Pieter-Dirk Uys
From Free net encyclopedia
Pieter-Dirk Uys is a South African satirist, particularly well known for his character Evita Bezuidenhout or simply Tannie Evita, a white Afrikaner socialite and self-proclaimed political activist, inspired by Australian comedian Barry Humphries' character Dame Edna Everage. Evita is the ambassadress of Bapetikosweti - a fictitious Bantustan or black homeland located outside her home in the affluent, formerly whites-only suburbs of Johannesburg that were an integral aspect of the South African Government's policy of Apartheid. Evita Bezuidenhout is named in honour of the Argentine political figure and former First Lady, Eva (or Evita) Perón.
Born in 1945, he is the son of a Calvinist Afrikaner father and Berlin born Jewish mother and began his dramatic career as a serious playwright, switching to one-man satirical revues at the height of the Apartheid era.
He used the medium of humour and stand up comedy to criticize and expose the absurdity of the government's racial policies. Most of his work was notably not censored revealing a closet approval of his views by many members of the ruling party who were not so bold as to openly admit mistakes and criticize the policies themselves. For many years, Uys lampooned the Apartheid regime and its leaders, as well as the sometimes hypocritical attitudes of white liberals. One of his characters, a kugel (wealthy Jewish woman) once said: "There are two things wrong with South Africa: one's apartheid and the other's black people". This was later erroneously attributed to Uys himself.
Following South Africa's first non-racial elections in 1994, Uys starred in a TV series called Funigalore, which saw Evita interviewing Nelson Mandela and other prominent politicians of the day. Uys/Evita has also performed in such theatrical hits as You ANC Nothing Yet, although he and his character are currently better known for their tireless work in the frontline of HIV/AIDS activism and education. He is currently involved in teaching AIDS awareness to children and education in the use of condoms, traveling to schools all over South Africa.
Books
- Farce about Uys (Jonathan Ball and Ad. Donker Publishers, 1983) - ISBN 0868500771
- Selle ou storie: A play (Donker, 1983) - ISBN 0868520276
- Paradise Is Closing Down and Other Plays (Penguin Books Ltd, 1989) - ISBN 0140482288
- Funigalore: Evita's Real-Life Adventures in Wonderland (The Penguin Group (SA) (Pty) Ltd) - ISBN 0140253130
- The Essential Evita Bezuidenhout (The Essential Series) (David Philip Publishers) - ISBN 0864863497
- A part hate a part love: The legend of Evita Bezuidenhout (Hond, 1994) - ISBN 1874969086
- Trekking to Teema (Compress, 2001) - ISBN 1919833102
- Farce about Uys (Jonathan Ball and Ad. Donker Publishers, 1983) - ISBN 0868500771
- Elections & Erections: A Memoir of Fear and Fun (Zebra Press, 2003) - ISBN 1868726657