners during Ap ...

. However, the magazine's early flexibility ensured that the work of previously unpublished writers and artists appeared alongside that of many South African notables including

Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the 1991 Nobel Prize in Literature, Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognized as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writin ...

Lionel Abrahams Lionel Abrahams (11 April 1928 – 31 May 2004) was a South African novelist, poet, editor, critic, essayist and publisher. He was born in Johannesburg, where he lived his entire life. He was born with cerebral palsy and had to use a wheelchai ...

, Rose Zwi, Biddy Partridge, and Mtutuzeli Matshoba. Related activities included the "Staffrider Series", a book series comprising almost thirty stand-alone books (including "anthologies, novels, short stories and poetry") published by the

Ravan Press Ravan Press, established in 1972 by Peter Ralph Randall, Danie van Zyl, and Beyers Naudé, was a South African anti-apartheid publishing house.

and the Staffrider photography exhibition which was "mounted annually from 1983-1985" and again in 1988. ''Staffrider'' ceased publication in 1996.

References

{{Reflist

Sources

* ''Ten Years of Staffrider, Oliphant'', Andries, and I. Vladislavic (eds), Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1988. * Oliphant, Andries. ''Staffrider Magazine and Popular History: The Opportunities and Challenges of Personal Testimony''. Johannesburg: Temple University Press, 1991. * Gardiner, Michael. ''South African Literary Magazines, 1956–1978''. Warren Siebrits Modern and Contemporary Art: Johannesburg, 2004. * ''Rose Zwi in conversation with Mothobi Mutloatse''. Interview conducted 9 September 2006. * Gwala, Mafika. ''Writing as a Cultural Weapon'' in ''Momentum'', Margaret Daymond, Johan Jacobs, and Margaret Lenta (eds), Pietermaritzburg: University of Natal Press, 1985. 375–3. * Manganyi, Chabani N. ''Looking Through the Keyhole''. Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1981 * Mutloatse, Mothobi. ''Forced Landing''. Johannesburg: Ravan Press, 1980. * Ndebele, Njabulo. ''Rediscovery of the Ordinary''. Johannesburg: Congress of South African Writers, 1991. * Newell, Stephanie. ''Readings in African Popular Fiction''. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2002.

External links

Staffrider magazine (1978-1993)

Inside South Africa’s radical anti-apartheid zine: The legacy of Staffrider
1978 establishments in South Africa 1996 disestablishments in South Africa Defunct magazines published in South Africa Defunct literary magazines Magazines established in 1978 Magazines disestablished in 1996 Irregularly published magazines English-language magazines published in South Africa