South Africa Books

This is about the author of "To Sir, With Love" going to South Africa while apartheid is still in effect. Again, as in "A Kind of Homecoming," he is a witness to history, and it's always more interesting to read a first-hand witness's accounts than just the usual media "sound bites"--especially a witness who's always so honest about his reactions and feelings (e.g. actual dismay at having his visa application APPROVED after he learned the South African government had UNbanned his writings--reminded me of when I asked my parents if I could go to my first dance in junior high & was COUNTING on their "no" as an excuse for avoiding something I was scared to death of, and then they said "yes," leaving me having to either find another excuse or face my fears!) The title comes from how the South Africans considered him in order for him to get treatment and prvileges that the resident blacks were denied.

The implied terms and expressed terms. The innominate terms, conditions and warranties

Anyone who likes travel literature will certainly not be disappointed in Alex Shoumatoff's IN SOUTHERN LIGHT. It is a book in two parts. In the first, he travels with a friend up a large, but seldom-visited tributary of the Amazon, the Nhamunda, in search of any clues about the eponymous Amazons themselves. He finds mostly caboclos, mixed race people who live off fishing, hunting, and a little farming when possible, and the last remnants of the Indian peoples who lived in the region for centuries. The second, less-focussed journey is in the former Zaire, now Congo (again). Though the current wars and massacres had not begun, the reader gets a strong impression of the crumbling, decaying society that existed under Mobutu. The author travels by truck, by riverboat, and through the jungle on foot with some BaMbuti (pygmies). I liked two things about this book. First, I liked Shoumatoff's attitude towards the people he met: neither condescending and critical, nor full of gushing admiration. He took each person as they came, just as he would have in his own society. If you are tired of the snide, superior writing style of a Theroux or Naipaul, this could be a welcome change. Secondly, I liked his descriptions of the natural world of the forests, rivers, and interactions between people. My criticism is that both sections lack focus and sometimes the book and the diary are a little too close together. The Amazon section starts off with a very fascinating description of the Greek Amazon legend and how the early Europeans were influenced by it, how the Indians may have fed it back to successive explorers once they realized what the intruders were looking for. But, since Shoumatoff found no vestige of the legend in his travels, there really was no point to setting up this "straw woman". He was basically "messing around"; travelling to see what he could see. That would have been enough I feel---travel for its own sake is just as good a reason as any. Nothing much holds the Zaire section together either: it's just a bunch of impressions. I happened to like them, but some people might feel the book is a little diffuse. Criticisms notwithstanding, IN SOUTHERN LIGHT is well worth reading. I recommend it to anyone looking for a different sort of travel book, one not about the pastel, effete joys of Provence or Tuscany.

This short compilation of Nelson Mandela's words provides wonderful insights into the man, the politician, the philosopher - from his youth to today. They show him as a a warm and simple human being, a tough and principled leader, as an elder among his people and as a man of wisdom. He has much to teach us. The book doubles as a quick read and a reference, as the quotes are sorted by topic.

This volume is a good addition to the history of the cultural and artistic exchange that took place between Africa and Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. The topics are covered well and effectively given the length of the volume. However, given the cost of the volume, the overall quality of the photographs and illustrations is a bit disappointing. Color images are definitely preferable. There are color images but only a part. Also some of the chapters would benefit by a large number of images demonstrating the overall art forms and the exchange taking place. I am not looking for a "pretty" table top book - rather a volume with clear illustrations lending themselves to a clear explanation of the cultural exchange taking place. This aside, it is a well done volume and a good edition to an area lacking in quality research and publication.

Having read a vast number of books on Africa and African hunters, I was looking forward to getting my copy of Jungle Man. I was under the impression that it might be a good story but told in a stilted, "stiff upper lip" kind of style. Not so! Pretorious tells his life story in a thoroghly interesting and absorbing way. There is no exaggeration in his writing, yet he manages to convey quite well the experiences of his life time. The photos are pretty ordinary (as per usual for books from that era) and there is no index. But these are minor points. You will fully enjoy reading about his adventures in Old Africa from the age he left home to manage ox wagons to his involvement in some early African films.
Well worth reading.

THIS IS AN INTERESTING READ, PARTICULARLY FOR SOMEONE INQUISITIVE ABOUT HISTORY AND AT TIMES SITUATIONS LEADING UP TO WORLD WAR II. THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND SEEMS ACCURATE AND THE CHARACTERS REAL. FOR AWHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOOK THE PACE OF THE STORY SLOWS SOMEWHAT, BUT THAT IN ITSELF BLENDS WITH THE ACCOUNT OF THE LONG SIEGE OF THE SMALL SOUTH AFRICAN TOWN OF LADYSMITH BY THE BOER FORCES IN 1899. SOME HISTORICAL CHARACTERS ARE REFERRED TO INCLUDING LIEUTENANT WINSTON CHURCHILL, GENERAL BULLER AND OTHERS, BUT THE STORY FOCUSES MAINLY ON THE INTERACTION OF BIRTISH SOLDIERS AND LOCAL TOWNSPEOPLE AND THE WAY THEY DEAL WITH THE SIEGE OF THER TOWN AND WITH THEMSELVES. EACH SETTLER HAS A DIFFERENT STORY AND REASON FOR BEING IN THAT PLACE AT THAT TIME. ALL ARE WAITING FOR THE RELIEF OF LADYSMITH, IF IT COMES. THIS NOVEL IS A TYPE OF FORCAST FOR SOME ASPECTS OF MODERN WAR AND SIEGE SITUATIONS THAT ARE PLAYED OUT TO-DAY.

A Land Apart is an excellent collection of short stories and poetry by different South African writers. It is divided into three different sections each devoted to the main groups of South Africa. This book gives a clear glimpse of life in South Africa during apartheid through the eyes of three different groups. It is a clear depiction of the times and struggles of all South Africans during their struggle. This book is excellent for anyone wanting an inside view of South Africa during apartheid.

Mesthrie's book consists of over 20 articles on many topics of sociolinguistics in South Africa today, written for academics. It has some predictable chapters, including an overview of the history of languages, language interactions, and language policies in South Africa. Also, there are chapters on specific languages and groups of languages, e.g. Khoekhoe/Koisan/Bushmen languages.

In addition, it has some topics that many readers would not expect, including one on sign language(s), which argues that South Africa should be understood as having one sign language, not several (based on ethnic lines). A fascinating article, but it left me with the clear impression that this one, national sign language is still an ideologically driven hope rather than a present fact.

Chapters on women's speech were also fascinating, on in-law name avoidance (hlonipha) and the resistance of Thoga women to shifting to the Zulu language as the men have done.

Other topics include: Fanakalo pidgin, code-switching, varieties of English in Sotuh Africa, the spread of clicks, lexical borrowing, the diminishing use of German and Indian languages, etc.

The chapters on contemporary language policy and language policy in education were brief, too brief for my tastes after having read Vic Webb's similarly titled "Language in South Africa" (2002). (Webb's book is much more narrowly focused on policy issues, both books are valuable.)

Some chapters were weak, others great. The book lacks a chapter on the use of Afrikaans today.

But it is the single most comprehensive overview of language issues in South Africa today.

Webb describes the overall sociolinguistic situation in South Africa today, with some relevant historical background explained. But Webb does not content himself with merely a description of the present situation. He proposes and argues for an integrated languge policy that calls for promoting and enhancing the public image of all nine of the official South African languages. His proposal includes requiring civil servants to pass a test in at least one indigenous African language, thereby forcing both Whites and Blacks to study and (hopefully) value these languages that are generally stigmatized as less valuable and important, even by their speakers. This proposal also calls for major changes in the language policies of education in South Africa, but he admits that part of this will require major efforts to promote positive views of African languages in the minds of Black parents and teachers.

Not everybody, inside or outside of South Africa will agree with Webb, and even those who want to agree with his dream may find it unreachable. But Webb is to be applauded for a well-explained dream that is clearly intended to benefit all South Africans.

Webb's book must be distinguished from the similarly titled "Language in South Africa" edited by Rajend Mesthrie (2002 Cambridge, ISBN: 0521791057). Mesthrie's volume is a collection of articles describing the language and related social situations in different parts of South African society. The two books are complementary, if confusingly titled.