Diana Ferrus was born in Worcester in 1953. She matriculated at the Esselen Park High School in 1972. In 1973 she came to study at the University of the Western Cape. Diana received a fellowship to study at the University of Utrecht in 1998.
Diana is internationally known and acclaimed for the poem that she wrote for the indigenous South African woman, Sarah Baartman, who was taken away from her country under false pretences and paraded as a sexual freak in Europe. This poem touched the heart of the French Senate and upon hearing it they voted unanimously that her remains should come home. This poem is published in the French Law, a first in French history. Diana’s work has had and still has a bearing and influence on matters of race, sex and reconciliation.
In 2012 Diana received the inaugural Mbokodo Award for poetry. She has also received an award from the Western Cape Provincial Government for her work with women. In 2008 the Klein Karoo Kunstefees also awarded her for her contribution to the development of Afrikaans. She has published 3 books, Ons Komvandaan, I’ve come to take you home (2010), and Die vrede kom later (2019). In 2020 she received the Freedom of the Town award from the Breede Valley Municipality together with 11 other prominent Worcestererians. In 2022 the University of Stellenbosch bestowed an honorary doctorate on her. Other awards include The Legends Award by Kyknet, a lifetime achievement award by SBA (Stigting vir Bemagtiging deur Afrikaans) and a Prestige Award by the ATKV.
