Launch Issue October 2014
ANGELA MAKHOLWA 1
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Publisher’s Note 4
Open Book Festival 6
Satoshi Kitamura 10
Fixing our Schools 12
Bookshelf Summaries 14
Angela Makholwa 28
Isabelle Ndlovu 46
Max Baloyi 52
Tiego Morallane 54
Tiisetso Mashifane 56
Cape Town Marathon 58
Open Book Festival 2014
Authors Magazine Š 2014 All Rights Reserved. Excerpts may be used as long as this publication is credited as the source. Longer versions of our content may only be used with the written permission of the publisher. Whilst we have taken care in preparing this publication, the publisher & editorial team does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. We retain the right to edit all content. Advertisers are responsible for their material
Issue 1 Oct 2014
Table of Contents
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From The Publisher Issue 1 Oct 2014 A hearty welcome to the readers of our very first digital issue of Authors Magazine! History begins today, 1 October 2014. Whew! We made it…..the countdown since 8 September 2014 to 30 September 2014! Authors Magazine has landed safely into the digital planet space! Conceived exactly 3 weeks ago, it was a close shave, but here we are. With much anticipation and excitement, we at AM have been working around the ticking clock, preparing for a safe and auspicious landing. At first, we thought it was a crazy idea to let you in our secret space and set up a timer, but we sought to test our commitment for delivering on our promises. Our digital soft launch was planned for 1 October 2014! You be the judge….. Authors Mag is a South African initiative and proudly so. Why Authors Magazine? Authors Mag aims to enrich the lives of many authors and encourage new writers to grow, use their talents to inform, correct, reveal, and celebrate life. We recognise authors as celebrities and deserving of more than just a paragraph of book reviews in other non-author magazines. Fanatic book readers are a community of creative and intellectual people whose loyalty to the world of books needs to be rewarded. Authors Mag will fill this gap – a digital magazine where authors and readers hang out! We figured that in encouraging reading and writing, stories that never make it to the book launches, reviews and signing events would have the chance to be told. These are real life issues that authors grapple with but are also a source of inspiration to others – balancing work-life, publishing, type of book to write and length, research, deciding to be an author, preparation etc. If we knew more about the stories behind the stories, maybe we might just start plucking up the courage to write and read! If we knew the real story behind Google, maybe we might have more such stories emerging. The Google story is how two university students forged a relationship that launched a software tool, now used by millions all over the world, to search the Internet. Google was launched from a small office; the two were simply having fun with no idea of how they would make money. They followed their passion and then money followed them, big time! This is the real success story, the fascinating story behind the story! Follow your passion….discover your purpose…. Read…. write…..let us encourage dialogue…..let us make the circle of wisdom bigger….let us build a heritage for our future generations! Books have a way of preserving a snapshot of where society is in culture - through ideas and general solutions to issues. It’s been proven time and again that societies that love books tend to be successful people. In terms of this launch issue, we’ll take you through an interesting conversation with the amazing Angela Makholwa - her recent book being “Black Widow Society” and she also touches on her other works. We were at the Open Book Festival in Cape Town from the 17th September, and we give you our take on who we saw and what they’re up to. It was very inspiring being surrounded by so many authors at the same time in one place, so we’ll be conversing with more of them in the upcoming issues.
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Congratulations to Willy, Henry and Josphat from Kenya for winning the 42 km Cape Town Marathon (males category) and Meseret, Goitetom (from Ethiopia) and Beatrice Jepkemboi (from Kenya) in the females category. We give you extra reading material for all those who love distance running. In two weeks - 16th October - we’re launching Authors TV… Every Wednesday will be a new episode. The great guests that are lined up, you’ll have to wait and see how cool they are… you’ll find it all on authorsmag.com Let’s get into this month’s edition… Mtho
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Situated at Caledon and Buitekant street, the Fugard Theatre was the center of the Open Book Festival. Its intimate setting allowed first timers like ourselves to feel at ease and enjoy the festivities. This place is in the very heart of Cape Town, just only a block or two from Parliament.
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Satoshi Kitamu
“The younger the child’s age, more simplification is needed”
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Japanese illustrator and storyteller Satoshi Kitamura telling a children’s story - of “Lionel the Rockstar” and the troubles of his bad-hair day - to over 40 children that were interacting and laughing and helping Lionel find a good hairstyle for his concert that evening. What’s the most challenging thing about children’s stories? Satoshi responds “It’s more difficult to create stories for 4 year olds as opposed to 9 year olds. The younger the child’s age, more simplification is needed so the story makes sense to the child while keeping the story as it should be. Creating stories for young children takes longer because of that.” Did you train formally to draw your story characters that quickly? “Not at all, it all came with practice because I love what I do, so I spent lots of time drawing and with time it became faster.” Satoshi was telling his stories using a “Kamishibai” (Paper Theatre) pronounced “kah-mee-she-bye”. Before television was the order of the day, stories in Japan were shared by tradesman using this little device to capture audience and keep them coming for more. Today, Kamishibai tend to be used mainly for educational purposes. The children were given a short assignment to draw a hairstyle that would be nice for Lionel the Rockstar, and within seconds the library was buzzing with the creativity of these little ones. Each child had their own version of the best hairstyle. The joy in their faces definitely made the chilly Cape weather warm that morning. With over 50 books written that have interesting titles such as “Twinkle, Twinkle, Firefly” to “The Carnival of the Animals”, Satoshi puts a smile in many children’s hearts.
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Fixing Our Schools
“What is it that we can put in the hands of every to give people a sustainable way of looking at Prof. Jansen
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Source: Bookstorm
y high school, the issues?”
'Ways of speaking can help heal or they can provoke; they can inflame passions or settle nerves.' Professor Jonathan Jansen is fast becoming a household name in South Africa, for his critical and at times inconvenient voice. In this collection of articles previously published in The Times Jansen highlights the issues that confront our country – the issues we need to talk about. With humour, humility, occasional anger and a good dose of common sense Jansen discusses education, race and identity, the state of our nation, leadership and even sport. When asked what the secret of his controversial columns is, he answers, ‘A good column upsets half of your readers; the secret is that it should be a different half each time.’ Jansen takes his inspiration from a diverse group of people – statesmen, teachers, students, children and everyday South Africans he meets – and introduces us to them through these stories to bring us a vision of the South Africa we can build, if only we pull together and work to heal the wounds of the past. A book to make you stop and think and then talk about his ideas around the dinner table, in the staffroom, in the classroom or on the bus.
Source: Bookstorm It started as advice to his own two children entering adulthood, it spread to his students at the University of the Free State and now tens of thousands of his followers of Twitter and Facebook wait for Jonathan Jansen's words of wisdom every day. Each day Jansen (@JJ_UFS) writes a "Letter to my children" -- a nugget of advice on life, love and becoming a compassionate, thinking human being. Jansen has become South Africa's moral barometer in a time when leadership seems to be sorely lacking in many areas of our country which explains why this project has struck such a chord with South Africans young and old alike. Jansen talks to young people using new media but continues to give them good old fashioned advice about how to conduct their lives as strong and caring citizens who live life to the fullest. In this book, Jansen explains his thinking behind his wildly popular Twitter campaign and shares the first 160 Tweets with his readers. The Tweets range in subject from politics, to love and relationships, to being a student and ensuring that you question the status quo. They include the following examples: condoms break; never under any circumstances become a politician; choose public service instead ; here is the secret to dealing with peer pressure choose the right peers; go to university to screw-up; how else will you learn?
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Bookshelf Summaries
Source: Holland Park Press
The focal point of the novel is the small town of Soutbek. Its troubles, hardships and corruption, but also its kindness, strong community and friendships, are introduced to us in a series of stories about intriguingly interlinked relationships. Contemporary Soutbek is still a divided town - the upper town destitute, and the lower town rich, largely ignorant - and through a series of vivid scenes, the troubled relationship between Pieter Fortuin, the town's first coloured mayor, and his wife Anna is revealed. In so many ways the past casts a long shadow over the present, not in the least through the unreliable diaries of Pieter Meerman promoted by Pieter Fortuin and Professor Pearson, a retired white historian. They give us a unique insight into the lives of the seventeenth-century Dutch explorers, and hint at a utopian society, suggesting that Soutbek is the birthplace of assimilation and integration. The blossoming friendship between Anna, Sara, a foundling, and Willem, Pieter Fortuin's nephew, is unsettled by David, Anna's and Pieter's son. His father has bought David a bright future, but when he comes back from boarding school David appears alienated from his father and from his old friend, the former gardener Charles Geduld, just as Anna starts to accept him as her son. Is there hope, or are we left with Willem's conclusion that 'he would spend the rest of his life working off the debt of his family's poverty'? A moving story that paints a thoughtprovoking picture of life in contemporary
In April 1992, David Sadera Munyakei, a newly employed clerk at the Central Bank of Kenya started noticing irregularities in the export compensation claims he was processing. On July 31st 2006, Kenya's biggest whistleblower passed away in rural obscurity, 14 years after exposing the Goldenberg scandal, Kenya's biggest economic scandal to date, estimated at over USD 1 billion. Billy Kahora recounts his story. Source: Kwani
Sister-sister is the unforgettable story of twins, Thulisile and Sindisiwe Nxumalo, set in a dystopian near-future South Africa. In childhood, gregarious Thuli and stuttering, introverted Sindi, are inseparable. But the arrival of an uncle they never knew they had sets into motion a course of events that will destroy their relationship and, eventually, their lives. In the twins' world, petrol-driven cars have been banned, and diesel pirates sell illegally distilled b-diesel to fuel junks. An unspeakable illness has run wild, disseminating populations in poverty stricken rural areas, and creating a market for untainted girls. In the townships a new religion, led by The Black Preacher, urges women to become Mothers for a New Mankind, and only those with pure blood are allowed into the Believers fold. The novel is told in five parts, interweaving present and past as the twins unwind their tragic stories and find salvation in the most unexpected of places. The second novel from the highly lauded author of Gem Squash Tokoloshe.
Source: Kwela 14
Bookshelf Summaries Returning to the land of her parents’ birth in 1994 – after making a name for herself as an actress on the British stage – Pamela Nomvete became a household name as Ntsiki Lukhele, “the bitch”, on Generations. But the mirage of luxury and success in which she lived was just that, a mirage. Behind closed doors she battled her husband’s infidelities, addiction and spiritual confusion. Dancing to the Beat of the Drum details the traumatic personal crisis Pamela went through as her success grew – a crisis which took everything she had worked for from her – and how she came to re-evaluate her priorities and reconnect with the spiritual side of her life – something she had long neglected.
“I have done some really brave things in my life. I, too, have done some really stupid ones. The line between these is precariously thin and I have far too often crossed it . . .” Casey B. Dolan – actress, television presenter, entertainer, DJ, entrepreneur and singer – is perhaps best known for being voted FHM South Africa’s sexiest woman in 2000. In this no-holdsbarred biography she unveils just what it is like to be that woman, the one on every magazine cover. A quirky, honest appraisal of life on the other side of the lens and why being the woman every man wants doesn’t necessarily get you what you want, especially when it comes to relationships. A surprising, funny, heartfelt story of bad relationships, broken dreams and one woman’s determination to succeed against all the odds. The best kind of biography – Casey B. Dolan will make you laugh out loud; she will make you cry your heart out. Source: Kwela
Source: Kwela Aher Arop Bol is a boy of three or four when his uncle carries him from the bush into an Ethiopian refugee camp. It is the 1980s and they are fleeing the civil war in Sudan. This remarkable account tracks Bol’s boyhood through one camp after another, through good times and bad, until he begins a vast journey through Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe which finally ends in South Africa some ten years later. By the time Bol reaches Pretoria, he is in his early twenties, and for the first time finds himself without a purpose. Hoping to lift his spirits, he starts studying English at a school for refugees. He recounts his life experiences to a teacher, who suggests he writes it all down. The result is this book.
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Bookshelf Summaries More and more of us are suffering from the stresses and strains of modern life. Mindfulness is an increasingly popular discipline that can not only help alleviate the symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression brought on by the pressures of our daily existence but can actually bring calm, joy and happiness into our lives.
Source: PanMacmillan
In The Little Book of Mindfulness Tiddy Rowan, herself a practitioner for over 30 years, has gathered together a seminal collection of over 150 techniques, tips, exercises, advice and guided meditations that will enable people at every level to follow the breath, still the mind and relax the body, whilst generating and boosting a feeling of well-being and contentment that will permeate every aspect of everyday life. The perfect little gift to bring lasting happiness and peace for friends and family.
Odette is a script writer for a popular TV soap opera. When she moves to the small Free State town of Nagelaten she hopes to leave her problems – of family, fraught relationships and experiences of crime – behind in Joburg. To the dwellers of Nagelaten, Odette appears to be escaping a painful break-up in a place she knows no-one – and won’t have to share her secrets. When Odette begins seeing the local engineer, Adriaan, also an outcast in this small town, secrets begin to surface around the murder of Adriaan’s wife. Odette’s world begins to unravel, when her ‘troubled’ daughter, Mandy, is suspected of killing the baby she was au pairing in the UK and soon comes to live with Odette, who has a secret of her own. It isn’t until Mandy befriends a strange man named Wolfie that Odette finally begins to question the mysteries of the small town. Odette is forced to face her mistakes of the past and the truth of a murder long since buried with the dead. The Imagined Child is a carefully plotted ‘whodunit’ that combines Jo-Anne’s trademark lyrical style with tight suspense and will keep you guessing until the last page.
Source: PanMacmillan
In April 2003, in the opening days of the Iraq War, the Baghdad Zoo was bombed, its animals released or taken. Watching the war unfold on television, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony became determined to travel to Baghdad and save what animals he could. Upon arrival, Anthony discovered Dr. Husham Hussan, the zoo’s vet, daily risking his life in an effort to feed and hydrate the few remaining creatures, including a Bengal tiger, a blind brown bear, several lions, a lynx and a few boars. Baboons, monkeys and various birds, all of whom had escaped their damaged cages, freely wandered the zoo grounds.
Source: PanMacmillan 16
With the zoo’s water pumps broken, the two men ferried water to the parched animals bucketful by bucketful from a nearby canal, an all day job in 115 – degree heat. Although still engaged in combat, American soldiers offered to help, giving the animals their MRE’s (Meals Ready to Eat) and “liberating” crucial supplies, ranging from cleaning solvents to generators to food for the zoo staff. In addition to saving the zoo’s animals, Anthony and his team rescued lions from one of Saddam’s son’s “love nests: closed down a black-market exotic-animal ring and rounded up some of Saddam’s prized Arabian horses.
Bookshelf Summaries At the time of South Africa’s first democratic election in 1994 it was clear that the structure of the economy had to change and that land ownership, employment opportunities and access to essential services had to match more closely the needs of the entire population. The Missing Piece: Solving South Africa’s Economic Puzzle explores various aspects of the South African economy over the past 20 years – what has worked and what has fallen short. It also looks into the next 20 years to see what needs to be done in order to put together the four pieces of our economy identified by Kevin Lings that will allow us to complete the puzzle and place South Africa on a higher potential growth path. This involves focusing on business development, redressing education policies, improving the use of technology, addressing our infrastructural backlog and developing a closer relationship with the rest of Africa. The practical policy proposals in The Missing Piece set it apart from other titles on the South African economy, while providing an accessible and comprehensive overview of the pertinent issues. Source: PanMacmillan
The food we eat is as diverse as the cultures and lifestyles of the people consuming it. But the issues underlying food run much deeper than the whims of our cultures or palates. Until now, the subject of food security has mostly been viewed as a rural issue, with research and development work honing in on subsistence farming. But with the massive influx into cities, the focus needs to shift to the metropolis. The Hungry Season takes science writer Leonie Joubert and photographer Eric Miller to eight different cities and towns around southern Africa as they explore the complex issues around food security, including: Childhood stunting and malnutrition; The transition from traditional ‘African’ to ‘Western’ diets; Chronic lifestyle-related illnesses associated with a modern diet; Nutritional literacy, behaviour and choices; Large-scale food production and urban food gardens;
Source: PanMacmillan
Poverty, joblessness and the geography of the city; Urban planning, supermarkets and the full food value chain; and Food wastage. Ultimately, The Hungry Season looks at the crisis of hunger and malnutrition surrounding us in the city, hidden behind layers of affluence and comfort. It tackles the fundamental question: Why is it that in southern Africa we produce enough calories and nutrients to keep the region full, satisfied and well nourished, and yet we still have such high levels of hunger and malnutrition?
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Bookshelf Summaries The last thing captain Benny Griessel of the Hawks needed, was trouble. Because he might be hitting the bottle again, he's lying to his colleagues and his Alcoholics Anonymous sponsor. And moving in with Alexa was a mistake. A rascal of a mistake. But the guest house bloodbath near Franschhoek was the work of a professional assassin - three victims, three perfect head shots. And it isn't only the the inexplicable engraving of a spitting cobra on the shells and the looming media circus - that's making Griessel very nervous. Two of the deceased were lean military types. Special Forces. Or Spooks. Trouble. Down the passage, in the last bedroom on the right, are signs of a struggle, and too much evidence that someone was kidnapped. Probably a foreigner Big trouble..
Source: Atlantic Monthly Press
save their pride - and the democracy.
But the passport is fake, the British Consulate is playing spy games, and the same assassin goes on a shooting spree at Cape Town's Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Then, the shadowy State Security Agency wants to take over the case, and the Hawks has to hunt down a very slick, very smart and very elusive pickpocket to
At 05:36 the woman is running up Lion’s Head. She is young, beautiful, American. And terrified. Because she is being hunted, like an animal. At 05:37, the call wakes detective inspector Bennie Griessel. There’s been a murder. A girl, her throat slit, her body lying next to St. Martini, the Lutheran Church in Long Street. At 07:02, the hung-over, alcoholic former singing sensation Alexa Barnard discovers her philandering music mogul husband’s body next to her on the floor – and a pistol just inches from her hand. By nine o’clock, with two murders to solve and his own longing for the bottle almost unbearable, Griessel realises his mentorship of a new generation of law enforcers is going to be a little more complicated than he anticipated. Past noon, the race to save a young tourist from death becomes desperate and chaotic, and just before half past five, they shoot Griessel, right in the heart. Fairly normal day, your typical thirteen hours of Cape Town homicide investigation.
Source: Groove Press 18
Bookshelf Summaries The Whale Caller, in tattered tuxedo, spends his days on the cliffs of the small coastal town of Hermanus blowing his kelp horn to the whales that visit in the summer months. In particular, he blows for Sharisha, a southern right whale who always responds to his call. With each surfacing of her giant head and each thrashing of her tail, the Whale Caller's connection to Sharisha deepens. Then Saluni enters his life. Saluni - the feisty village drunk, a passionate but self-destructive woman who frequents the taverns and consorts with passing sailors. She cannot understand nor tolerate his fixation with the whales, and as the relationship between her and the Whale Caller grows, she finds herself vying with Sharisha for his attention. The tension builds to a devastating climax that has terrible and lasting consequences.
Source: Penguin Books Athens County, Ohio, USA. When Rachel Boucher and Jason de Klerk meet again – five years after high school – they immediately renew their friendship. But for Jason their friendship is just a stepping stone to something more – a romantic union that seems to have the blessing of the whole community. That is until Rachel becomes involved with Skye Riley. As Skye and Rachel grow ever closer, Jason’s anger at the relationship boils over into violence, violence that turns the community on its head, setting old friends and neighbours against one another. But this is just a taste of things to come as, it turns out, Rachel is pregnant . . . “Weaving together the personal struggles of its characters with the earth-deep worries of a small town, Rachel’s Blue deftly pulls readers into a close-knit community only to show how suffocating such a community can be. Mda’s insights into the hopes and sufferings of human relationships, into the pains of truth-telling and into American culture are as poignant as ever.” – Dr Melisa Klimaszewski
Source: Kwela
The Sculptors of Mapungubwe, Mdas first novel since 2009s bestselling Black Diamond, will be published in October 2013. The narrative centres on the timeless kingdom of Mapungubwe where the royal sculptor has two heirs, Chata and Rendani. As they grow, so grows their rivalry and their extraordinary talents. But while Rendani becomes a master sculptor of the animals that run in the wild hills and lush valleys of the land, Chata learns to carve fantastic beings from his dreams, creatures never before seen on the Earth. From this natural rivalry between brothers, Zakes Mda crafts an irresistibly rich fable of love and family. What makes the better art, perfect mimicry or inspiration? Who makes the better wife, a princess or a mysterious dancer? Ageless and contemporary, deceptive in its simplicity and mythical in its scope, The Sculptors of Mapungubwe encompasses all we know of love, envy and the artist's primal power to forge art from nature and nature into art.
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Open Book Festival
Sefi Atta At thirty-nine, Deola Bello, a Nigerian expatriate in London, is dissatisfied with being single and working overseas. Deola works as a financial reviewer for an international charity, and when her job takes her back to Nigeria in time for her father’s five-year memorial service, she finds herself turning her scrutiny inward. In Nigeria, Deola encounters changes in her family and in the urban landscape of her home, and new acquaintances who offer unexpected possibilities. Deola’s journey is as much about evading others’ expectations to get to the heart of her frustration as it is about exposing the differences between foreign images of Africa and the realities of contemporary Nigerian life. Deola’s urgent, incisive voice captivates and guides us through the intricate layers and vivid scenes of a life lived across continents. With Sefi Atta’s characteristic boldness and vision, A Bit of Difference limns the complexities of our contemporary world. This is a novel not to be missed.
Source: Harper Collins
Book Club Morning Held at the Book Lounge Sefi Atta, Fiona Leonard and Zukiswa Wanner where chaired by Kgomotso Matsunyane as they shared with the audience what’s on their minds…
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It is the mid-1980s in Lagos and the government’s War Against Indiscipline and austerity measures are fully in operation. Tolani Ajao is a secretary working at Federal Community Bank. A succession of unfortunate events leads Tolani’s roommate and colleague, Rose, to consider drug trafficking as an alternative means of making a living. Tolani’s subsequent struggle with Source: temptation forces her to reconsider her Interlink Publishing morality and that of her mother Arike’s, as she embarks on a turbulent journey of selfdiscovery. Their story, narrated by mother and daughter, is a tribute to Nigerian oral history.
Open Book Festival
Fiona Leonard Alois is The Chicken Thief, a bright young man struggling to find his way in a southern African country wracked by political unrest and a crumbling economy. Through a chance encounter, Alois is set to make some fast money. But the enterprise goes horribly wrong, and he finds himself in a complicated and perilous struggle to rescue a war hero and transform the political landscape. Though an unlikely hero, Alois discovers, in this charming and fast-paced adventure, that both dreams and justice are within his grasp. Source: Penguin Books SA
Zukiswa Wanner 23
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“I would’ve been able to live like this if Zuko hadn’t been born . . . London was good. Is good. I love London. But . . .” 1994 The world is about to change. The first truly democratic election in South Africa’s history is about to unite Nelson Mandela’s rainbow nation at the ballot box. And, across the world, those in exile, those who could not return home, those who would not return home, wait. Watch and wait . . . London Martin O’Malley isn’t one of those watching and waiting. He is too busy trying to figure out if Germaine Spencer really is the girl for him and why his best friend is intent on ruining every relationship he gets involved in. And then . . . And then Germaine is pregnant and suddenly the world really has changed for Martin O’Malley. South Africa A land of opportunity. A place where a young black man with an MSc from the London School of Economics could have it all, would have it all. But what does Martin O’Malley, London born and bred with an Irish surname, really know about his mother’s country? His motherland. A land he has never seen.
Source: Kwela
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“travel the world without leaving your house� Angela Angela: "Of course I prefer books to movies (laughing)... I've read quite a few books that have been turned to movies and you always feel like there's something that's been taken away from you, especially if it's a book that you're attached to. Kind of conjured up all sorts of images in your head and you've painted this picture - whether of the protagonist or the setting or whatever... and once you see it on film ...usually, not all the time cause there are those rare cases where some movies surpass the book, which is very rare, but what I like about books is that they challenge you, they engage your own mental space that you kind of have to dream up this images and turn them into something in your own head. So it's such a personal experience, that is part of the beauty - for me of storytelling through this particular media. With movies, most of the work is done for you that all you have to do is usually sit back and watch..." Angela: I actually do a lot of research, especially with the crime thrillers. With The 30th Candle to be honest, it was real life examples of some people around me (laughing). I was a parasite sucking up my girlfriends lives and turning them into a book...(laughing). But with the crime thrillers, it's a life very alien to me (laugh). I'm not a serial killer and all those things, so with those kind of books I do have to do quite a lot of research.
Angela: (laughing) I was terrified, especially the first time I met him. Well I was a journalist, how else will you get the story? I was fearless, I was 21...(laughing)...didn't think about consequences. All I thought was, "this is my story, I want it and I'm going to get it cause nobody else will get it for me". It's part of the nature of the industry, gutsy...
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ANGELA MAKHOLWA
Angela & Family
Angela: With Red Ink to be honest, it's based on an in counter I had with a real serial killer. What happened was that I was a journalist and was writing on crime a lot. Around the same time in 1997, Moses Sithole got convicted and sentenced, and this was also around the same time I was writing as a journalist. I wanted that story - in fact we all wanted that story - so I wrote him a letter to say (laughing) "listen, I've been following your case and I'm interested in finding out what was going on from your own point of view. We've read the papers and so on, but I just want to hear it from the horses mouth. What was going on? What did you do? What did you not do? What was the motivation?... Then I quit journalism and went to PR as I wanted to eventually get my own business started. So having gone to PR, forgotten about everything, going on with my life, I get a phone call - Moses Sithole, 5 years later... I hadn't changed my number. In the letter I wrote my cell number and said "call me when you're ready to talk" and so he actually did, and that's how RED INK came about. (laughing) so it was a real life encounter...(laughing)
Cover Story
Angela: For me, it goes with the sense of plot you know. You can't keep a plot going forever and forever. So at some point you have to close it. I don't plot meticulously (laughing) like some kind of genius scientific person (laughing)... But somehow it's more organic, it just happens as I'm writing. As part of the writing process you realize that the characters, from where I took them - especially with the 'coming of age' story like this one, where these people are undergoing a transformation in their lives and are entering a new adulthood, a new phase of life where they have to take on a few more responsibilities. They have to be more circumspect about the decisions in their lives, and so on... And once I got the sense that all of them have gone through some kind of transformation in character. (It's about character development. So then after that, they've now reached this point in their lives, sort of like milestones if you will) then I start moving towards wrapping it up, it’s the end of their lives (laughing) and I've reached my goal. It's not always a happy future for everyone, which is how life is like sometimes, things don't always end all rosy for everybody. Angela: (laughing) Morally, it goes into the abyss, stuff we don't want to confront. I think it's part of the role of a writer, to confront the things we all want to run away from. The things that we fear and run away from and also the things that make our lives much better - the lighter things. You're kind of an activist just to tell a story. And if you think about storytelling from the time we were younger as kids, whether told by grandma or your mother or whoever was the storyteller in the family‌ If you take those stories, each of them had some little message or some kind of moral code or expression of some sort, it left you with something. It took me a long time to see it, that as an author you're some kind of a vessel about life and the things you witness, but you're not there to dictate to people what message they are to take from the book. You're just there to relay the story. There are good human beings and there are bad human beings, some people choose the wrong way, this is what happens. But at the end of the day it's your choice to make, so when I write I tell myself that I'm writing for intelligent people with the maturity to distinguish between good and bad, and are able to make their own moral judgment when they finish reading the book.
Angela: (laughing) The story tells itself. A book like Black Widow shows that morally, you're already treading on thin ground. It is about women who come from abusive relationships, which is something a lot of woman are trapped in, it's happening in society everyday - in South Africa or other parts of the world. Everybody asks "how can such a beautiful and educated woman be in a relationship like this? you're smarter than that, why don't you just go out and continue with your life?" So for everybody, there's that judgment. That's one of the things I wanted to relay, that sense of powerlessness that women feel when they are in those kind of relationships. The other thing, especially the morally skewed part, is what do you do then? Do you just walk out? Do you just get a divorce and start a new life? For me in terms of my moral voice is, you can't stay. But these women choose a more vigilante justice, mafiozo-type solution. So in the book, I bring the other layers that some people are scared of going out. Some are threatened into staying. There are many reasons that come up. But as you read the book, you'll notice that I'm not preaching this as a way out (laughing) but I'm also saying that women should not find themselves in these kind of situations. 29
Angela: The beauty of being a writer in South Africa is embracing the surroundings that you're working in as a writer. So I wanted to play around that, I wanted to express that, to enjoy the diversity of the country that I live in. In the Red Ink, many people said they just got the reality the Jozi scene. It's one of the ways I use culture and environment into a character within the book. Bringing it to life through the story. I embrace it better now, I don't fear that anymore. But also, on the deeper side, it's about breaking some of the stereotypes that issues of domestic violence are a "black thing" or a "poor people's thing", it's not both. It happens across social strata, across racial lines. It happens to every group. So part of the message is that we shouldn't sugarcoat things and make them belong to other people except our own. Let's talk about things and bring them out into the open. Angela: (laughing) It was prompted by my editor. She said to me "You know Angela, I was reading this book and was thinking, what if a society like this actually exists and they call you and ask "How did you know about us?" (laughing) we were joking about this, but with so many crazy things going on in the world you'd never know, so it was just a humorous play on that idea. Angela: I think I've always been a writer. My first short story was published in Upbeat Magazine back in the day when I was 13 years old. I grew up in Thembisa, and the story was about a 13 year old girl who wakes up one day as a white girl, and experiences a day in the life a white person. But I don't know at 13 what I was thinking (laughing) but I know one thing that has remained with me over the years is that, in South Africa, growing up under apartheid, is that you're always growing with the perception that you have to define yourself in relation to the other. At that time, black people didn't have the opportunity to define ourselves without saying that "I'm Angela and I'm black". So I didn't want to define myself by what I'm not, but rather by what I am. I'm just myself, a Xhosa girl. Don't define me by what I'm not. If I'm not from there then I can't do this or that, don't put limits to what I am because I'm not this particular race or grew up in that particular environment. Angela: My Dad. He loved books. He's the one who introduced me and my brothers to books, and the love for reading and writing. He always insisted on going to the library and helped us choose books. There were always books in the house. Angela: It's still there in Thembisa, I used to go there almost every weekend. I actually went there not so long ago, I was so happy to find them still there. I'm from a section called "Mkhathini" and the library is within walking distance. It's a beautiful place, well stocked and also with a great librarian with sections for kids, etc... From the age of about 6 I used to go there almost every weekend. I lost some books and the librarian would give me a look. I would sometimes hide in the wardrobe from my friends so I could finish a book (laughing)... I was a nerd (laughing). Angela: I really believe that the only way to travel the world without leaving your house is to get a book, and once you start travelling that world and meeting the different characters and learning about different nuances about how to speak or handle this situation, then you'll be able to converse with a prince or a potter even while you're in that rural house.
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Book Extracts
The Mark
China Gumede was an extraordinarily accomplished and confident man. Born of humble origins, China possessed the gift of the few which is to triumph over adversity to become what is classically referred to as a ‘self-made man’. He enjoyed being referred to in this particular fashion – a self-made man. Back in the late 90s, when the white-owned press suddenly discovered the need to profile successful black entrepreneurs as part of Desmond Tutu’s hopeful ‘Rainbow Nation’, many a broadsheet had been sold on stories of men like him. ‘Young, gifted and Black’ was the clichéd caption attached to such profiles. Interestingly, the more the headline was regurgitated, the more the masses lapped it up. It was possible! It was happening! All of a sudden there was a groundswell of successful, capable and clever young black men and women who were ready to conquer the world. Where did they all come from? Well. China knew where the rest of them came from. Political connections, struggle credentials, daughters, sons, nieces, nephews of exiled politicians washed up and renewed to emerge as BEE entrepreneurs or ‘tenderpreneurs’, as a clever columnist coined the phrase. 11
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But he was different. He was China Gumede. Having managed to scrape through university with a B. Com. degree financed partly by his mother’s measly earnings as a domestic worker and mainly through his student loan, he immersed himself in understanding the rigours of the taxi industry and managed to amass a fortune equal to or sometimes double that of the ‘tenderpreneurs’. Fortune had smiled on many areas of China Gumede’s life. He had met the woman destined to be his wife at high school and had married her in his third year of university after she had borne him two children. Nokuthula Simelane was her name or Thulas, as he used to refer to her in happier times. But in all honesty, Nokuthula was not the same woman he had fallen in love with. She was just not, not as … appropriate or relevant to his image as she had once been. Ja. That was it. She was a great mother to their children, no question about that, but the children were grown up now. Life had to go on. She possessed no sense of style whatsoever; something he’d picked up through his travels and paging through numerous local and international magazines. He’d had to refurnish their first homes and had commissioned an interior decorator to take over the styling of their fourth, fifth and sixth homes which were located in various provinces. She had become more of a liability than anything else really. He had also learnt about Nokuthula’s shortcomings on style, beauty and sophistication from a different source. Over the past ten years, he’d been surprised at the sudden emergence of the most exquisite and finely polished diamonds – such fine female specimens! The trouble with South Africa’s democratisation is that it bred things that nobody was ready for or expected. Least of all someone like China! This new breed of woman! They were just different! 12
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They spoke differently, ate differently, dressed differently and acted differently from anything akin to the Nokuthula-mode of woman. Yes. That was it. Nokuthula was just not as relevant to the modern world and even more so, to his new world! It wasn’t that he was ungrateful or that he hated her. It’s just that … how does a big mama … because quite frankly that’s what she had become … how does a big mama like Nokuthula begin to measure up to the likes of Charmaine Mkhize? I mean Charza was just a whole different package to that of Thula’s. Those proportions … every man’s fantasy. The juiciest, firmest breasts complemented by a nice round arse and a stomach as flat as an Olympian’s. I mean … where did they make women like that? And how could a man think of Nokuthula when the gods had been kind enough to bless him with a woman of Charmaine’s calibre? The trouble was, he could not even think of divorcing Nokuthula. The properties, the money he’d amassed from the taxi business, which he’d subsequently invested in other highly profitable ventures such as the supermarkets and the stocks that he owned locally and overseas. He’d have to split all that fortune right down the middle. He shook his head. No ways. There was no way that anyone could expect to profit from all his hard work just by virtue of ‘having been there’. Having been there doing what? Nagging, nitpicking, being a general embarrassment with zero social graces. Public appearances with that woman were a chore! He shook his head once again. Hmmph. Never mind about all that. Today was one of the good days. Every Wednesday, China made sure to drag his gym apparel to his car in the guise of attending another ruthless session with his personal trainer at the gym just seven kilometres from his home in Kyalami Estates. He would make a fuss about either driving from work to the gym or getting home and getting changed to go and ‘sweat it out’ when 13
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in truth, it was all preparation for one of his unbroken promises to Charmaine. Without fail, Wednesday evenings belonged to this gem of a woman. As he drove slowly down Olifantsfontein Road on his way back home, he ruminated over his meeting with Charmaine. Charza had been so happy and so elated when he told her his news – after all, a future with China Gumede meant that life was hers for the taking! Charza was pregnant with his child; she had given him a new lease on life! He was fantasising about the beauty of the heir that could spring from Charza’s loins as he leisurely took a left turn into the back route that led to his home, when he noticed a gold VW Passat idling by the side of the quiet road. Instinctively his guard went up. He had never really favoured the route because of its seclusion, but had lulled himself into a sense of complacency as this road was a shortcut to his house. He pressed his foot onto the accelerator; deciding to just pass the idling car without casting so much as a glance at its inhabitants. Just as he neared the stationery vehicle, two gun-wielding men emerged from either side of the road. All of a sudden, the idling car swerved from the side of the road and purposefully blocked the way. He was ambushed. He stopped his car, raised his hands and pressed down both of his windows. ‘Guys,’ he said, as calmly as he could manage. ‘If you want the car, you can have it. I have my wallet here. It’s got about three thousand bucks in cash. You can have all that also,’ he said in his fail-proof rational tone. The two men on either side of his car were silent masks of balaclavas. Suddenly, a tall man emerged from the VW Passat that had been idling on the side of the road and came up to the driver’s side of the car to speak to him. He was long and lean with a distinguished-looking face. A confident 14
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face. No need for disguises. ‘China? Unjani broer?’ China was in shock. ‘Hhayi! Where do you know me from wena?’ The tall man took out a gun. ‘This one is not from me baba.This one is from Nokuthula,’ said the man as he fired four shots into China’s short muscled body.
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Surprise Elimination
The Black Widow Society or BWS, as its members referred to it, met once every year to welcome the newly widowed and to offer them a sense of support and camaraderie. The meeting also served as a platform to provide feedback on the organisation’s finances and to address members’ concerns. Most importantly, the meeting was a reminder that whoever joined this organisation was forever bound to its codes. There was no way out. All of the BWS’s business was conducted with the utmost discretion. Members were not to socialise with each other outside the confines of the society unless they were already well acquainted with each other. Even in such instances, contact was to be kept to an absolute minimum. The date for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was only announced once, in the boardroom and no one had ever breached attendance in the fifteen years since the society was formally established. No further communication with members took place unless absolutely necessary. The members all arrived on time, at exactly 6:00pm as they did every year. This year however, one person was not present at the set time, Nkosazana Khumalo, the financial head of the society. She had left an important file in her office and had had to turn back as it contained crucial information that she was supposed to share with members of the society. The BWS had recently started a fund for the ‘Young Women’s Academy’. This was the BWS’s philanthropic 16
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programme aimed at producing a new breed of woman who would be given the type of education that would empower her to avoid the kind of decisions that had led most of the black widows to their illfated marriages and partnerships. The programme was the brainchild of Tallulah, the matriarch of the BWS. It was important that Nkosazana gave a detailed account of this fund as the BWS planned to launch the academy within the next three years. For this reason, she had had to turn back to her office to retrieve the file, although she dreaded Tallulah’s reaction to her tardiness. Meanwhile the group, made up of wealthy women from varying professions quietly made its way to the boardroom, which was situated in the basement of the imposing Khululeka Mining Group building, a company owned by one of the most powerful members of the BWS, Edna Whithead. The room was cleverly concealed behind a smaller space that was used to store the company’s old files. A respectful silence swallowed the stylish boardroom as members of the Black Widow Society awaited the entrance of their grande dame, Tallulah. Some of the women gathered here were new initiates; the fresh scent of their husbands’ blood still lingered on their flesh; a memory that stained some, whilst it purified others. The Madame herself was an old hand at this game, indeed she was the godmother of this sect, an equal to any Italian-style Mafioso both in the economic power she wielded as well as the political power she breathed through her every pore, at least amongst this group of women that had chosen to run with the wolves. An aura of dangerous allure defined her every move as she made her way towards the gold-plated chair at the head of the U-shaped table; a throne fit for a queen. Some of the new initiates bristled in her presence. They had not up till this date, laid their eyes on her. Edna Whithead,as secretary general of the organisation, was responsible for all administrative duties and drafting of policies for the organisation. She also took care of various legal matters; advising members 17
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on insurance policies and ensuring that the clandestine nature Of the organisation was jealously guarded. Nkosazana Khumalo was the treasurer of the organisation and ensured that all suppliers were paid on time, commission fees were collected once insurance claims had been processed and that the organisation’s finances were well managed. Together they assessed the merits of each case and would contact the prospective widow and alert her of new developments. All calls were made via landline on public phones or on cellphones with SIM cards that were discarded as soon as the case was wound up. Tallulah’s role was behind the scenes even though she was at the nerve-centre of the operation. She, with the assistance of the group’s hired gun Mzwakhe Khuzwayo, took care of the messy aspects of the business such as planning the dates, modus operandi and alibis for each elimination. She also ensured that all loose ends were tied up so that there was never the slightest trace of the BWS’s imprint on any of the operations carried out by the organisation. The three women made up the BWS’s centre of power; otherwise known as the Triumvirate. Tallulah settled into her chair, the stylish gold bracelet on her left arm casting a dazzling light that linked her to each of the women in the room. Once a widow’s spouse had been ‘eliminated’, the stylish bracelet was delivered to her home as a symbol of who she had become. The identical bracelets, each with an elegant diamond-studded emblem that curved into the shape of a black widow spider, marked the unbreakable ties that bound each of them to the society. ‘In the name of the Goddess of the Sun; the giver of life, and the nurturer of all that is sacred, I greet you sisters, to this, our first and last meeting of the year. ‘I see that today we have many newcomers to this club … something which saddens me … profoundly,’ proclaimed Tallulah in her most theatrical tone. Tallulah gave much reverence to these meetings. Many of the women in this room had come to the society broken, weak, vulnerable and without confidence. Today, some of these whom she had met years ago were now strong, solid and in control of their destinies. 18
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‘Sisters,’ she said ‘as much as I bemoan the escalating numbers of our kind, a part of me applauds the fierceness, and sheer willpower that has brought all of you earth mothers to this room. For many years, others like us endured pain, trauma, and torture at the hands of unappreciative dogs who badgered and bludgeoned us. Pelted us with vitriolic words, and violent beatings until one day, we finally stopped and listened. We listened to what our souls told us. Yes. Yes. We listened to what our souls told us.’ A warm murmur of approval reverberated throughout the room like a pride of lionesses acquiescing to a hunt. ‘Be not proud of your actions sisters because the aim is not to turn this into a sprawling society. We are here purely because of the ties that bind us. We have a moral duty to ourselves and each other to protect what we’ve lost, that innocence we recognise whenever we glimpse those who have not had to endure our baptism of fire,’ she continued. ‘We must guard this jealously; that which links us together … and yet when we meet another in the same situation we come from, it is again our moral duty to be the rock for that sister. Be there for a sister who bears that dark, sad and haunted look that you used to wear. When you’re out taking a walk or in a boardroom meeting, be aware of that woman whose smile does not reach the eyes. Whose burst lip and clumsy explanation of countless ‘accidents’ rings untrue. You remember those excuses. They sound just like you … before you found your anchor.’ Tallulah’s hypnotic voice was abruptly cut by the dramatic entrance of a highly agitated Nkosazana Khumalo. ‘Nkosazana how dare you disrespect us with your tardiness! Since when does a member of the BWS arrive this late for a meeting?’ Nkosazana appeared shaken and deeply distressed. ‘I’m sorry, Tallulah, but something has happened that needs your and Edna’s urgent attention.’ ‘What could possibly warrant such uncivilized behaviour Nkosazana?’ asked Tallulah folding her arms sternly. ‘Look, I need to speak to the two of you in private.’ ‘If it concerns the BWS, then you must share it with all of us,’ said 19
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Phindile Chauke, a tough psychologist whose husband was Eliminated five years ago after his penchant for high-class prostitutes nearly drove them to bankruptcy. Nkosazana shook her head. ‘Please Phindi. I need to confer with Tallulah and Edna urgently. Then we will inform you of the developments in due course.’ One of the more vocal members of the society butted in. ‘We’ve always kept the meetings to an hour. I have pressing business to attend to.Is this not something you could discuss after the meeting?’ Tallulah looked at Nkosazana’s expression and knew instinctively that this was something that needed to be dealt with urgently. ‘Please ladies. Just grant us a minute. I promise I will release Nkosazana to update you on the figures,’ she declared with finality. ‘Edna, can you come join us?’ They stepped into the unwelcoming storeroom, shutting the boardroom door behind them. ‘What is this madness Nkosazana? You know that the three of us are expected to display a high level of decorum at these meetings. What’s with all the drama? Some of these women can barely stand being here. Do you want to raise alarm in these people, rushing in here panting?’ demanded Edna. Nkosazana shook her head. ‘Come on you two! Do you really think I would act like this if it was not an emergency? I just heard on the news that Nokuthula Gumede was shot and killed in her house during some kind of “robbery”,’ she said, deliberately emphasising the word for good measure. ‘Do you know what this means?’ ‘You think Gumede arranged this? The husband?’ asked Edna. ‘Whom Mzwakhe has just gotten rid of … or is taking care of as we speak,’ said Tallulah, her voice trailing off. ‘Oh no! This is not good. Not good at all. Why are all these stupid things happening all of a sudden?’ said Edna. ‘OK. Edna, you need to adjourn the meeting. I don’t think we need to get everyone rattled until we know all the facts. Tell them something has come up which we need to deal with urgently. They will 20
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be notified of what’s transpired via the coded emails. For now, I need to check how far Mzwakhe is with the elimination,’ said Tallulah authoritatively. ‘Do we stop it if he hasn’t done the job yet?’ asked Nkosazana. ‘Why ever not? If the bastard’s had his wife killed because his floozy is expecting a child with him, then he deserves a punishment worse than death.’ ‘But then how are we going to cash out on his insurance with the wife dead?’ ‘Nkosazana. Don’t start with me. I’ve told you a thousand times before. This is not about profit.’ ‘The Young Women’s Academy …’ murmured Edna. ‘Look. A member of the BWS has just died. We need to deal with that before we start worrying about money. Can you two go talk to our members? Don’t raise any unnecessary panic,’ she ordered. As Edna and Nkosazana returned to the boardroom,Tallulah walked to her car and switched on the phone she used to talk to Mzwakhe. It had been inserted with a new SIM card specifically for the China Gumede case. ‘Where are you?’ ‘Just finished the job. Driving to the dump. What’s wrong?’ ‘I need you here ASAP.’’ ‘But I need to dispose of the goods! How can you expect me to …?’ ‘Mzwakhe, this is an order. You know where to find me,’ she said, dropping the phone. A tension-fuelled twenty minutes later, Mzwakhe drove into the basement parking. Tallulah stood waiting, arms akimbo. ‘Why did you take so long?’ ‘That’s a VW Passat I’m driving not a Lamborghini. What’s got you so freaked out?’ he asked, grabbing a cigarette from his pocket. ‘When did you start smoking?’ asked Tallulah irritably, not bothering to mention the smell of alcohol on his breath. ‘Anyway, we’ve got a situation. I suppose you’ve already eliminated the Mark?’ ‘Yep,’ he said, ‘he’s in the boot as we speak. That’s the beauty of a Passat … there’s enough space for two in there. What’s the problem?’ 21
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he asked, dragging on his cigarette. ‘The widow … she’s just been killed in a robbery.’ ‘What? You can’t be serious. Tsk, tsk. Hhayi madoda. I’m getting too old for this bloody job.’ ‘Nx! This is not the time for you to go soft on me Mzwakhe.We need to think. What are the implications of this?’ Mzwakhe shrugged coolly. ‘Obviously China had her taken out. Hmmph. What a world!’ ‘Nx! Imagine a husband killing his own wife – the mother of his children? You really have to wonder what kind of society we’re living in,’ said Tallulah without the slightest hint of irony. ‘It’s going to look very odd for a couple to be killed under different circumstances in one night. You can’t just dump this man. You need to cremate him. Leave no trace of him. Do you still have that old friend of yours from the crematorium? You need to ask him for this favour, Mzwakhe. And it has to be tonight, you hear?’ she commanded, hands on her hips. Mzwakhe shook his head once more, dragging slowly on his cigarette. This woman. Whom he had once been so fond of. Had trusted with his life. Had even felt sorry for. Who had she become? What had she become? ‘Are you with me Mzwakhe?’ she asked aggressively. ‘The BWS leaves nothing to chance. It has to be tonight. And you’d better make sure his car turns to ashes as well. Tonight. Not any other day. Speak to Sam Pienaar. Just get it done. We can’t afford any loose ends.’ ‘Sure Tallulah. Whatever you say,’ he said, before driving off in the Passat. He was definitely getting too old for this business.
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Isabelle Ndlovu
“I write as direct as I talk” Isabelle 46
Its address a residence within its rights. You look once to identify its appearance. Yet for eternity you blinded by both toil and it's acceptance. Life is a difficult CV to write. But do write it anyhow...
Its location is ever present everywhere. You need not lock it anywhere. Because as with time it is nowhere. Life been allowed by choice within self , Will relocate to somewhere perfectly fine. Oh! Life is a difficult CV to write. Yes life is a difficult CV to write. But do write it anyhow...
You check its status to education. It tells you no doctorate can out do its qualifications. It shaped you from a seed to an infant of forever growth in all forms. Your steps already determined, By how disciplined in endurance concentration to its mandate outlined , outwitted and outdone by environment stamina you can take. Oh life is a difficult CV to write. Yes life is a difficult CV to write. But do write it anyhow...
Its experience is drawn from, The first cry of joy in consummation, To cry of first entrance with a slap exam to, Wether your lungs can signal your presence. Oh! Life is a difficult CV to write
Life Is A Difficult CV To Write
Its name is easy to remember ,spell and write.
Yes life is a difficult CV to write But do write it anyhow... 47
Blind turns that open the eyes to focus on great senses. Senses to build the windows of success . Senses to draft the architect of amazing rewards Oh!Life is a difficult CV to write. Yes life is a difficult CV to write. But do write it anyhow...
You are given vast opportunities in all fields. In an industry of hand co ordinations began by games in childhood. To its Masters control at tender acceptance, To let the Owner of it decide its direction. Use the pen at your disposal to describe your life Oh! life is a difficult CV to write Yes life is a difficult CV to write But do write it anyhow
Its reference a mountain of hills climbed A valley of challenges overcome A bridge crossed in darkness attempts A landscape of beautiful choices allowed A building still in construction untold A journey with a destination certain A mouth watering celebration in achievements attained acknowledged and amazed. Oh! Life is a difficult CV to write Yes life is a difficult CV to write But do write it anyhow You can obtain that job most wanted by all That of understanding its dynamics to social clashes physical capabilities mental obstructions and spiritual maturity. That of breaking the code of difficult to easy. Life is a beautiful qualification to a job of joy eternity Life ...life ...yes life is a difficult CV to write. But do write it anyhow. 48
Life Is A Difficult CV To Write
It hobbies are that of many blind turns.
Isabelle: I generally write lots of things on paper, and I'm one of those people with a pen and paper next to the bed when I go to sleep. So my school teacher said I should put it in short format as things came. So I don't really know if that qualifies me as a poet (laughing) but I like it and sounds poetic to me. Isabelle: As far back as primary age. I would often write on walls using charcoal. Even neighbours would sometimes come and ask me to write this or that (laugh), it was really nice. Isabelle: I'm the only girl among 15 boys (laughing) I’m telling you the truth. Even today I'm still meeting some of them because I don't know all of them - we grew at separate places. Isabelle: It's kind of therapy. I had a very difficult childhood, but I used to write the opposite in order to adapt to life and be able to move with it. Isabelle: Not yet, but I've been told to try and get to a place where I can be able to write about it because if you look at what I write, it's more on the calm side, but if you read a little deeper you can actually see the pain. Isabelle: No they're not sad actually, they are usually fun and people enjoy them and I think I have a gift with words and someone may give me a theme to write about, and I do it, so it's varied. Isabelle: It's actually a dedication to my brother who passed away about a month ago. I couldn't be there for him while he was sick even though we were not too far apart- he was in Johannesburg and I'm here in Pretoria - but I couldn't get to him. So my cousin who looked after him that side suggested that I should write something about life because my brother would like it read to him. So my challenge was to simplify it and the idea came - a CV identifies someone for a particular job, so why shouldn't I use that to identify life. Isabelle: It was read to him 2 days before he passed on. It's a bitter-sweet feeling. Since he was used to me, I believe he understood it very clearly. The both of us share a connection from childhood after our mother left while we were very young. My Dad taught me to always keep the smile, but with him he could tell what's behind the smile. Isabelle: You know, what I loved with the teacher that we had was that, she would say English is a very interesting language - many things could have more than one meaning. That's why for those who teach know that they can be saying the same thing to everyone but someone in the same class will understand the thing completely differently to others. So with my style it's the same thing. I love the mystery of it. I write as direct as I talk to my children, but the people who read my work come up with different meanings to it.. Isabelle: I usually shy away from it because I like it unedited. I love to write something to leave for my kids, they hear my voice in the poems. I guess it would be nice to publish this, but raw as it is. Isabelle: (laughing) I was part of the construction there at Menlyn Park... I look very good in a helmet (laughing) I just love learning. The mind is such a broad thing.
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MAX BALOYI Pianist | Teacher
Max: We're basically doing some work for his friend who is based in India, I forgot his name, but it's a beautiful sound and for me the greatest joy is the learning curve involved - checking some Indian scales and the thinking behind the way they compose music. Overall, we're still pushing. We're actually performing this weekend (4th Oct). So things are promising... Max: No I was not playing, but I attended. I love the small venues compared to the big venues. I watched Gregory Porter and Christian Scott - he's such an amazing trumpeter. And Scott’s band consisted of talented young stars, I think the oldest person in the band was 33 years or so... I enjoyed listening to their music. My main aim was to hear Gregory Porter because lately he's been one of my favourites. I am a fan of Kurt Elling, and so when I heard Gregory Porter I could see similarities in their techniques and got attached to their music. A beautiful Joy of Jazz it was, although I was initially concerned about the relocation of the venue as transport can be problem for people who come from townships. But at the same time I was very happy to see this beautiful music being played in a such prestigious places, the acoustics are amazing. I wasn't able to see much of the local guys. We had Richard Bona doing a workshop at our school the same day and so missed some few things as I was that side. But I was very glad to the great reviews from those who were able to hear local works… it's encouraging to hear our brothers progressing, pushing everyone to keep trying. Max: Lately I've been reading "Understanding your potential - Miles Munroe", a really nice book though I don't really read to gain knowledge, but rather for actions. Sometimes I don't finish books because I end up practicing what I was reading, thus usually getting what I was looking for, and so go to the next one (laughing). And I recently got “Mind Programming” - a really nice book by Aldon Taylor - I like those books about the mind. I came to know of it through my friend - he plays bass. We normally chat about things that challenge the mind, and so started introducing books to each other, especially about the subconscious mind - we really wanted to understand those things. So I like the way it helps show how the mind works as well. I'm more of a curious person about the mind. I believe everything starts there and when it's set to do something, it will accomplish it, besides the obstacles along the way.
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“I call it Endless Possibilities” Max
Credit: Yasser Booley
Max: On work days, I read in the mornings. I always make time to read something. It's said that people who are busy are the ones who always have time (laughing). I can't avoid reading because it would handicap my mind. So I always find time to read even 30 mins... But generally I can go for hours reading and I can consume many pages in a day. So for me its not really a problem to find time to read. And you know, another guy shared an idea with me, that I must try practicing while reading - to basically activate both parts of the mind‌ very interesting concept.
Max: For me, I used to have that same perception before I went to school of music - which is art altogether. And it haunted me for a while, until I realized the wrong nature of thinking that when you go to music school, you must do nothing else besides your instrument. Specific to South African musicians, countless musicians - especially the generation before us die financially poor due to not having knowledge about wealth, etc. They look at music as something you must practice forever and not do anything about it. So most of them even reach their 60's without Credit: Yasser Booley having any trace of something tangible. Music instils a certain discipline. Once you can play even a little bit of some instrument, you automatically get the discipline thing, which means that you can sit down and learn other things. It enhances your whole being altogether. Max: (laughing) That band, it's not really my band per se. It's a concept I've been playing around with in my mind for a while. Bro Pops had another gig and so he called me to take his slot there. So when I met with the guys, I wanted to try some my compositions from back at UKZN because I hadn't heard them for a while. So I was curious as well. So when we tried the concept, we saw that it was working. However, for me, I wouldn't say it's my concept altogether, excluding other guys, it's just that I was the one asked to lead the platform, so I gathered the guys... We're trying out a lot of interesting things because art is connected. Some people understand the emotions of the music when they see visuals around that music... So hopefully in the future we'll do a concert while someone is painting at the same time, just to see how it would all come together, I call it Endless Possibilities.
Max: yea yea, a few years ago, I started writing something I call "The Future of the Past" based on some of the songs I'm doing. I don't know what stopped me (laughing) The simple way to look at it is that what is considered "future" is soon "past" which means that right now the future begins, hopefully I will finish this... cause it would be nice to have a book that goes with the album, we'll see how it goes if all goes well.
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Matriculant - Crawford College Pretoria
Tiego: Honestly there was no inspiration to read because it felt like an activity only nerds did. I always wanted to be a cool kid so I indulged in cool kid activities such as playing FIFA! As with everything that concerns us boys and our mom, her word on books and reading is almost always final. We were introduced to the world of books long before we even realised we were alive and actually human. My memories of childhood in our home are filled with us five (my mom, dad, me and my 2 younger brothers) cuddled up in bed reading a book! My mom read to us literally every evening just before bedtime if she was not travelling on business (the only time that I think she was ever away from us). We had a routine, which thankfully was changed by us going to high school otherwise we would still be required to be in bed and fast asleep by 20:00, nonnegotiable. I later learned that mom maintained this sleeping time for her ‘me-time = more reading’. So, we are a family of book lovers; they are our main decorative items (in the kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, study, library and yes, even in the garages). They are literally a hallmark of our home. The way to my mom’s heart is through a book. Tiego: We have a big and library style collection of all sorts of books at home, including children’s bed time story books. The best for me was the African Adventure Stories, a children’s series by Dr Saustin Mfune, an East African master story teller. His stories are spellbinding and gripping! We were always given a choice and we would go for the longest, falling fast asleep mid-way. My mom reads well so we enjoyed her dramatic and poetic gestures when she read in spellbinding and inimitable ways. She imitated every character so well that often we would find ourselves crying or laughing, clinging on her and refusing to let her go away. Dr Mfune’s stories offer tremendous insights into life and the things of God. Tiego: Later when we came of age, when we could read, mom began including us to read the bedtime stories. We had a roster of who read when and I remember that I was always reading on Mondays, my younger brother Pabi on Tuesdays, my youngest brother Lebaka on Wednesdays. Thursdays were mom’s days and Fridays were daddy’s days. Daddy read the adult bible lesson and summarised our children’s lessons as well. Weekends were a bit chilled, even allowed to eat fast food on Saturday night. So to answer you specifically, bedtime stories have never really ended, we now read our devotional lessons on our own. Tiego: As we started growing older and entering college (high school), mom introduced us to what she called ‘heavy reading’ and for every chapter read there was always a prize. If you finished a book then the prize was more significant. So she gave me a couple of books to choose from and I remember choosing Gifted Hands because I thought the book would teach me how to use my hands in a gifted way. Tiego: Yes, I think it is a cool title, and I saw Ben Carson in the same way that I see my daddy, cool, calm and yet successful. Like my dad, Dr Ben Carson is God fearing and humble. It made sense to read his book. 54
Tiego: Yes, I fell for it big time! It is funny because I never received my prize for finishing that book, but it won me mom’s confidence and pride. I could not put it down. I was fascinated and yet saddened by the ‘ghetto life.’ Even though I could not identify with the poverty and hardships of Mrs Carson, the black man in me was emotionally connected with the turning of each page. I had strong feelings, sometimes anger, at the cruelty of discrimination. I felt that most of us suffer from ignorance. But I loved the story line. Dr Carson rose from nothing to something and something really big and significant. I understood then why our parents always overdosed us with books, reading and praying, I appreciated my background even more. I am a teenager and sometimes think that I disappoint my parents by not reading as much, but I don’t take that for granted. I try to do right; the Ben Carson way. He is my role model and hero! I feel as if I know him because I met him in the pages of his book. Tiego: It would be nice but no pressure really, I met him right in my parents’ library when I was reading at home. Lessons learnt: One, teenage peer pressure is a passing phase. Two, focus your eyes on the big picture, always. Three, humble beginnings are not so bad after all. Lastly, reading will definitely help me realise most of my dreams! Tiego: I guess almost everyone who can read and write is an author, right? I probably have written more than a thousand pages since I was born – school assignments, exams, tests and social media little notes here and there. A traditional definition of an author will exclude me from the list but no wait; I actually can claim to be an author! For my dad’s birthday this year, mom decided to relive her romance with daddy by writing a book for him and about their life journey together. A beautifully and well-crafted memoir of our family life! Typical of mom, we had to take part in what she calls ‘our family heritage and legacy’. As the eldest son, I was afforded the mammoth task of writing the foreword, it took me a week to get my head around it but I think I did a good job because my dad loves it. Together with Pabi and Lebaka, we each wrote letters to daddy; he is still on cloud 9! He was apparently taken aback and emotional when mom presented the book on their private holiday in Croatia, Eastern Europe. Tiego: Hmmmm, I am not sure if that’s my place to comment about the book. My dad calls it his life’s most prized gift ever! There are many rules around the book, for example, we are supposed to wash our hands before we touch the book and seek permission. I have not even read it because it’s always in his laptop bag. I love the family photo album section with lovely pictures of us with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins from both sides. It is really priceless. I hope the honeymoon phase will soon be over and the book made available to others. Tiego: I am currently in Matric at Crawford College Pretoria reading and studying all my prescribed grade 11 and 12 textbooks in preparation for the final exams. I am not sure if that is reading. No, I am not reading and I am studying textbooks and study guides. Not fun at all. I will read after my exams. Tiego: Thank you very much. I need blessings as well.
“Reading will definitely help me realise most of my dreams!” Tiego Ben Carson, M.D., works medical miracles. Today, he's one of the most celebrated neurosurgeons in the world. In Gifted Hands, he tells of his inspiring odyssey from his childhood in inner-city Detroit to his position as director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33. Ben Carson is a role model for anyone who attempts the seemingly impossible as he takes you into the operating room where he has saved countless lives. Filled with fascinating case histories, this is the dramatic and intimate story of Ben Carson's struggle to beat the odds -- and of the faith and genius that make him one of the greatest life-givers of the century.
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It’s a very fine line. The formula I use in my work consists of simplifying reality to an almost cliché base. Clichés are the most basic reflections of reality, we do not pay them any mind. In simplifying reality, imagination is not afraid to take over and this is where they blur. Imagination amalgamates elements of raw humanity and yearning that essentially drives us in living these lives of ours, in my work. I push that simple boundary of reality and turn it upside down with my imagination that the cliché is so lost that you would not even think it was such a simple story in the first place.
A person who makes films writes stories. They just use visual aids to make them come to life. Films provide another dimension to how we can express written word and we should take advantage of that. Film makers essentially have the same objective as those who write with classic ink and paper (which is still a much loved medium) – we are concerned with humanity – the medium is just a chore. Filmmakers such as Christopher Nolan who spent nine to ten years writing a film script before even attempting to put it on film shows that the sky is not the limit rather that there is no limit at all. Write to the eons if you have to.
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Dramatic Arts Student Rhodes University (1st Year)
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Beatrix Potter was a woman who wrote books for children and in the era in which she lived it was somewhat of a scandal that she wanted to write in the first place and her not being the only one, we have cases such as Audre Lorde, Virginia Woolf, Toni Morrison and Simone de Beauvoir to mention a few. That struggle is not so much of a struggle but more of a time of transition and transition does not come without successes and failures. It is sturdy as she goes, don’t quiver at the stormy waves!
It has turned my world completely upside down. It is an utterly astonishing world with a view that demands transcendence from the simple thought process. It has layered my writing with such a depth and curiosity that my voice has become demanding of questioning, analysis and constant reconstruction. The thought process just never ends, it is stimulating thus refining your work to such fine grains that you are convinced that you are getting closer and closer to breakthrough of some magnificent kind!
I have a full video (about 33 minutes) of one of the plays I have written called ‘The Russian Roulette Theory’ (2013) – a play about the Philosophy of Existentialism.
“Clichés are the most basic reflections of reality” Tiisetso 57
Cape Town Marathon
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Source: Random House Born To Run - A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen - by Christopher McDougall is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? Isolated by Mexico's deadly Copper Canyons, the blissful Tarahumara Indians have honed the ability to run hundreds of miles without rest or injury. In a riveting narrative, award-winning journalist and often-injured runner Christopher McDougall sets out to discover their secrets. In the process, he takes his readers from science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultra-runners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to a climactic race in the Copper Canyons that pits America's best ultra-runners against the tribe. McDougall's incredible story will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that you, indeed all of us, were born to run. About The Author - Christopher McDougall - is a former war correspondent for the Associated Press and is now a contributing editor for Men's Health. A three-time National Magazine Award finalist, he has written for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Outside, Men's Journal, and New York. He does his own running among the Amish farms around his home in rural Pennsylvania
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Source: Scribner Originally self-published in 1978, Once a Runner captures the essence of competitive running—and of athletic competition in general—and has become one of the most beloved sports novels ever published.. Inspired by the author’s experience as a collegiate champion, the story focuses on Quenton Cassidy, a competitive runner at fictional Southeastern University whose lifelong dream is to run a fourminute mile. He is less than a second away when the turmoil of the Vietnam War era intrudes into the staid recesses of his school’s athletic department. After he becomes involved in an athletes’ protest, Cassidy is suspended from his track team. Under the tutelage of his friend and mentor, Bruce Denton, a graduate student and former Olympic gold medalist, Cassidy gives up his scholarship, his girlfriend, and possibly his future to withdraw to a monastic retreat in the countryside and begin training for the race of his life against the greatest miler in history. . A rare insider’s account of the incredibly intense lives of elite distance runners, Once a Runner is an inspiring, funny, and spot-on tale of one man’s quest to become a champion.. 63
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