Fatima Meer, Choosing to Be Defiant: Pictures, Paintings, Politics, by Rajendra Chetty

Abstract

Fatima Meer: Choosing to Be Defiant, by Rajendra Chetty, is a visual narrative of the life of author, sociologist, artist, political prisoner, and human rights campaigner Fatima Meer. A passionate South African who fought her entire life for the equality and dignity of all South Africans, Meer was the very definition of the no-nonsense freedom fighter for whom the struggle for human rights never ended. In Chetty, her story has a meticulous follower and Choosing to Be Defiant is a valuable contribution to the literature dedicated to those who fought for a democratic South Africa. Like Meer herself, Chetty is both an involved academic and an authentic critic, shedding light on different ways Meer proved to be defiant, both indefatigably and controversially. The book reveals a sober understanding of a complex life and avoids the pitfalls of hero worship, something Meer herself rejected and made a point of circumventing.