Connor Cullinan
Radical adult comic book Bitterkomix has been excluded from this year’s Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees (KKK) in Oudtshoorn, despite a successful show at last year’s event. The organisers have given conflicting reasons for the exclusion; Bitterkomix’s editors say they suspect censorship by stealth.
The comic, an Afrikaans collection of graphic narrative, was founded in 1992 by a group of Stellenbosch art students. It is characterised by its anarchic flavour, black humour, and often sexually explicit content. Described variously as “adolescent” and “befok (in the best sense)”.
Co-editors Conrad Botes and Anton Kannemeyer were keen to use the fringe of this year’s KKK as a launch-pad for the eighth edition of Bitterkomix. They applied for an exhibition space in December, only to have their application turned down weeks before the festival is due to begin.
Festival director Pieter Fourie denies any under-handedness in the selection process. According to Fourie, a lack of space prevented the inclusion of Bitterkomix (and some 90 others), and their popularity at last year’s festival doesn’t guarantee exposure this year.
Yet Botes and Kannemeyer also received a letter from the KKK in February informing them their application had been rejected because it was incomplete. They had sent a comprehensive package including CVs, press clippings, and copies of their work.
Botes feels a “hidden political agenda” could be involved: one that favours the promotion of a more conservative conception of Afrikaans culture, and panders to middle-class white taste. The festival’s main sponsor is Afrikaans publishing giant Perskor.