Madeleine Van Biljon, South African writer
Date: 1999
Region: Africa
Subject: Religious
Medium: Literature
Artist: Madeleine Van Biljon (1929 - 2010)
Confronting Bodies: Afrikaan Language and Culture Association
Date of Action: May 1998
Location: South Africa
Description of Artwork: Van Biljon admitted to Finesse, a magazine for Christian women, that she did not believe in the Christian religion.
The Incident: Van Biljon is a well-known Afrikaner writer. She won an award from the Afrikaans Language and Culture Association (ATKV) for her work. The ATKV was the cultural arm of the Afrikaner Broederbond, a political mafia behind the National Party government responsible for the aparteid. The award was taken away from Van Biljon on the grounds that it was "only for Christians."
Results of Incident: The ATKV retracted Van Biljon's prize
Source: Index on Censorship, 4/98