, Kort Opsomming/ Short Summary (English & Afrikaans)
English Summary
Fiela se Kind tells the story of a young white boy, Benjamin, who is found abandoned and adopted
by a coloured woman, Fiela Komoetie, in the Knysna forest in nineteenth-century South Africa. He
grows up loved and cared for, but when census officials arrive, he is taken from Fiela and placed
with the Van Rooyen family, who believe he is their missing son Lukas. Benjamin struggles with
identity, belonging and injustice as he is forced into a life that feels alien to him. Ultimately, the
story explores themes of identity, belonging, racial and social injustice, and the power of nurture
and love over blood ties.
Afrikaans Opsomming
Fiela se Kind is ’n aangrypende verhaal oor liefde, verlies en identiteit. Die bosvrou Fiela
Komoetie vind ’n driejarige wit seuntjie, Benjamin, buite haar deur en neem hom as haar eie aan.
Hy groei in liefde en warmte op. Wanneer sensuswerkers egter daaroor besluit om hom terug te
plaas by die Van Rooyen-gesin as hul vermiste kind Lukas, verloor hy sy tuiste en sukkel om by sy
“nuwe” familie te pas. Die drama ondersoek wat familie werklik beteken, en hoe liefde en
versorging belangriker kan wees as bloedverwantskap.
English Summary
Fiela se Kind tells the story of a young white boy, Benjamin, who is found abandoned and adopted
by a coloured woman, Fiela Komoetie, in the Knysna forest in nineteenth-century South Africa. He
grows up loved and cared for, but when census officials arrive, he is taken from Fiela and placed
with the Van Rooyen family, who believe he is their missing son Lukas. Benjamin struggles with
identity, belonging and injustice as he is forced into a life that feels alien to him. Ultimately, the
story explores themes of identity, belonging, racial and social injustice, and the power of nurture
and love over blood ties.
Afrikaans Opsomming
Fiela se Kind is ’n aangrypende verhaal oor liefde, verlies en identiteit. Die bosvrou Fiela
Komoetie vind ’n driejarige wit seuntjie, Benjamin, buite haar deur en neem hom as haar eie aan.
Hy groei in liefde en warmte op. Wanneer sensuswerkers egter daaroor besluit om hom terug te
plaas by die Van Rooyen-gesin as hul vermiste kind Lukas, verloor hy sy tuiste en sukkel om by sy
“nuwe” familie te pas. Die drama ondersoek wat familie werklik beteken, en hoe liefde en
versorging belangriker kan wees as bloedverwantskap.
