(additional articles about PDU can be found in the Archives)
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Not your average South African
– Clayton Swanepoel, The New Age Online, 11 November 2011
There are many ways you could describe Pieter-
Considering his impressive list of accolades and vast body of work, it seems Pieter-
This year, Uys received the 2011 TMSA Naledi Lifetime Achiever Award for his contribution to South African theatre.
“It’s nice to know that people have noticed,” he says modestly. “It’s not about the award, it’s about what is the next step. How do you reinvent success?”
Uys also received a Special Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival this year for his work as Evita Bezuidenhout. The award celebrates work done in film and entertainment with lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender topics.
A multitalented entertainer, the release of his latest book Bambi Kellerman: Never
Too Naked has had readers in hysterics over the life of Bambi Kellerman, the wild
and wonderful black-
The book recounts a number of outrageous stories with a uniquely South African twist. From John F Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe to Ava Gardener and Marlene Dietrich — Bambi knew them all, or at least in some cases thought she did.
Bambi, unlike Evita, brings a more overtly naughty persona into Uys’s world and like any good creator he doesn’t have a favourite. “Hell it’s difficult (to pick a favourite),” he says, “It’s like saying who do you like more Amy Winehouse or Doris Day? The truth is I love them both.”
A massive amount of planning went into the book. “I did a huge amount of research,” he admits, “I had to know where I was from a historical perspective.” The book manages to give a glimpse of the social and political issues of the time through its central character who has the same naive and unintentional impact on the world as Forrest Gump.
Except Bambi is rather wild and a little worldlier. She is, after all, a stripper.
Known for his work as an HIV-
“Talking is so important,” he says, “It’s so important that we get parents to talk to their kids and get kids to talk to their grandparents and parents.”
Uys is far more than a one-
Another issue rearing its head again in South Africa is the new “Secrecy Bill” and Uys is pretty adamant that he won’t be silenced, “No, good God. The old government didn’t and the new democratic one certainly won’t.
“I think it will be very difficult to push this through,” says Uys, “Let’s not forget that there are some damn good people in the ANC. And together we’ll fight this.”
Being Evita Bezuidenhout during the apartheid years must have taken some serious courage. It’s actually a miracle that Uys and his larger than life character managed to slip through the cracks of censorship committees of the day.
“We need even more courage now,” Uys said, “During apartheid, so many more people didn’t have a voice. Now everyone does and we must not be frightened to have an opinion. People hold back because they are afraid they might be labelled as racist or sexist. We must not be vicious and speak up every single day.”
Something that close friend of Uys’s, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, has exercised time and time again. Most recently with the Dalai Lama visa debacle.
“I was very upset by his pain,” says Uys, “It was so painful for him and yet again he said things that need to be said. And he’s right, what happened is pathetic.”
Controversial actions like the delay in the Dalai Lama’s visa seem to backtrack our progress more than anything else. “In a country where we have this terminal cancer of corruption, we'll need some chemotherapy," Uys says, "Well have to lose our hair and make sacrifices, but we can't go backwards."
“If you look away from fear, it becomes bigger than you,” Uys said reflectively, “We need to sort out confusion and for me humour is a great weapon of mass distraction. And helps dissolve prejudice.”
Probably our most controversial figure in politics at the moment, Julius Malema has made an impact on Uys too. “I think a figure like Malema is long overdue,” Uys says, “A youth leader that provokes is important. And the fact is that there is a lot he says that is true. There are still a lot of whites who are fat, rich and still complaining.”
His sentiments don’t, however, mean that he always agrees with Malema. “It’s not what he says,” said Uys, “It’s the way he says it. It’s cheap politics and that beret turned to the side is just too funny.”
So how do we solve the ANCYL issues? “We need to stop panicking,” Uys says, “I think they should dissolve the ANCYL and tell them to start their own party and take them on at the polls.”
Despite the negative aspects of South Africa, Uys believes that there are just as many positives. His love for South Africa is clear.
“It’s my home, my oxygen and all the bad smells are familiar,” he says with a smile in his voice, “It’s familiar and unique, and we have to look after it.”
Performing and educating so many South Africans across the country has reinforced his positivity about our future, “Every time I leave a school,” he says, “I get so excited for their enthusiasm and excitement for their lives.”
Uys is also excited about life and is nowhere near retirement, “Why? I don’t know what that means,” he says, “It’s a horrible word and as long as I am healthy and can do what I do properly I won’t stop.
“I don’t want to lose my courage to go into dangerous areas,” he says in response to what he’d still like to achieve. “To keep going into the minefields of satire. One of my proudest and most memorable moments was making Nelson Mandela laugh at what I do,” Uys says,
“He’s a great fan and whenever he sees me he packs out laughing.” A memory that in my mind nearly overshadows his list of awards.
Uys has a long-
Since moving there more than a decade ago, Uys has been instrumental in helping improve the community. “We’ve developed an arts school where the kids can do things like learn to play piano,” he says, “We’ve also focused on the health of the community.
“We make sure people can get to hospital and often hold workshops about the dangers of drugs and alcoholism for parents. We are focused on health, education and fun,” he said.
“It took us eight years to get a pool for the kids, but it changed their lives. We also take them to the beach and try to give them an adventure.”
Concluding the interview, I can’t help but feel that Pieter-
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