Books

“One of the signal strengths of this supple book is that through considered scholarship it avoids the lazy rhetorical slide that wants to reimagine all Black figures as modern-day action heroes in historical garb.”

Leader of the only successful slave revolution in history

An outstanding study of how ‘the first black superhero of the modern age’ led the world’s only successful slave revolution.
In January 1804, the West Indian island of Saint-Domingue became the world’s first black republic. The Africans toiling on the sugar-rich plantations overthrew their French masters and declared independence. The name Saint-Domingue was replaced by the aboriginal Taíno Indian word Haiti (meaning “mountainous land”) and the Haitian flag created when the white band was ceremonially ripped from the French tricolour.

Sipho Kings and Sarah Wild have been reporting on different facets of climate change for most of their careers. Their book, South Africa’s Survival Guide to Climate Change, is ultimately a survival guide, which rests on the idea that we could possibly survive a changing climate. With temperatures climbing and sea levels rising, parts of South Africa are already well on their way to being uninhabitable and we need a plan.

Every morning, there are people in South Africa who wake up and try to piece together the puzzle of climate change. That is their day job.

KayDee Our books editor lays out the path for young writers who want to get their work published. If you followed last month's advice on how to succeed as an author, you may be well on your way to completing your first project or at least have started writing (if we're being more realistic). Writing is the beginning of a long process which includes getting someone to read your work, editing, proofing and formatting. After publishing, there are still marketing and distribution processes...

From our very own books editor, here are a few tips to help you become the author you want to be. All under the acronym WRITE – write, read, invest, test and enjoy! Write! Practice makes perfect Whenever someone asks me for writing advice, the first thing I tell them is that they must start writing. When an aspiring author asks about the publishing process, my first question is often “what have you written thus far?” because, writers write! How do you start writing? Pour out your ideas onto a...

A recently published collection of poems, stories and essays destabilises the notion of a single queer story and contributes to an expansive LGBTQIA+ archive. It is important to see yourself in everything. As critical concepts such as representation and diversity continue to be brought into cultural conversations, from film to literature and music, our school syllabi and the streets, we should be gifted with finding ourselves in every articulation of being. Queer and trans people often wait...

Kopano Matlwa gets South Africans to ask the important questions

In 2007, South African writer Kopano Matlwa burst onto the literary scene with the publication of her debut novel Coconut, which went on to win the European Union Literary Award. Spilt Milk was her second novel, which won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature in 2010. Our books editor, Kay-Dee Mashile, reviews Matlwa’s latest novel, Period Pain, which was recently shortlisted for the Sunday Times Barry Ronge Fiction Prize.

The biography of Onkgopotse Abram Tiro

Parcel of Death recounts the little-told life story of Onkgopotse Abram Tiro, the first South African freedom fighter the apartheid regime pursued beyond the country’s borders to assassinate with a parcel bomb, in 1974. He is also hailed by many as the ‘godfather’ of the June 1976 uprisings. Tiro’s anti-apartheid speech in 1972 saw him and many of his fellow student activists expelled, igniting a series of strikes in tertiary institutions across the country.

“Azania! Hear the cries of your children”

Red Africa

Blood red

Dry and red
Barren and bare
Africa is as red as Mars
Dry as the lips of her hungry
I guess she must also be hungry
What other reason can she possibly have to eat her own children?
Children that she bled to bare
Children that she dared to raise against all odds?

“Detention, imprisonment, torture and banishment were almost inevitable”

Mathatha Tsedu, veteran journalist and writer-in-residence at STIAS is a familiar face in the media landscape. He has served as editor of City Press and Sunday Times, he has been deputy head of news at SABC and head of the Media 24’s Journalist academy. Added to his many accolades is chairperson of the African Editors Forum and the SANEF. He was recently honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa, during the awarding of National Orders at a ceremony in Tshwane.

We have more that makes us similar than that which makes us different.

Bongani Madondo once wrote, “Writing is both an act of war and a practice of love”.  It is war, both internally and externally, to write your version of the truth. It often calls for the crucifixion of self – one’s pride has to give in to one’s vulnerability. To Rethabile Lenkoe, a South African author, and social worker, writing is like stepping out naked and hoping that people will understand your motives and help you instead of condemning you.

Honesty, resilience, tact, empathy, thoughtfulness and sincerity

A new book, called Heroes, published by the organisation Activate! Change Drivers gives voice to the youth. Through Heroes, they hope to shine a light on everyday heroes and leaders who will stop at nothing to positively impact their surroundings. Heroes tells the stories of young people who have started their own businesses, overcome drug addiction, advocate for the LGBTQI+ community and much more.

The 1976 uprising told for our children

Malume’s Painting is a reminder to South Africans, of how the youth of 1976 played a pivotal role in the country’s liberation struggle which led to the ultimate collapse of apartheid. This is a significant book about South African history deserving to be told over and over again, especially to the children so that they stay in touch with their history and appreciate their heritage.

Greatest wars are fought with words

There’s an African proverb which says, the greatest wars are fought with words. What then do we do as young Africans? Do we write more? Do we read more? Do we resort to violence or civil disobedience? Two young Africans are making their mark with books. This month we review Malaika wa Azania’s ‘Memoirs of a Born Free’ and Sihle Bolani’s ‘We are the ones we need’.

“While Europe was experiencing the Dark Ages, Africa was in a period of enlightenment”

Dr Ruben Richards was classified by apartheid as “coloured”, and for whom there was very little chance of succeeding beyond being cheap labour for the apartheid economy. But despite the odds, Ruben has triumphed and serves as an inspiration to those who don’t believe that success is possible – even when the odds are stacked against you.

Essential rural knowledge-banks are under threat

As many as 15 libraries in the Eastern Cape have closed over the past year. Considering South Africa’s unequal access to data, internet services and poor access to existing public facilities – a renewed, innovative approach to the design of current and new library facilities is imperative.Considering South Africa’s unequal access to data, internet services and poor access to existing public facilities – a renewed, innovative approach to the design of current and new library facilities is imperative.

Duiker’s books received acclaim for boldly tackling homosexuality, drug use, and sex work, and exploring subjugation, dispossession, and trauma.Kabelo “Sello” Duiker, novelist, screenwriter, and one of South Africa’s most exciting creative voices, had a brief but widely impactful career. Born on 13 April 1974, Duiker studied journalism and art history at Rhodes University in Grahamstown, where he co-founded a poetry society called Seeds. He published two novels, Thirteen Cents (New Africa Books, 2000), which is written from the perspective of a Cape Town…

This `novel’ has a special place of honour

With his latest book, The List, journalist and author, Barry Gilder has taken the first step towards possibly becoming South Africa’s John Le Carre. Britain’s Le Carre is known for his fascinating stories of espionage and counter espionage against the backdrop of British governance.What Gilder has done with The List is to take the reader into contemporary South African governance providing insights into what could be going on behind the scenes in the murky spaces of national and international politics. Not only does he do this, he also provides scenes that take us back to pre 1994…

In her debut anthology, Mfazwe uses her poetic voice to take the reader on a journey of self-discovery by sharing her own pain. Although the author acknowledges the many hurdles she has overcome along the way, the book ignites hope and courage. Ndinethemba: My Hope. My Strength. My Progress, written by Eyethu Mfazwe from the Eastern Cape, is the story of the black female experience, told through beautifully crafted poetry. Women of colour have predominantly been omitted from many historical...

With her second collection Red Cotton, the enigmatic poet is raising new hairs

South African poetry has historically existed on the margins, often considered too radical to have a mainstream audience. But things are changing, there’s a generation of local poets dragging the artform back into the spotlight and one of those poets is Vangile Gantsho.In 2012, she stormed her way to poetic relevance with the publication of her poem I expect more from you, which is about the intimate cost of freedom and what those who had to pay it are holding out for. Gantsho captures the internal scars of dispossession so succinctly:

Short stories examine life through the lens of a black South African woman

Reflections Through My Glasses is a collection of short stories by Sebabatso Naledi Thulo which looks at life through the lens of a young, black South African woman. It looks at her upbringing in boarding school and the women who have helped her become the woman she is.Sebabatso Naledi Thulo reflects on her life experiences, organising her stories around themes of love, responsibility, passion, nature, survival and God – among others.

An Adventure Through Rebellion, Religion And Reason

Iman Rappetti is an award-winning journalist who has been involved in print, radio and television. She worked as a young journalist in South Africa and then abandoned it (along with all her worldly possessions) when she became Muslim. She lived in the Islamic Republic of Iran for two years, where she also worked on a current affairs TV show for the state broadcaster before returning to South Africa and resuming her life here.

Sindiwe Magona Beauty's Gift by Sindiwe Magona is a riveting, moving tale of how four women lose their best friend. And how they decide to change the fate of their own lives as well as the lives of those closest to them. AIDS activist Zackie Achmat described it as "one of the most important books about HIV/AIDS in our country." This is an extract from the book. MORNING, 28 SEPTEMBER Cemetery, NY 5, Gugulethu God knew the African woman was going to have a very, very hard life. That is why He...

A first-hand account of the #FeesMustFall movement

Breaking a Rainbow, Building a Nation is a first-hand account of the university protests that gripped South Africa between 2015 and 2017, widely known as the #FeesMustFall. Rekgotsofetse Chikane outlines the nature of student politics in the country before, during and after the emergence of #MustFall politics, exploring the political dynamics that informed and drove the student protests…