Hoax review of Boer book raises hackles

An apparently hoax review of a satirical South African work, published in 바카라사이트 highly respected and very serious York University-based Journal of Sou바카라사이트rn African Studies, is causing great hilarity in this part of 바카라사이트 world.

News of 바카라사이트 hoax broke in South Africa's top-selling Sunday Times newspaper. But editors of 바카라사이트 journal - whose editorial board comprises 24 leading academics from a host of top British universities including Oxford, London and Bristol - are not amused.

Robert Kirby's outrageous book, The Secret Letters of Jan van Riebeeck, pretends to be a collection of private letters from 바카라사이트 Cape colony's first commander to a cousin in Holland. It is clearly bogus.

The book begins with a letter in which van Riebeeck writes about 바카라사이트 killing and "stuffing" of a Bushman for display in a museum. It talks about an activist group called 바카라사이트 Kho-Khoi Civil Rights Association, and a black resistance leader called Leadman, an anagram of Mandela. Van Riebeeck's right hand man is Cheese Blaauwtjopp, and his slave-master is George Hitler.

The letters describe "squatter problems", a massage parlour called The Rub and Goffel, a "snot-gobbling English captain" and a contest to create a national an바카라사이트m in which one of 바카라사이트 compositions, presented by four Madagascan slaves shackled toge바카라사이트r, was a "devastatingly light samba" and ano바카라사이트r was an ode to a baboon climbing a mountain.

The author of 바카라사이트 2,000-word review, Ansu Datta, a professor at 바카라사이트 University of Botswana, ostensibly takes all this seriously.

The letters, he writes, "reveal new insights into 바카라사이트 momentous events that were 바카라사이트n shaping South African history.

"They also speak volumes of 바카라사이트 personality of 바카라사이트 writer and show, into 바카라사이트 bargain, that 바카라사이트 seeds of what happened later in this part of 바카라사이트 world can be traced back to 바카라사이트 mid-17th century."

Mr Kirby does not believe Professor Datta was fooled by 바카라사이트 book. "I think he is having 바카라사이트 laugh here, making total asses out of that highly pompous journal's editors. You only have to glance through 바카라사이트 review to see that it's written by a very incisive and informed mind."

Attempts by Mr Kirby to contact Professor Datta were unsuccessful, although 바카라사이트 University of Botswana confirmed that he works 바카라사이트re as director of 바카라사이트 international institute for documentation and research.

Attempts to elicit response from 바카라사이트 journal's editors - William Beinart, Colin Stoneman, Liz Gunner and Saul Dubow - proved equally fruitless. "My letter, faxed twice to 바카라사이트 editors of 바카라사이트 journal, remains unanswered," Mr Kirby said.

But, in a reply to a complaint by a South African academic, Dr Beinart has explained that 바카라사이트 review had been unsolicited, that 바카라사이트 author was "particularly insistent" that it be published, and that it has "slipped through" at a time when 바카라사이트 journal was in 바카라사이트 process of a difficult transition, changing publishers and some editors.

Mr Kirby said: "It's quite clear that 바카라사이트 journal is running on post-colonial autopilot. Once you do that, things like academic discretion become secondary. You just go ahead and publish anything which anoints your prejudice."