Hilde Slinger, former President of the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa (SSOSA), passed away earlier this month at the age of 88.
Friends and colleagues have paid tribute to her as an energetic and dedicated educator, literary and cultural activist, writer and editor.
Slinger was a teacher and school principal for many years. After retiring from the Holy Family Convent in Durban, she moved to Grahamstown (Makhanda) and became involved in SSOSA branch activities. She was president of the Society from 2000-2007, and during this time she convened two of its triennial congresses.
Laurence Wright, himself a former president of the Society and previously director of the Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA), where Slinger had an office during her tenure, recounts this anecdote about her taking on the role: “One of Hilde’s outstanding characteristics was her ability to see the best in people. She was good at encouraging and supporting. However, when she was elected President of SSOSA she was both delighted and appalled. Daunted might be the right word. She confessed her trepidations to Guy Butler, who with a twinkle looked her straight in the eye: ‘Hilde, it will be alright’. She brightened and her face lifted like the petals of a flower opening. And it certainly was.”
In addition, Hilde was the longtime editor of the Society’s Newsletter, incorporating Occasional Papers and Reviews (OPAR), the predecessor of Shakespeare ZA. She also contributed to the SSOSA journal, Shakespeare in Southern Africa.
Hilde remained active in literary and cultural initiatives, supporting numerous productions of Shakespeare’s plays for and by schools. Her involvement in the South African Writers’ Circle was recognised by the establishment of the SAWC Hilde Slinger Award for Poetry.
Other past presidents of SSOSA have expressed condolences on behalf of the Society and all those who knew Hilde, especially her friends in Makhanda. Warren Snowball attests that “Hilde loved the plays of Shakespeare and was very knowledgeable about them. I never knew her to have a quarrel or to say an unkind word about anyone. She was an inspiration to all who came in contact with her and everyone admired her for both her knowledge and for her dedication to whatever she undertook. I sorely miss her presence.” Malcolm Hacksley will remember “her intelligence, her compassion, her insight, her humour, her work ethic, her faith”.
Hilde’s son, Jonathan Slinger, writes: “My mother loved the time that she spent in Grahamstown and always had very happy memories of the projects and people with whom she worked. We, as her family, are grateful for the warmth, compassion and friendship shown to her by those with whom she worked so closely.”