Remembering South Africa
583893
Our son and granddaughter spent three weeks in South Africa.  All their photos are digital.  When we found this beautiful book, South African Landscapes, at the library,  we knew we had to buy a copy for them.  It was hard to locate because it was older, but we did get a pristine copy via an amazon seller.
  We reveled in the beauty of the countryside before we mailed it off to their family.  There are a lot of different landscapes in such a big country.  Our son works in Malawi sometimes, and he always visits South Africa as he flies in to the continent.  He could never take such breathtaking photographs as we see here.
  I would like to get a photo book like this for Malawi!  If you like amazing landscapes or African beauty, track down a copy of this unique book. (reviewed by  Sandra)
1419758
For the hunter, soldier or student of Africa, particularly the Southern Cone, this is a fine book.  Written by a man who has Africa in his blood and bones, and whose family has lived and served in that part of the  continent for five generations.  He hasn't just experienced Africa as a travel writer might, he's lived Africa his entire life and knows his turf as only a native can.  Perhaps this isn't a great book in the sense that an important novel might be, but it's an important book in that it captures a cross-sectional slice of Southern Africa at a critical transition point in recent history.  It's Kevin's misfortune to live at the end of an era where the white man may no longer have a seminal role to play.  For men like Kevin and his wife Brenda, this seems a singular tragedy and a colossal waste of talent and training, but we'll have this book to remind us of what the times were like and the kind of men that once found full expression in the wild wastes of Africa.  I know I'll always have my copy.
1325588
This book is a selection of 16 papers and 4 introductory essays by 16 different authors and it is concerned with South African history between about 1750 and 1850. Its particular focus is whether the concept of the "Mfecane" is valid or not. The name Mfecane has been used to describe a period of massive disruption, mainly after 1800, centred in eastern South Africa but extending throughout much of the country. It has sometimes been linked to the growth of the Zulu kingdom and the reaction to it. The South African apartheid state offered a distorted view of the Mfecane, emphasising depopulation and anarchy to justify occupation of supposedly empty lands which had been cleared by it of previous African occupants. The papers in the book consider whether there was such a period of disruption, even if accompanied by the formation of new African states, and also of some forced migration without total or near total depopulation in any major area, or whether the Mfecane was mainly a myth or smokescreen used by 19th century European settlers and their descendants to cover-up their forcible occupation of African lands and their reduction of the local populations to landless dependents in some areas or slaves in others.

This collection of papers is largely for those with some knowledge and experience of South African history rather than the general reader. For the former group, it provides essential reading, as the way in which organised African states were replaced by white minority rule is critical to understanding the social and political history of the country. From the mid-1960 it was generally accepted by historians of South Africa that a period of internal disruption and state building had taken place in the early 19th century in eastern South Africa, possibly with some ecological triggers and/or some external contributory causes. This had resulted in the formation of the Zulu, Swazi, Sotho and other nations in South Africa and beyond. However, in the 1980s and particularly when the apartheid state was being dismantled, a contrary view that any disruption was caused by European land-grabbers and slave traders was presented. Both the contrasting views are presented in the papers, although there is relatively little meeting of minds. There is considerable disagreement on what the debate is about and what evidence is valid or not, although arguments for both sides are generally presented clearly. There is no doubt that the debate will stimulate further research

The original conference brought together mainly historians but also archeologists, anthropologist and a literary specialist. In all, 24 papers were presented and (apart from one conference contributor who declined to have his contribution printed) there is no explanation why some were omitted. The 4 introductory essays are excellent in linking the papers in each section and the whole conference together. Of the papers, 14 are of high quality, well researched and well argued. Of the remainder, one by the literary "specialist", Wylie seems to be a blanket criticism of all European writing on the Zulus, and Gewald's paper, suggesting that Namibia was significantly involved in the Atlantic slave trade, is long on assertion but short on facts.

Overall, those writers who oppose the concept of the Mfecane do so mainly on the basis of its oversimplification and misuse in the apartheid era, in particular the suggestion that the rise of the Zulu kingdom caused massive devastation and depopulation, so putting the blame for the violence of colonial conquest on one African nation. Their emphasis on external European agency rather than African state building rests on a number of doubtful assumptions, and to some degree, it belittles African abilities to organise themselves. Those who present a more nuanced view of a period of significant change, sometimes violent, but not merely destructive, probably have the better of the argument, and in the words of one paper's title, "The Mfecane Survives its Critics".
312562
Fascinating account of this man & his life. Author J.D.F Jones certainly pulled no punches.
Personally, it is quite sad as van der Post was a bit of a hero of mine when I was younger. I'm still glad I read the accounts of his travels in the Kalahari, the rest of his books were, in hindsight, over the top & in real need of some serious editing. His accounts of the African bush along with other African related authors gave me the incentive to go and see an Africa I might have missed. For that I'm grateful to Laurens van der Post.

But it has to be acknowledged that this man was appalling to the women in his life & perhaps should have found himself behind bars.
2032790
The White Dog, a symbol of perseverance and patience, remains loyal throughout a story of South African turmoil. I enjoyed the interconnectedness of lives--the young doctor whose grandfather was from the same tribe that the archaeologist was studying. The brother and sister who become part of the life of the white lady who the doctor works for. My friends thought the two stories were too separate, and they wanted parts to hurry up. By I found the contrast between lives interesting. I compared this book with Alan Paton's Cry the Beloved Country. I am impressed that there were many good people who try to help others and do what is right. I copied.several quotes from this book and really enjoyed it. I love South Africa.
191891
I bought this book specifically because it was in Afrikaans and dealt with a history that is, from my perspective, misunderstood and very much marginalized. The Anglo-Boer war was far, far more complex than the battles between the Redcoats and the Kommandos.

The book takes the format of a diary with asides from the author. The treatment is evenhanded, not inflammatory, and the book recounts the privations suffered by a young boy and his family during the Anglo-Boer war. As a South African by birth, but born of foreign parents, I appreciated the lucid descriptions of people and places that had previously only been presented to me in a dry an cursory fashion in a high school history class. I was able to connect with a past that is shared by a great many of my countrymen but that was somehow always inaccessible to me.

It is not a 'heavy' or particularly challenging read, provided you can read Afrikaans. I found it a very touching and human story that presented the scourge of war from a very uncommon perspective: through the eyes of a child. I recommend it to those who are interested in history but will not be tested on the material they have read.

The only negative that I feel needs mentioning is that the Kindle edition loses the different typefaces that are used to distinguish between who is relating the story, and the reader needs to pay extra attention to note when these changes occur.
3645571
A nice day to day history of the war, but book is not for everyone. Have to enjoy history and war exploits. He has an entertaining writing style and seems to truly love war strategy (as evidenced by WW2 much later in his life). Overall a good read on the history of South Africa.
436939
This is simply a fantastic piece of literature, written by a very talented, brave, and steadfast journalist, the great Antjie Krog.  Krog, an Afrikaaner (South-African born Caucasian), as part of the South African Broadcasting Corporation's commitment to covering the ongoing stories of torture, abuse, murder and countless other violations to human rights revealed at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Hearings in 1996, recounts many, of a cross section of stories, here in this book.  We also get a strong sense of the psychological and emotional toll it takes, to bare witness to the stories, told by, both, victims and victimizers.  Children were left orphans, wives were left widows, casualties were left permanently disfigured and disabled, in the aftermath of extensive race riots in South Africa, following apartheid (or the enforced segregation of Blacks from Whites) in neighboring townships, throughout the town of Soweto, and beyond.

Just a note to anyone who intends to read this book.  Please keep in mind that many of the stories, recounted in Krog's novel are graphic and very disturbing.  However, they are also invaluably important.  I believe this is a story everyone should be aware of.  Many people heard the words "apartheid" "Soweto" and "Truth and Reconciliation Commission," in passing on the news and in the media, without really having a sense of the significance of the very important events, taking place in South Africa in 1996.  This is your chance to truly come to understand the degree to which racism destroys communities, divides people and ultimately leads to fateful consequences.
2897878
I first encountered Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali in the dark days of apartheid, and he was a shining light in my socio-political evolution. He confronted the apartheid state with his poetry in a time when speaking out as a black person was life-threatening.
3119923
If you have been to South Africa...this helps flesh out some of this beautiful and fascinating country's history.
Interesting twists and turns help fill in some of the gaps most of us have in our knowledge of the struggles.
3808710
In "Age of Iron" J.M. Coetzee again produces a masterpiece of human feeling and emotion.  Using his native South Africa as the backdrop of his book, he relates the mental processes of a white women dying of cancer in 1980's South Africa.  While South Africa is in many ways a civilized country, it is in many ways very much third world, at least in the 1980's when apartheid was still the "law of the land."
As Coetzee's protaganist slowly expires, she uses an epistolary technique, the book is a long letter, to her daughter, who has escaped the daily horror of a gruesome war, by traveling to America.  The book illustrates graphically, the culmination of the abuse of a huge majority, simply because of the color of their skin.  While Coetzee's protaganist finds the concept of apartheid anathema, she has lived her life in the isolated world of the white of South Africa.  In these last days, she comes face to face with the reality of the rest of South Africa.  And, her reaction intensifies, as her emotion follows, through the final days of her life.
This book is highly recommended to those who wish to experience the true feelings and horror that affect those involved in day to day combat, 'on the streets where you live.'  Coetzee characterizes feelings and mental processes in a way that is truly outstanding.  It is a very worthwhile venture to read this book from Coetzee.  It is not time spent in vain.
4300138
I watched it first in about 1990.  It gave me a real understanding of what living was like in South Africa at that time in history.  I loved the message it sent to what we can do to acknowledge world conditions and what we can do to help.
1625145
This is a fine, accurate and well-written account of 20th century South Africa.

The denunciations of apartheid and the cataloguing of its pernicious effects on the African majority provide the compelling context for understanding various key issues of public health in post-apartheid South Africa.

One easily grasps how protein anemia, upper respiratory illnesses, TB, childhood diarrhea, widespread malnourishment and the absence of clean drinking water and improper disposal of human and animal waste were all among the lingering effects of apartheid governance.

The perceptive reader will see how the lingering impact of 100 years of segregation and harsh apartheid produced rampant ill health among Africans. If you're looking for the roots of so-called "AIDS cases" in the Rainbow nation, you need look no further.
712816
A good book that captures the underlying tensions and perceptions of the various races in South Africa at the time (the 1970s) as well as an understanding of the tensions within families and between a father and his son. Written in a free flowing consciousness manner, weaving ideas together, I found it  a fascinating book, as relevant today as it was 35 years ago or so when it was written. It is good to re-discover Nadine Gordimer in this year of her death and find how undated her works appear.
1548685
I first discovered the work of Beverly Naidoo while I was traveling in South Africa and was pleased to find her books increasingly available here. She writes starkly and appropriately for the adolescent about the days of South Africa Apartheid. CHAIN OF FIRE deals with the displacement of people in Cape Town when developers wanted the desirable land for "better" uses than it was being used doe poorer people's homes.

I have had some email conversations with Ms. Naidoo and have her profiled in my co-authored Childrens' Literature text LIVING LITERATURE (Kasten, Kristo, & McClure, 2005, Prentice-Hall) so I can add a personal note that Ms. Naidoo is a White South African married to a Black South African and because of that, she was exiled from her home country during the Apartheid years (inter-marriage was illegal). She maintains a home in the U.K. but continues to visit South African often and continues to tell its stories of struggle and change brilliantly.
Wendy C. Kasten, Ph. D.
1847414
Danie Adendorff's writing in "Samson" is forceful and lyrical. It is apparently simple, yet sophisticated, as it presents so many facets of South Africa: its natural beauty, the intricacies of village life, love and struggle in the extended family, and the ravages of HIV/AIDS. It's a novel of social protest of the structure of South African society which allowed Apartheid to exist--and eventually begin to heal through the formation of The Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Courage and deception. Love and brutality. Community and the fear that destroys it. Gentleness and strength. Wisdom and ignorance. "Samson" gives its all to present the complexity of a society that folded in on itself and distorted the goodness in people, tribes, and a country. In 1948 Alan Paton published "Cry, the Beloved Country." Later that year the passage of a land law institutionalized Apartheid. More than 65 years later South Africa still staggers with that history of betrayal, secrets...and, yes, redemption.
2974639
To know a country is to know its people. Previously apart from South Africa, Africa was a homongenous blur to me. This series looks at the different regions of the continent through the eyes of the people who live out their lives there. It contrasts the traditional ways with the ways of change giving both a glimpse into the past and into the future. The flora and forna also feature but are featured more to show the struggle to survive in different habitats and a changing world.