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The Afrikaans poetry collections grond/Santekraam (2011) by Ronelda S. Kamfer and bientang (2020) by Jolyn Phillips both centralise the ocean and both deal with attempts at recovering repressed black histories. Apart from figuring as a source of spiritual fulfilment and connected to figures in the collection’s livelihoods, the ocean is represented in these collections as the bringer of European colonisers and of slaves to South Africa. In this article I contend that references to slavery and colonialism and the use of words in languages brought to South Africa through slave networks position these collections as products of the transnational Black Atlantic tradition, as theorised by Paul Gilroy. The fact that the narratives of both collections take place in the Overstrand region, near the meeting place of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, gives an indication of how Gilroy’s theory needs to be adapted to be applicable to Afrikaans literature: as many English-language South African theorists have argued, oceanic literary studies in South Africa should pay as much attention to routes in the Indian Ocean as to Atlantic routes. The emphasis in both collections on not only a history of slavery, but also one of the displacement of and violence against the people already inhabiting the area when colonisers alighted, further serves to indicate what an Afrikaans black aquatic literature looks like. When taking into account these differences between Afrikaans and other versions of black aquatic art, reading grond/Santekraam and bientang as part of a global black aesthetics allows the researcher to identify the ways in which these collections are characterised by a hermeneutics of suspicion (an interpretation of contemporary life that recognises the ways in which it is structured and functions in anti-black ways) and a hermeneutics of memory (an interpretation of this anti-black contemporary as a continuation of the history of the dehumanisation of black people).

In this review article, we focus on the depiction of the transnational and translingual as a state of being in-between in Klara du Plessis’s debut poetry collection, Ekke (2018). This in-between state has implications for how identity, place and visual art feature in the collection. Ekke contains fragments of German and French, but consists mainly of English interspersed with Afrikaans. The creation of meaning through this linguistic slippage reflects the idea of identity as always in-process that comes to the fore throughout the collection. Ekke also represents an intervention in South African urban literature, as Bloemfontein, a city not much featured in literature, is represented in several poems. In these poems, the poet/speaker struggles to situate Bloemfontein and its surrounding areas’ histories and symbolism in the transnational networks that she is a part of. The conception of identity and language being constantly in-progress is also conveyed in the collection’s poems about visual art. In these poems, meaning is created through the interaction of language with visual art, a process the poet calls ‘intervisuality'.

In this article the relationship between history and fiction is examined in response to the historian, Fransjohan Pretorius' criticism of recent Afrikaans fiction about the Anglo-Boer War in Tydskrif vir Letterkunde 52.2 (2015). The intricate relationship between history and fiction is examined by pointing, on the one hand to the problematic of the relationship between history and the past and on the one hand, to the difference between fiction and history. The function of aesthetic illusion, verisimilitude and conceptions of reference is investigated theoretically before turning to the specific novels that Pretorius discusses. The article shows that historical fiction cannot be restricted to novelized versions of accepted history, but that historical fiction also reminds the reader that the past is always culturally mediated and that the primary aim of novels is not to represent the past but to examine aspects of human existence. A comparison between fiction and history can therefore not be used as a norm to assess novels.

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The main church in Breda is known as one of the most complete late Gothic town churches in the Netherlands. The cruciform basilica with tall west tower and ambulatory is considered an ideal example of a type of church that for various reasons was never completed in many other Dutch towns. The building history shows that in reality this perfect unity of design was realized by changing plans a number of times. In various periods several commissioners wanted to leave their mark on the church. After having changed users several times in the period of the Reformation, in the early 17th century a period of maintenance started without large new construction or alterations. In this respect it is striking that maintenance or restoration was executed by reusing old building material as much as possible and by carefully preserving old forms. In spite of the outmoded design the building was generally regarded as the pride of the town. Only the fire in the tower in 1694 forced the town administration to have a new wooden steeple built. After in the course of the 18th century it had become more and more difficult to pay for the maintenance, in the early 19th century a period of serious neglect began due to the separation of Church and State and the severe economic decline. This did not come to an end until from 1874 onwards structural financial support was given by the State, province and municipality. In various stages a restoration starts whereby all the parties involved continued to profess the wellknown restoration starting point of ‘preservation has priority over restoration’. In practice, however, architects like Van Nieukerken and government inspectors like P.J.H. Cuypers regularly proved to consider their own vision on the building more important than the clues contained in the building itself. Important choices for restoring – whether or not disappeared – ornaments, seldom occurred on the basis of building-historical research, although both strongly recommended it. It is striking that the basically less schooled local architect A.J.F. Cuypers was more inclined to respect the existing. When he added or interpreted, this was done in a distinctly individual style, so that later consideration of his work gives a relatively clear impression of what his influence on the building was. This caused him much criticism and eventually his discharge from the commission. Because of all these fundamental restorations the building was saved from certain ruin, but in the details of the exterior it is largely a sum of various 19th- and 20th-century interpretations.

Moral renewal: a challenge to the churchesThe article addresses the issue of moral formation in the South African society and focuses on the role the Christian churches can play in this respect. It argues that the church can indeed play a vital role, if it succeeds in facing up to at least four challenges. The first one has to do with a stronger emphasis on the moral implications of the gospel on congregational level. Too many churches preach a version of the gospel that lacks clarity about the moral commitment asked of disciples. The second challenge is to get a more focused picture of what an intrinsic Christian lifestyle looks like. A plea is made for the reinstatement of a condensed basic moral code grounded in biblical teaching. The third challenge relates to the vital question of how moral formation is actually being implemented in the faith communities. Attention is given to different ways this question is being answered. The fourth challenge concerns the churches' hesitancy to accept co-responsibility for the public communities we are living in. Congregational and denominational leaders have to realize that churches are called not only to discipleship, but also to citizenship. If the churches are willing to accept these challenges, they can be an important factor in the moral renewal of the South African society.

Legend has it that students in the Dutch university town of Leiden used to throw coins in the street for the less well-off citizens. Picking up the coins, these risked burning their fingers: the students had heated the coins in a skillet. This story is told as emblematic for the social and cultural differences dividing laborers and students, or, more generally, ‘town and gown’. Opinions differ about the veracity of the story and the time period during which this prank was perpetrated. Our study of this local legend is based on local newspapers and other digitized sources that have recently become available, allowing us to trace the story over a time period that spans the years 1841-2016. The hot coins prank is related to a more benign, internationally known custom during which both throwers and throwees know what to expect. In the Netherlands, stories about the prank have become associated in particular with the town of Leiden, becoming more prominent during the 20th century, after the prank itself was no longer performed. We read the hot coin legend in the context of collective memory and urban identity: over the course of two centuries, various social groups have used the story as a boundary marker between in-group and out-group, and more broadly as a means to reflect on the shifting identity of the town. During the years of urban renewal in the second half of the twentieth century, Leiden transformed from an old, poor, industrial town into a modern, affluent urban centre that touts itself as a ‘city of knowledge’. Rhetorically, the hot coin legend is presented as a test case for social cohesion: did Leiden truly leave behind its divided history?

Willem Anker’s debut novel, Siegfried, deals with the experiences of the eponymous character, who is mentally disabled and whose hands and feet are webbed. In this article, an attempt is made to investigate how the theories of Deleuze and Guattari, as well as object oriented ontologies, can be used to argue that the representation of the character of Siegfried involves a blurring of the boundaries between the human and the nonhuman. The second aim of this article is to establish whether such a blurring is ethically problematic, given the cruel ways in which people considered less human than others are often treated. Where the first aim is concerned, it is argued that Siegfried’s interaction with the world challenges hegemonic ideas of human subjectivity, especially ideas of what constitutes normal humanity. In the character of Siegfried traces are found of what can be described, in Deleuze and Guattari’s terms, as becomings. These becomings serve as lines of flight from blocked forms of human subjectivity. The boundaries between what is considered human and what is considered nonhuman are therefore indeed blurred. Concerning the second aim, it is argued that the novel can be read as a critique of the ways in which society treats disabled people, and that it can therefore be brought into dialogue with disability studies. The potential for object oriented ontologies to be apolitical (and even unethical, in this respect), is countered in the analysis of the novel by disability studies’ activism and social commentary.

Deon Meyer’s post-apocalyptic novel, Fever, opens with Nico Storm, the narrator, and his father being attacked by dogs. Nico is only thirteen years old, but is forced to shoot the dogs to rescue his father. This incident sets the scene for the rest of the novel. It characterises Nico and his father and their relationship. It also informs the reader about the world in which the novel is set. Fever opens a few months after ninety-five percent of the world’s population died as the result of a mysterious virus—one engineered in an attempt to redress ecological imbalances. In this article, the representation of dogs and other canids in Fever is used as a departure point to bring the worldviews of the various characters into dialogue with Timothy Morton’s Dark Ecology. It is argued that the different worldviews (and the place accorded to canids in each) have political and ecological implications. Most of the worldviews can be understood in terms of what Morton calls the “agrilogistic loop” because they are based on the assumption that humans can and should manipulate the nonhuman. Two characters’ view of canids are, however, closer to what Morton terms “ecognosis”, because they acknowledge humans’ (and canids’) entanglement with the rest of nature. ment with the rest of nature.

In a number of reviews and articles published in the 1940's Herman Charles Bosman expressed his appreciation for the Afrikaans language and for Afrikaans literature. He fiercely attacked what he described as a tendency in Afrikaans literature, especially the work of Van Wyk Louw and Opperman, to intellectualize and to write "un-Afrikaans" poetry, following the European modernist trend. He pleaded for an Afrikaans literature that is true to the continent, the "spirit of the Afrikaner" and more romantic. In several essays Louw reacted against this kind of criticism (although there is no proof that his reaction is directly against Bosman's criticism). Louw explains that Afrikaans literature cannot be but from Africa and that the European roots of Afrikaans (and the Afrikaner) also cannot be ignored. This essay explores these views from the 1940's in the light of more recent Afro-centrism versus Euro-centrism debate.

The experience of the passage of time and our attempts to remember the past is central in Elsa Joubert’s Die reise van Isobelle (1995) (translated in English as Isobelle’s Journey). In this novel memory and the importance of remembering is contemplated. The novel starts with the end of an era (the Victorian era – described as an era of “innocence” of which we can only recognise the “pattern” afterwards) and closes with the end of an era (the end of apartheid). The ending of two eras draws attention to the passage of time. Remembering the past is a flawed process, often brings a sense of loss, but also contributes finding a way of looking towards the future. In this article the problems with remembering and forgetting is traced in the novel, but also how memory brings new possibilities to confront an uncertain future of which the patterns are not yet discernable. The novel deals specifically with autobiographic memory and the way in which this kind of memory contributes to morality. Ways in which memory can be employed to engage meaningfully with the current situation are indicated.

Travelling is a central motive in A Veil of Footsteps (and in Breytenbach’s oeuvre). In this work, travelling is a metaphor for imagination. Breytenbach pleads for continual travelling because “the earth needs to be discovered and remembered again and again”. Breytenbach suggests that discovery and remembering require imagination. In the first part of this article the dependancy of imagination on language (the “footsteps” of the title) is investigated, using Paul Ricoeur’s concept of a “semantic imagination”. In the second part of the article three implications of imagination’s dependancy on language is identified in A Veil of Footsteps. Firstly the close tie between imagination and memory (the book is described as a memoir); secondly the importance of imagination for identity; and thirdly the need for imagination to enable an ethical response for one’s actions, are examined.

Shaken Baby Syndrome refers to the violent and repetitive shaking of an infant, and is a form of abusive head trauma. It was first described in 1974, and has since been the topic of intensive study and discussion. The syndrome has classically been diagnosed with a triad of injuries, namely subdural haemorrhage, retinal haemorrhage and encephalopathy (brain abnormalities). However, recent publications have led to some doubt regarding the causation and diagnostic significance of the triad. It is now generally accepted that other conditions, even natural diseases, may cause the findings listed in the so-called "triad". To date, no reported case law is available on Shaken Baby Syndrome in South Africa; therefore this article focuses on cases in the United States and United Kingdom to delineate some of the issues associated with litigating the condition. This includes the obligation of expert witnesses to give independent, factual evidence about their areas of expertise. It is recommended that medical and legal professionals involved in cases of alleged child abuse should collect as much information as possible about the context of the case. Confessions by parents or caregivers should be treated with circumspection. Awareness campaigns should be aimed at informing the public of the dangers of shaking an infant. And with regards to Shaken Baby Syndrome an increased focus on evidence-based medicine is necessary to dissipate the uncertainty around the condition.

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Objective: To determine how often press releases and news articles contain exaggeration and to locate its origin in the trajectory from research paper to news article., Design: Retrospective quantitative content analysis., Method: We analysed press releases on health-related research published by Dutch universities and university medical centres in 2015 (n = 129) as well as news media articles related to those press releases (n = 185)., Results: 20% of press releases and 29% of news articles exaggerated the conclusion or causal claim. Explicit health advice was, when present, exaggerated in 7% of press releases and 10% of news articles. When press releases exaggerated the conclusion or causal claim, 92% of associated news articles contained the same exaggeration. When the conclusion was not exaggerated in the press release, 6% of the news articles was exaggerated. The relative chance for exaggerated news associated with exaggerated press releases was 16.08 (95% CI: 7.35-35.18). Exaggerated press releases were associated with news articles more frequently. The relative chance for news articles to be associated with exaggerated press releases vs. a non-exaggerated press release was 1.45 (95% CI: 1.02-2.04)., Conclusion: Exaggeration in health-related news is strongly correlated with exaggeration in the original press release and occurs in more than 1 in 5 articles. Monitoring and, if necessary, improving the accuracy and correctness of academic press releases seem to be important measures to improve the quality of health related news., Conflict of interest and financial support: I. Smeets is a columnist with one of the newspapers investigated. She was not involved in collecting, coding and analysing the relevant data. Additional potential conflicts of interest have been reported for this article. ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.