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Ismé Bennie’s ‘White Schooldays’
ANT KATZ
Ismé Bennie reflects on her life of privilege as a young white Jewish South African growing up during the tumultuous and unjust apartheid era.
As a young girl she was not aware of how advantaged she was, she was a child at play under the South African sun.
White Schooldays is a reflection on the relative normalcy of Bennie’s life in the 1940s and 1950s – a life filled with her pets, family, school and friends.
RIGHT: Bennie’s book
As a Jew, Bennie was a minority within a minority, but she still enjoyed the benefits of life as a white South African.
Her everyday experiences stand in stark contrast to the suffering of the black community, the violence and discrimination that went on around her.
White Schooldays is Bennie’s homage to a way of life that was special and beautiful for those who were privileged to lead it.
In this collection of pieces, with a strong Jewish thread running through it, she paints a picture of daily life as she remembers it.
But these memories are underscored with the political reality of the times!
About the author: Ismé Bennie
After graduating from Wits, she started her career as a librarian. But a move to Canada led her to become one of the most respected women in Canadian broadcasting.
Bennie has received numerous honours and awards for her contributions to Canadian television, including the Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA) Personal Achievement Award, the CFTPA Jack Chisholm Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Motion Picture and Television Industry, and the Women in Film and Television–Toronto Outstanding Achievement Award.
Now writing fulltime, Bennie has published articles on myriad topics, from food to crime fiction. She is also a recognised authority on the Canadian media industry and contributes her expertise to New York-based VideoAge International.
- White Schooldays: Coming-of-Age In Apartheid South Africa was published on December 10, is 176 pages and the paperback and Kindle versions are available through amazon.com
Denis Solomons
Jan 8, 2015 at 10:39 am
‘I suppose that one can identify with Isme Bennie ;
growing up in Apatheid South Africa one was entitled to privileges that other race groups didnt have and the Jewish community was a tight – knit one .
But now we have gone to the opposite extreme ;with ongoing blackouts, power failures ; water shortages etc.
But some people did stay on to try to help the economic situation.
Now land grabs ala Julius Malema and his EFF are a reality .
So I am not sure that everything can be viewed through rose-tinted glasses !
But sure the old days were indeed privileged . ‘