Diana Ferrus
Diana Ferrus (29 August 1953 – 30 January 2026) was a South African writer and storyteller of mixed Khoisan and slave ancestry. Her work was published in Afrikaans and English. Ferrus led writing workshops in Cape Town whilst working as an administrator at the University of the Western Cape.
Diana Ferrus
- Born
- 29 August 1953
- Birthplace
- Worcester, Cape Province, Union of South Africa
- Died
- 30 January 2026
- Place of death
- South Africa
- Occupation
- Writer, storyteller
- Education
- Utrecht University
- Languages
- English
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Diana Ferrus (29 August 1953 – 30 January 2026) was a South African writer and storyteller of mixed Khoisan and slave ancestry. Her work was published in Afrikaans and English. Ferrus led writing workshops in Cape Town whilst working as an administrator at the University of the Western Cape.
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wikidata · Q1208814 · wikipedia · Diana Ferrus
In this article
Biography
Biography
Ferrus is best known for her poem about Sarah Baartman, a South African woman taken to Europe under false pretenses and paraded as a curiosity. She wrote the poem in 1998 while studying at Utrecht University. The popularity of this poem is widely believed to be responsible for the return of Baartman's remains to South Africa. The poem was published into a French law. She was a founder of the Afrikaans Skrywersvereniging (ASV), Bush Poets, and Women in Xchains. Ferrus had a publishing company called Diana Ferrus Publishers and co-edited and published a collection of stories about fathers and daughters. Ferrus died on 30 January 2026, at the age of 72.
Key facts
Key facts
• Born — 29 August 1953 • Birthplace — Worcester, Cape Province, Union of South Africa • Died — 30 January 2026 • Place of death — South Africa • Occupation — Writer, storyteller • Education — Utrecht University • Employer — University of the Western Cape • Notable Works — "A Poem For Sarah Baartman" • Website — https: web.archive.org/web/20130405182247/http: dianaferrus.com/
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Worcester.
Birth place
South Africa.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Diana Ferrus”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q1208814: Diana Ferrus
Reputable secondary · Wikidata
scholarly publication
- Diana Ferrus: the South African poet whose words reclaimed history, 2026
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2026
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Studied at
2- University of the Western CapeOrganisation
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- Utrecht UniversityOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 20 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Books
38,991 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
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