- Pieter-Dirk Uys
Pieter-Dirk Uys (pronEng|ˈeɪs or "ace") is a
South Africa n satirist (born 1945 inCape Town ), active as a performer, author, and social activist. He is the son of aCalvinist Afrikaner father andBerlin -bornJew ish mother and began his dramatic career as a seriousplaywright , switching to one-man revues at the height of the Apartheid era.Uys is particularly well known for his character Evita Bezuidenhout (also known as Tannie Evita), a white Afrikaner socialite and self-proclaimed political activist. The character was inspired by
Australia n comedianBarry Humphries 's characterDame Edna Everage . Evita is the ambassadress of Bapetikosweti - a fictitiousBantustan or black homeland located outside her home in the affluent, formerly whites-only suburbs ofJohannesburg . Evita Bezuidenhout is named in honour of the Argentine political figure and former First Lady, Eva (or Evita) Perón.Under Apartheid, Uys used the medium of
humour andstand-up comedy to criticize and expose the absurdity of the South African government's racial policies. Much of his work was not censored, indicating 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 South African 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". [http://www.teddyaward.tv/2006/popup/video.asp?OzIID=8278&ObjKatID=113&ThemaKatID=1019] [http://www.newstatesman.com/200607100031] This was later erroneously attributed to Uys himself.Following South Africa's first non-racial elections in
1994 , Uys starred in a TV series, "Funigalore", in which Evita interviewedNelson Mandela and other prominent politicians of the day. In the theater, Uys/Evita's performances include "You ANC Nothing Yet". He and his character are known for their tireless work in the frontline ofHIV /AIDS activism and education. He is currently involved in teaching AIDS awareness to children and education in the use ofcondoms , traveling to schools all over South Africa.He has converted the old railway station of Darling, where he lives, into a cabaret venue called "Evita se Perron" (Perron is
Afrikaans for "station platform") and performs there regularly.
=Awards and Honours [http://www.175.uct.ac.za/creative/?f=2&s=0#u] =*Truth and Reconciliation Award in 2001
*Mrs Evita Bezuidenhout was awarded the Living Legacy 2000 Award in San Diego USA.
*Doctor honoris causa from
**Rhodes University: D.Litt.Hon. in 1997
**University of Cape Town: D.Litt for distinguished, socially-responsible creative work in 2003
**University of the Western Cape: D.Edu.Hon. in 2003Books
*Farce about Uys (Jonathan Ball and Ad. Donker Publishers, 1983) - ISBN 0-86850-077-1
*Selle ou storie: A play (Donker, 1983) - ISBN 0-86852-027-6
*Paradise Is Closing Down and Other Plays (Penguin Books Ltd, 1989) - ISBN 0-14-048228-8
*Funigalore: Evita's Real-Life Adventures in Wonderland (The Penguin Group (SA) (Pty) Ltd) - ISBN 0-14-025313-0
*The Essential Evita Bezuidenhout (The Essential Series) (David Philip Publishers) - ISBN 0-86486-349-7
*A part hate a part love: The legend of Evita Bezuidenhout (Hond, 1994) - ISBN 1-874969-08-6
*Trekking to Teema (Compress, 2001) - ISBN 1-919833-10-2
*Farce about Uys (Jonathan Ball and Ad. Donker Publishers, 1983) - ISBN 0-86850-077-1
*Elections & Erections: A Memoir of Fear and Fun (Zebra Press, 2003) - ISBN 1-86872-665-7External links
* [http://www.pdu.co.za/ Pieter's home page]
* [http://www.evita.co.za/ Evita se Perron]
*imdb name|id=1138462|name=Pieter-Dirk Uys
* [http://www.zoopy.com/evita Evita Bezuidenhout's social media profile on Zoopy.com]
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