One of the highlights of this week's Puku Story Festival will be the launch of Dr Sindiwe Magona's latest book, "Chasing the Tails of My Father's Cattle" (Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers) which will take place at the Fountain Court at the Settlers Monument on Friday at 5pm.
One of the highlights of this week's Puku Story Festival will be the launch of Dr Sindiwe Magona's latest book, "Chasing the Tails of My Father's Cattle" (Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers) which will take place at the Fountain Court at the Settlers Monument on Friday at 5pm.
Dr Magona's work is being celebrated by this year's festival in a 'festschrift' – a book honouring a respected person, often an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime.
She is a teacher, activist and prolific author of many novels, plays, memoirs, folk tales and children's stories, biographies and poems, She is best known for such works as "Mother to Mother" – which has been turned in to an award-winning play and is also being performed at the Festival, her memoir "To My Children's Children" and her biographies of Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane and Albertina Sisulu.
The new novel is described as, "The story of Shumikazi, the only surviving child of Jojo and Miseka. She grows up in a small village in the remote Eastern Cape during the days of white rule – from the outside, an apparently unremarkable life.
And yet Shumi is marked for extraordinary things from the moment of her birth. Wry, tragic, funny, scathing, with a Greek chorus of villagers’ voices, this rich new novel from one of South Africa’s most beloved storytellers underscores the dignity of those often rendered invisible – poor, rural women, their families and communities.
These marginal characters crackle with life and verve as they step into the centre of the national narrative in Magona’s skilled hands. A powerful meditation on the vulnerability of rural women, it is also a series of overlapping love stories – above all, the love a father has for his daughter".
Writer and academic, Helen Moffat, says, ""Chasing the Tails of My Father’s Cattle" is not like anything else I have seen. Such a little story, about such little, invisible people. Such a huge story, about such timeless, recognisable people. It has the feel of a Greek tragedy, complete with clucking chorus, but with more optimism.
And what an extraordinary tale of the vast majority of women’s lives in this country. What a powerful, non-preachy meditation on the vulnerability of rural women in traditional cultures".
Born in the Transkei, Sindiwe Magona finished high school by correspondence. She later completed a BA through the University of South Africa and went on to graduate with a Master’s Degree in Social Work from Columbia University in New York.
She worked for the United Nations for 22 years at its headquarters in New York before retiring to her native South Africa.
This is the debut publicationf or Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers, a non -profit publisher whose focus is on publishing fiction and non-fiction by known and first time black writers. Seriti sa Sechaba means dignity of the nation.
"Chasing the Tails of My Father's Cattle" will be launched in partnership with Grocott's Mail and the National English Literary Museum (NELM) at 5pm on Friday 19 February at the Fountain Court at the Settlers Monument.
Dr Magona will be present and the event will be followed by a poetry reading. Entry is free and all are welcome.
