Exile and the Diasporic Voice: Bloke Modisane’s BBC Radio Plays 1969-1987

Abstract

The article explores a hitherto undocumented aspect of the writing of Bloke Modisane, namely three radio plays which were produced by the BBC and which span almost two decades, the first being in 1969 and the last being played shortly after his death, in 1987. Modisane is seen as an exilic figure, but also as a member of the black diaspora of artists from Africa and the Caribbean who were based in London during the 1960s in particular. He is also discussed as a key figure of black modernism, with the radio plays allowing him to explore his preoccupations with time, space and form, which he had begun to do so effectively in Blame Me on History. The paper also touches briefly on Modisane as a writer constantly aware of the discourse of nationalism and its limitations.