South Africa’s best-known Afrikaans poet, Professor Antjie Krog, has been awarded an honorary doctorate for her incredible contributions to local literature and social justice that have received acclaim from all over the world.
Pretoria, South Africa (05 September 2024) — Professor Antjie Krog, South Africa’s best-known Afrikaans poet and word wizard, has been awarded with a doctoral degree in recognition of her contributions to literature, language and social justice!
Dr Krog was one of the University of Pretoria’s Spring Graduates who were celebrated at their graduation ceremony yesterday, 4 September.
In true Dr Krog fashion, her response to the prestigious acknowledgement was nothing short of poetic itself:
“The life of a writer is solitary…One is therefore both daunted and honoured by such a recognition—especially when awarded by a university that has changed significantly since one was there. To become part of UP’s broad diversity is a privilege I will cherish.”
In case you weren’t in the loop, Prof Krog is an internationally acclaimed poet and writer whose works have received acclaim both in South Africa and beyond. Her career began a young journalist in the 1990s who reported on South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) which investigated human rights violations. Her work on the TRC inspired her to write the internationally renowned book—Country of my Skull.
Her awards tally includes the Hertzog Prize, a Lifetime Achievement Literary Award from the South African Literary Awards, the Alan Paton Award, the Stockholm Prize from the Hiroshima Foundation for Peace and Culture, the Open Society Prize from the Central European University and the ‘golden goose quill’ (Dutch Gouden Ganzeveer) among others.
Reflects Professor Willie Burger, the Head of the Department of Afrikaans at UP:
“Her work demonstrates a deep commitment to exploring the complexities of the human experience, promoting linguistic diversity, and promoting social justice and reconciliation.”
Sources: Supplied—University of Pretoria
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