Fiela Se Kind Mp4 Download
Luz Ignasiak
The audience
The only down-side to the performance had nothing to do with the performance itself. A few groups of high school students attended the show (Fiela se kind is a prescribed work at most government schools) and unfortunately did not respect the actors or the emotions they were trying to convey. This resulted in them laughing at unsuitable times (like when Elias gave Benjamin a beating), distracting both the audience and the performers. I lost count of how many times Shaleen Surtie-Richards had to pause and wait for quietness before she could continue with her lines. While I understand why they were there, their behaviour was a real shame.
Dear Diary,Today was truly an extraordinary day, one that will be engraved in my memory forever. We had the honor and privilege of hosting the renowned author of "Fiela se Kind," Dalene Matthee, at our school. As an avid reader, I couldn't have asked for a better day and the opportunity to meet one of my literary heroes.The excitement began right from the moment our principal made the announcement during the morning assembly. The entire school was buzzing with anticipation, and it was clear that most of us were looking forward to this literary experience.As soon as classes were over, the hall quickly filled with eager students, waiting to catch a glimpse of the celebrated author. When Dalene Matthee finally arrived and walked on stage with her warm, welcoming smile, the atmosphere was electric. You could feel the admiration in the room; it was a beautiful sight to behold.During her talk, she shared her journey as a writer and her inspiration for writing the heart-wrenching story of Fiela Se Kind. Her passion for storytelling and writing was incredibly inspiring and captivating. I couldn't help but hang on to every word she spoke. She took us through her research which revolved around exploring the forests of South Africa, the colorful characters, and painstaking attention to detail she put into her work. Listening to her speak and seeing the immense dedication I then understood the depth involved in writing a novel, especially one as moving and powerful as "Fiela se Kind."After the talk, there was a question and answer session where we got the chance to interact with Dalene. It was surreal. She answered all the questions with grace and humor, and I couldn't resist the opportunity to ask a question or two. When it was my turn, I inquired about her advice for aspiring writers. She encouraged us to read widely, be open to criticism, and, most importantly, to believe in ourselves. It was advice I knew I'd cherish for a lifetime.Once the session came to a close, I had the chance to get my copy of "Fiela se Kind" autographed. As I approached the signing table, my nerves finally got the better of me. Seeing Dalene Matthee up close and personal was surreal, and I could barely stammer out my appreciation for her work. Her warmth and kindness were sincere, and she thanked me for my admiration, adding that it was readers like us who inspired her in return.As I returned home with a signed copy of my favorite book, I couldn't help but reflect on how special the day had been. It made me more determined than ever to pursue my passion for writing and storytelling. I am grateful to have been a part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I know I'll look back on this day with fond memories, recalling the moment when the pages of my favorite book truly came to life.Until next time, Diary.
Benjamin Komoetie could be considered the protagonist of the story, as the plot centers on his struggle to understand who he is and in which family he belongs. Benjamin is found on the doorstep of Fiela Komoetie at just three years old and raised as her "hand-child," or adoptive child, alongside her four other children. Though he is white and the others are black, he never questions the difference until the day men from the government come to take him away. He is erroneously brought to be Lukas van Rooyen, a child who went missing as a toddler. Benjamin is forced to adopt this identity as Lukas and work as an apprentice to his "father," Elias van Rooyen, building wood beams. At first, Benjamin resists this role, solely wanting to return to the Long Kloof and what he believes to be his family there. Over time, however, he has no choice but to make a home where he is and dissociate from his former life. Gradually, he takes on the mannerisms and mentalities of forest people, becoming accustomed to grueling labor and developing a loyalty to the van Rooyens, even helping Elias to subdue the rebellious Nina.
As he grows up through the story over the span of a decade, Benjamin transforms from a carefree child who loves to play with boats, to a stifled adolescent, to a young man feeling confused about his place in the world. Finally an adult, Benjamin is able to break free of the van Rooyens' grip and take some space by the seaside where he starts to doubt the original story of him being Lukas. Through the help of Nina, along with Barta van Rooyen's ultimate confession, Benjamin receives the clarity necessary to make an informed choice about who he truly wants to be, beyond others' projections of him. Between the van Rooyens and the Komoeties, Benjamin decides that it is the latter family that truly feels like home.
Fiela Komoetie is a woman living in the Long Kloof with her husband, Selling, and her five children. She defies all of the racist stereotypes of a black woman at this time: she is educated, hard-working, and wholly self-reliant. She became the matriarch of the household after Selling was sentenced to prison and his health deteriorated. She is constantly on top of the daily work, making sure everyone is occupied with a chore, believing deeply in the Protestant value of a strong work ethic. Her deep morality is evident in many of her actions, such as the fact that she took in Benjamin, an abandoned child, even though he is of a different race. We also see her compassion in the loving way she treats her ostriches, Kicker and Pollie, rather than seeing them solely as a source of profit. A religious woman, Fiela is constantly dialoguing with God, especially when times get tough and she feels she has been abandoned by her creator, not understanding why she has been made to suffer so much.
Selling is the husband of Fiela. While their children were still small, he impulsively killed one of the neighbors and was sentenced to prison for several years. During this time, he was forced to work on the construction of the road going from the Long Kloof to Knsyna. Although he was pardoned earlier than expected, the hard labor destroyed his health, affecting his ability to provide for his family and thereby requiring Fiela to take the lead of the household. Though his physical weakness makes it difficult for him to fully engage in family life, he is no less devastated than Fiela at Benjamin being taken. This is further driven home when Benjamin eventually returns and Selling's health improves as a result. Selling's calmness and levelheadedness are depicted in complementarity to Fiela's volatility, such as when he advises her to be polite when meeting the magistrate.
Emma, Kittie, Dawid, and Tollie are the other children of Fiela and Selling. They play a mostly peripheral role in the story. Dawid is described as the sibling to whom Benjamin is closest and the one who is most supportive of his parents. His shocking death from a spider bite brings further despair to his parents, yet it also serves as the catalyst for Benjamin to return home.
Elias van Rooyen is a maker of wood beams who lives in the forest with his wife, Barta, and his four children. From the beginning of the story, Elias is shown to be stubborn, hostile, and shut off from his emotions; when his three-year-old son Lukas goes missing, Elias denies the possibility of it until the last possible moment, as if not wanting to deal with reality. He is constantly feeling annoyance towards his wife and children, seeing them mainly as vessels to serve him or to help him make money. When Lukas has supposedly been found nine years later, Elias mostly thinks about how the boy can be used for work. The narrative occasionally takes us into Elias' point of view, and here we witness his paranoid train of thoughts, constantly comparing himself to the woodcutters and worrying about how the forest elephants might kill him. As a result of Elias' obsession with money and status, he concocts several elaborate plans to trap the elephants and steal their ivory, through which he believes he can finally be free from the grueling work of beam-making.
In many ways, Elias is the antagonist of the story, yet he is never depicted as a malevolent caricature: rather, we see a flawed man whose deep survival fears and sense of entrapment in the forest lifestyle have led him to become the bully of his own family, trying to control his children so that they may never leave the forest either. This especially comes to a head with his daughter, Nina, who constantly tries to escape work and live out the playful whims of a child. Elias' response to constantly inflict physical punishment is neither just nor effective, leading to Nina's eventual flight from the family as well as Lukas' rejection of the van Rooyens.
Nina is the youngest of the van Rooyen children and the only girl. She stands out from her other siblings in that she detests staying at home and following the orders of her parents. She is by nature a free-spirit and a rebel, going against the feminine roles of forest life so that she may follow her heart's desires. Her deepest love is the forest itself: the trees and animals feel more like family to her than her own siblings do. When she gets her own mouth-organ, she enjoys nothing more than mimicking the songs of the birds, as if she desires to be one of them. Her respect for the elephants, especially after unexpectedly witnessing their birthing ritual, contrasts with Elias' wrath towards them. As Nina grows up and Elias forces her to work as a servant in the village, we see her struggle as her love of freedom comes into conflict with the practicalities of adult life.
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