Antoinette sê

by Antoinette Pienaar

Stories is medisyne, die Lennon’s van die lewe. Stories het al menigmaal my lewe gered. As ek myself in die storie herken of as ’n storie ’n spieël word vir n groot gebeurtenis in my lewe, help dit my om getuie te word van my eie lewe.
Hierdie kortverhale vertel die stories wat op ons werf op Theefontein uitspeel, stories oor my kinderdae op Carnarvon, stories oor kwaai kalkoene, stories oor die son as hy sambokslaan op ons sinkdakke, stories oor hoe mens die weer vir weke ‘’lees’’ op die uitkyk vir reën en stories oor die baldadige vreugde as die Blou Dak se Baas ’n slag sy gieter oor die vlaktes en die berge laat leegloop.

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2021

About the author

One of five sisters, Antoinette Pienaar was born in Carnarvon and studied drama at the University of Stellenbosch. She became a singer and performed countrywide, often telling the stories of historical heroines such as Krotoa of the Cape. For the past seven years she has been apprentice to Oom Johannes Willemse in the deep recesses of the Karoo. The Grigua's Apprentice is the translation of her first book. For advice on herbs, phone Antoinette weekdays between 17:00 and 19:00 on 023 4161659.

The oldest of twelve siblings, Oom Johannes Willemse was born on the farm Breekkierie in the Kenhardt district. With his brothers, he accompanied his father, a pieceworker, from farm to farm, opening irrigation furrows, ploughing lands, building stone kraals and digging pits. In the veld his Oupa Hansie taught him the healing knowledge of the Griquas. Through a life of hard, wholesome work he has treated many with the healing arts of the Karoo.

Antoinette, a Karoo child from Carnarvon in the Northern Cape, already knew as a little girl that she would one day tell stories and learn about herbs. Since she could not obtain a degree in story telling, she decided to study drama and later became known as an actress and story teller. During a trip to Mali, West Africa, she contracted and nearly died of cerebral malaria. Seriously weakened, she went to live at her parents' home in Beaufort West. During a coincidental visit to Theefontein, the farm of second cousin Jacques Pienaar, she and Oom Johannes' paths finally crossed. "Only now madam arrives,' was his slightly impatient first words to her. Since then she has moved into a workers' hut opposite Oom Johannes' where she not only experienced complete healing, but also slowly but surely learnt about herbs, veld-knowledge and peace. Seven years later in 2008, the book Kruidjie roer my, became the first step in preserving the Karoo herb heritage for South Africa and the world.

Antoinette still performs, but these days her shows are another way in which she is 'custodian' of precious heritage that would otherwise become extinct. Soon (May 2009) she and Oom Johannes will mostly be on the farm so that Antoinette can learn more and write a second book.

Reviews

[Alta Cloete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderlike stories - mens kan Antoinette behoorlik hoor praat. Lewenswysheid en humor perfek vermeng.

[Anschen Conradie · Rating 4 out of 5]

#Antoinettesê - Antoinette Pienaar
#Naledi

“I hold this to be the highest task of a bond between two people: that each should stand guard over the solitude of the other.” (Rilke)

Na jare van rondry met landswye konserte vind die skrywer, op 40-jarige ouderdom, 20 jaar gelede ‘n holte vir haar voet in ‘n klein wit huisie op die plaas Theefontein, 85 km van die naaste dorp, Beaufort Wes. Hierdie bundel bevat sketse en stories van haar belewenisse en lesse geleer as vakleerling van die bekende oom Johannes Willemse.

Aanvanklik het sy gesukkel; ‘amper soos ‘n vrou wat in stiletto’s oor ‘n grasperk struikel’ (p.1) en haar onhandigheid het dit nie juis makliker gemaak nie: ‘Ek het al gedink ek kan myself uitverhuur aan mense wat ontploffings wil sien. Ek kan moeiteloos ‘n ontploffing maak…. sonder dat ek dit bedoel.’ (p.13)

Maar mettertyd het sy besef dat die meetsnoere op Theefontein vir haar op lieflike plekke geval het en sy vertel, op haar unieke manier en met fyn humor, van Max Verstappen, die blitsige roman; die kat wat moes afgeblaas word; die ystervark wat kom klop het vir sy pap en van die katte met ‘tande aan hulle hande’ (p.46). Sy spot met haar bestuursgewoontes ‘Ek is in die distrik bekend vir my spoed, my stadige spoed.’ (p. 9) en beskryf hoe mens moet loer of ‘n brood genoegsaam gerys het: ‘Mens moet vinnig kyk, anders skrik jou deeg en val plat.’ (p.85)

Dis jammer van 3 glipse van die drukkersduiwel (‘devine’ op p.68; klien’ op p.71 en ‘koningkryk’ op p.156) maar vir enigeen wat haar bydraes met binnepret op RSG volg, sal haar stem duidelik by die lees van die teks weerklink. Dis die soort bundel wat jou om die beurt bewoë laat en van die lag laat skater; Uniek Suid-Afrikaans en sterk aanbeveel vir almal wat moeg is van die gejaagdheid van die moderne lewe en sy eise.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
#Uitdieperdsebek