Search results for ""Jacana""
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd We walk straight so you better get out the way
I remember shaving off my beard in the bathroom on the eve of the camp, with Mahalia Jackson singing rousing spirituals from the living room. Afterwards my chin was strangely smooth, and seemed to have shrunk. I remember that from the Springbok Grounds, where the army has its administrative offices, you could see a whisky ad on a billboard with a moustachioed gentleman suggesting: "Don't be vague, ask for Haig". I remember our arrival at camp, in a roaring truck with wooden plank benches that fetched s from the station. There were many trucks parked or driving along an endless esplanade with their headlights forked into the night. Dust and diesel fumes. People running. Uniforms. Hoarse orders in Afrikaans. I remember 'roer jou gat!", "jou gat", "se gat", "bakgat", "slapgat", "gates", and "don't gooi me grief, hey!" We walk straight so you better get out of the way is author's new book of personal and public memories of growing up in South Africa. Once again he delves deeply into sense memories, making the reader hum long-forgotten tunes, summoning up familiar pictures through his delicate and finely-tuned phrasing. In this title the author deals with the army years, the Grateful Dead years, the loss of his father to prison years and the losing himself to Paris years.
£9.70
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Wanda the Brave (English)
Meet Wanda, with her glorious head of hair. Today, Wanda is visiting the hair salon where she’ll use all the hair secrets Makhulu taught her. But Aunty Ada wants her to straighten her hair with a white chemical. Wanda and her friend Sandra come up with a plan and both girls stand strong and brave in the face of this big challenge. Bold and zesty, Wanda The Brave is a celebration of girl power, and a reminder that courage and friendship is a mighty force!
£10.03
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Beyond Fear: Reflections of a Freedom Fighter
Beyond Fear is the testimony of Ebrahim Ebrahim, a revolutionary amongst revolutionaries, whose poignant and inspirational account of his years spent dedicated to bringing down the apartheid state is told in ways we have not heard. As one of the founding members of Umkhonto we Sizwe, he played a central role in directing the sabotage campaign of the early 1960s. Convicted for this, Ebrahim arrived on Robben Island in 1964, where for over 15 years he played a leadership role in the creation of the ‘University of Robben Island’, the university of revolutionary ideology. Soon after his release, Ebrahim became the head of the ANC’s Political Military Committee in Swaziland, and as such, his life was under constant threat. He was abducted in December 1986 by apartheid agents and taken to South Africa to be tortured at John Vorster Square. He was charged with high treason and sentenced to a further 20 years, which would be his second stint on the Island. Ebrahim was, however, released in February 1991. Beyond Fear also tells the story of his post-1994 life, where he travelled the world doing international conflict resolution work. He later served as South Africa’s deputy minister of foreign affairs. His great love story began at the age of 63 when he met his beloved Shannon Ebrahim with whom he had two children, who were, as he says his ‘greatest teachers’. Ebrahim Ebrahim passed away on 6 December 2021, having become one of South Africa’s most loved heroes.
£14.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Madam & Eve Annual 2023
After 31 years, Madam & Eve is still go ing strong and are back with more hilarious cartoons looking back at another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is daily life and politics in South Africa. Madam & Eve cartoons appear regularly in the Mail & Guardian, The Star, The Saturday Star, Herald, Mercury, Witness, Daily Dispatch, Cape Times, Pretoria News, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Die Volksblad, EC Today, Kokstad Advertiser and The Namibian.Madam & Eve is South Africa’s best reminder that we need to laugh at ourselves as a society. The perfect gift for anyone wanting to understand South African politics.
£10.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Three Egg Dilemma
Three Egg Dilemma is a visionary novel. Morojele has built worlds and characters that are unforgettable. This audacious novel is set to become a classic work of South African fiction. This is the story of Ex (short for ‘Example’), who lives in a small township on the outskirts of a town in Lesotho. He stays in his dead parents’ house, decorated with all his mother’s things, where he subsists off renting out back rooms. He drinks – too much – at Mada’s down the road, and has two friends: Sticks, who sells eggs on the street, and Latrine, so called because of his meagre digestion. Although Ex used to have broad horizons, his life now is limited by the street he lives on. Once he had a meaningful job, he travelled, had money and hope. Life, and Lesotho, have been badly knocked: the country has suffered droughts, and is periodically thrown into turmoil by violent soldiers, or attacks by roving bandits such as the vicious Zuluboy. Poverty is rife. Early on, we are introduced to a recurring vision, or supernatural phenomenon, that haunts Ex – ‘Mota’s ghost’, a ghastly demon-like being, ghost or representation of death or fate. It first appears to presage the death of a friend, and later returns when death visits his town. The second important figure in the story is Phuleng / Pearl, an innocent young woman who arrives as a refugee when the soldiers are rampaging, and stays in Ex’s house – in his mother’s room. Ex, though much older, predictably enough falls in love with Pearl, but she has other ambitions. She works in a hotel in town, and eventually we learn that she has been impregnated by a white guest. Before the end, Ex will frighten her away, attempting to sexually assault her in the house. She will eventually end up a refugee again, homeless and on the streets outside Ex’s house, after soldiers and gangs have torn the area apart. Major incidents in Ex’s life include an abortive love affair during his time of plenty, when he meets a woman from Botswana at an international aid conference, falls in love with her and travels across South Africa to join her – only to realise that he has misunderstood the signs, and that she is marrying a white man. The other formative moment is when he is tricked into believing that a street child is his son. Each of these moments of hope ends with him, to different degrees, being deceived, humiliated and exploited. The novel ends with Ex back in his house after Zuluboy’s ravages, running the old shop and bar and being counselled in acceptance by the hideous Mota’s ghost. Morojele has written a dystopian masterpiece: one which takes the reader on a darkly comic journey. Three Egg Dilemma is a visionary novel. Morojele has built worlds and characters that are unforgettable. This audacious novel is set to become a classic work of South African fiction.
£13.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Khamr: The Makings of a Waterslams
Khamr: The Makings of a Waterslams is a true story that maps the author’s experience of living with an alcoholic father and the direct conflict of having to perform a Muslim life that taught him that nearly everything he called home was forbidden. A detailed account from his childhood to early adulthood, Jamil F. Khan lays bare the experience of living in a so-called middle-class Coloured home in a neighbourhood called Bernadino Heights in Kraaifontein, a suburb to the north of Cape Town. His memories are overwhelmed by the constant discord that was created by the chaos and dysfunction of his alcoholic home and a co-dependent relationship with his mother, while trying to manage the daily routine of his parents’ keeping up appearances and him maintaining scholastic excellence. Khan’s memories are clear and detailed, which in turn is complemented by his scholarly thinking and analysis of those memories. He interrogates the intersections of Islam, Colouredness and the hypocrisy of respectability as well as the effect perceived class status has on these social realities in simple yet incisive language, giving the reader more than just a memoir of pain and suffering. Khan says about his debut book: ‘This is not a story for the romanticisation of pain and perseverance, although it tells of overcoming many difficulties. It is a critique of secret violence in faith communities and families, and the hypocrisy that has damaged so many people still looking for a place and way to voice their trauma. This is a critique of the value placed on ritual and culture at the expense of human life and well-being, and the far-reaching consequences of systems of oppression dressed up as tradition.’
£14.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Gamebirds of Africa: Guineafowls, Francolins, Spurfowls, Quails, Sandgrouse & Snipes
This is the definitive monograph on the gamebirds of Africa. This detailed full-colour handbook includes everything needed to identify and get to know the 89 species that fall into six groups: guineafowls and Congo Peafowl (7 species) francolins and partridges (33 species), spurfowls (26 species), quails (3 species), sandgrouse (13 species) and snipes and Eurasian Woodcock (7 species). Gamebirds of Africa offers a concise and updated summary of the large but scattered body of accumulated scientific research and field-guide literature. Pertinent and interesting facts about the distribution, habits, breeding, and conservation status of each species are presented in a readable fashion. Numerous photographs convey the appearance, characteristic features, behavioural activities and, in many cases, the habitats frequented by each bird. Gamebirds of Africa will be a worthy addition to the ornithological literature and to the bookshelves of bird enthusiasts, particularly birders, wing-shooters, land owners and anyone with an interest in nature and conservation, throughout Africa and across the rest of the world. The publication of this book was made possible through the generous funding of the Wild Bird Trust and the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town.
£19.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Escape from Pretoria
In this jaw-dropping classic of prison escape literature, Tim Jenkin tells of how he, Stephen Lee and Alexander Moumbaris, using a series of hand-made wooden keys, got through nine locked doors inside Pretoria Central, taking them to Mozambique and finally to London. This fast-paced thriller begins with Jenkin’s Cape Town childhood and the growth of his political awareness, his university days and his friendship with Stephen Lee. Both men left South Africa after university for London to join the African National Congress. Jenkin and Lee, after training in London, became expert pamphlet bombers in Cape Town and Johannesburg, and it was after several successful years of raising awareness about apartheid and the ANC that they were caught and eventually sentenced to 12 years in jail. It is after Lee’s father visits his son in prison, bringing him a copy of another escape classic, Papillon, that Jenkin begins to seriously form an escape plan. Months and months of planning, testing, failing, testing again and lucky breaks meant that, finally, the escape was on. The recently late Denis Goldberg was a friend and supporter of the men, and kept a warder busy as they began their escape. Apart from locking the doors behind them, they never looked back…
£14.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Catching Tadpoles: The Shaping of a Young Rebel
Ronnie Kasrils’s memoir reflects on compelling questions as to what turned a white youngster from a modest background into a life-long revolutionary of note. A tiny minority who abandoned a life of privilege were the antithesis of conventionality and toeing the line. What made those such as Kasrils break all the rules and confront white power with such courage, unbridled spirit and yearning for the truth? This is a challenging and fascinating conundrum but Kasrils will claim he is no aberration of history. The answers to that question, which unravel through twenty years, will beguile readers as he peers back with endearing frankness into the origins and experiences of his formative years. A Yeoville-born boykie with Yiddish roots; heartfelt empathy for the underdog; an instinctive rejection of authoritarianism in school and wider society were influences informing his adult life as revolutionary activist. With a remarkable memory and flair for the written and spoken word the narrative revels in the social, sexual and political awakening of a roguish boy’s adventures with girls, rock music, bohemian culture and leaping across the colour barrier. Kasrils’s tadpoles of the memoir’s title represent the submerged often illusive tracts of memory he searches for as he delves into the mystery of his metamorphosis. This stylistic element adds to the creativity of this fourth memoir.
£17.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Birding in South Africa‘s national parks
Birding in South Africa's National Parks is the first book dedicated to birding in South African parks. The 19 featured national parks are grouped within the four biogeographic regions—northern, arid, frontier and Cape regions. Pertinent and interesting facts about where to find birds, including the top 10 birds of each park and a description of general habitats, are presented in a readable fashion. Over 100 photographs illustrate some of the special birds found in the parks. Of the 700 regularly seen terrestrial species in South Africa, at least 640 can be found in the 19 national parks, with 13 of the 15 species endemic to South Africa and another 19 of the 20 species endemic to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland. The special birds listed at the back of the book for each park include iconic flagship species of the biome that the park represents, elusive birder's bucket-list species and special southern African endemic species. Birding in South Africa's National Parks will be a worthy addition to the bookshelves of bird enthusiasts, particularly birders and ecotourists visiting South Africa from across the world.
£15.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Madam & Eve annual 2018
After 25 years Madam & Eve is still going strong. The duo is back with more hilarious cartoons reflecting on another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is daily life and politics in South Africa. Madam & Eve cartoons appear regularly in the Mail & Guardian, The Star, The Saturday Star, Herald, Mercury, Witness, Daily Dispatch, Cape Times, Pretoria News, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Die Volksblad, EC Today, Kokstad Advertiser and The Namibian.
£11.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Small things: A novel
In this haunting tale of love and learning, the existential chaos of a life ravaged by circumstance takes on a rhythm of its own, one bound by loss and loneliness, but also an intelligent awareness of self. Sometimes melancholy, sometimes brutal, occasionally funny and infuriating, a journalist-comrade-lover caught up in the shade and shadow of politics and social injustice faces treachery and betrayal on every level. Set against the backdrop of a cityscape that taunts and tantalises, this is where love fails and passion wanes, “where suffering has no meaning”, where an individual escapes death only to find himself confronted with choices wrought by remorse and retribution, by conscience and character. And yet, with all trauma, there is a distinct musicality to the lyrical unpacking that follows a string of small things …
£12.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Set a table
As the host, some honour is accorded to you. It is acknowledged that you have gone to some trouble and thought to orchestrate an occasion. This is why, when you begin (or revive) entertaining in your home, you understand that it is something of a rite of passage. For young entertainers it's quite a grown-up business, and for more seasoned entertainers, there is the realisation that you are expanding and embracing your social circle. There is an old-fashioned sense of service in keeping relationships and the social fabric strong. Set a Table is Karen Dudley's newest offering, following in the footsteps of her ground-breaking and much-loved Week in The Kitchen books. The recipes are carefully selected to showcase exceptional flavour, but are easily achievable at home. Many of the recipes are well-loved signature dishes from The Dining Room that have been developed for home cooks to share. The Duck Salad with Cashews or the Seared Salmon Sashimi with Vietnamese Caramel are as triumphant as the Asparagus Avgolemono and the Indian-Spiced Cauliflower with Coconut Coriander Relish. These are recipes that are loved by makers and tasters alike. In addition to the splendid recipes, Karen considers the importance of inviting people into your home to eat around your table. The photographs are rich and beautiful, shot by the extraordinarily talented Claire Gunn, who manages to convey the intimacy and sumptuousness of actual dinner parties thrown by Karen in her home and at her restaurants, The Kitchen and The Dining Room. This is a beautiful book which will draw people in with its visual allure, win their hearts with Karen's entertaining and insightful observations and have people buying extra copies to share with their friends for its irresistible originality.
£19.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd A rhino in my garden: Love, life and the African bush
Conita Walker tells the story of the love match that lured her from the world of international air travel to plunge, somewhat naively, into the life of a conservationist. It is a tale of adventure, mishaps, humour and heartbreak. Conita’s life begins on a remote missionary station; she survives the WWII bombing of Berlin, witnesses the defeat of political systems in both Europe and South Africa, and eventually finds her true mission in the rescue and hand-rearing of black and white rhino orphans. There was a baby hippo to rescue and re-wild too, conservation organisations to found and support, wilderness battles to fight, but it was the rhinos that became her life’s work. Her first male calf, named Bwana, was raised in her back garden, followed by a female hippo calf who grew up in her washroom, and eventually returned to the Palala River and has produced numerous offspring. The supreme test of her mothering skills was the raising of a very seriously injured black rhino female named Moeng who was saved in the nick of time by the dedicated work of veterinarian Dr Andre Uys. This rhino calf, along with her predecessor ‘siblings’, were to be viewed up close by thousands of school children who came to Conita’s garden while attending the environmental school nearby.
£15.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Plentiful: The big book of Buddha food
The purpose of the book is to continue the tradition of excellent vegetarian food, centred on Mediterrrean flavors, served at the BRC which has always had the personal touch of the head chef in charge of the menus and that of his co-chefs: the lovely, friendly local Zulu women who have worked in the kitchen for many years to great acclaim from visitors. These ladies were taught the skills of traditional Zulu cooking from their mothers, which they then readily adapted to cooking the vegetarian cuisine served at the BRC. These women could hold their own in the kitchen of any up-market restaurant anywhere. With this book, the BRC also wanted to showcase the exquisite indigenous environment in which it is set, which has become a spiritual haven for South African and international visitors.
£17.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Period pain
Period Pain captures the heartache and confusion of so many South Africans who feel defeated by the litany of headline horrors; xenophobia, corrective rape, corruption and crime and for many the death sentence that is the public health nightmare. Where are we going, what have we become? Period Pain helps us navigate our South Africa. We meet Masechaba, and through her story we are able to reflect, to question and to rediscover our humanity.
£10.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Jack Simons: Teacher, scholar and comrade
Jack Simons: Teacher, Scholar, Comrade is a pocket biography informed by personal knowledge of its subject, and firsthand experience of the ANC in exile in Zambia, as well as by research in the archives and interviews. Born in 1907, Jack Simons was one of the leading left-wing intellectuals - and one of the greatest teachers - in 20thcentury South Africa. As a lecturer in African Studies at the University of Cape Town from 1937 until he was prevented from teaching by the government in 1964, and thereafter through his lectures and writings in exile, he had a profound effect on the thinking of generations of white and black students and on the liberation movement as a whole. As Albie Sachs wrote in an obituary in The Guardian (1995), 'It is not just the way he influenced so many individuals. It was the impact he had on the culture of a people. The new South African Constitution requires that the values of an open and democratic society should be nurtured. Simons fought all his life both for openness and democracy. His intellectual rigour, the honesty of his person, the sweep of his information, the humanity of his vision and interactiveness and the vitality of his ideas, imprinted themselves on the generation that fought hardest for liberty and made the most direct contribution to achieving the new constitutional order.'
£10.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Gauteng hikes and walks
Gauteng may be the Place of Gold, but it is also home to many hikes and walks that most Gautengers don't even know about. This book will help you discover them while giving you a more intimate encounter with Gauteng, a province shrouded in the beauty of indigenous vegetation, mountains, rivers and waterfalls. Tim Hartwright covers both the shorter walks in urban parks and rural areas, along with overnight trails such as Suikerbosrand. He explores the unique places that are right on every Gautenger's doorstep, one of these being the Braamfontein Spruit, and shares the rich heritage we need to preserve in our city. Numerous private trails have blossomed in areas closer to the main metropolises of Gauteng. Shorter weekend and day hikes have come into vogue and in most cases these trails cross private land rather than that belonging to the state. Most municipalities have embraced hiking as part of their commitment to the outdoor recreational activities they offer their residents and visitors. Explore the various nature reserves, historical, archaeological and geological sites. Included in the book: Detailed description of around 60 hiking and walking trails in Gauteng, including the history and geology, fauna and flora of each area; a difficulty rating is included, helping you decide if it is suitable for the whole family; brief descriptions on how to get to the route with GPS coordinates for starting points; security information and emergency numbers; contact details for trail - to know if you should book in advance to walk the trail; comprehensive maps for each hike or walk.
£11.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd My father, my monster
Police spokesperson and former TV journalist McIntosh Polela has been on our screens for many years. But behind his seemingly unfazed demeanour, a troubled past haunts him. His parents disappeared when he was a little boy, leaving him and his sister Zinhle to suffer years of brutal abuse. When the truth of his parents' disappearance is revealed, the teenage McIntosh makes a fully functioning gun from found object which he keeps for the day when he finds his father. He knows that he must come face to face with the man who robbed him of his childhood. McIntosh has to confront his father about his mother's brutal death. How can he possibly forgive, when his father remains a remorseless brutal and heartless monster?
£19.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Refilwe
"Refilwe, Refilwe, let down your locks, So I can climb the scraggy rocks!" In a cave high up on a craggy cliff, beautiful Refilwe is allowed to see no one but the witch who locked her away. One day, Prince Tumi hears Refilwe singing as he is riding his horse near her cave and he searches for the owner of the magical voice. Will Refilwe ever be free from the evil witch? Will she ever find true love? An African retelling of the classic fairy tale Rapunzel by one of our best loved authors, Zukiswa Wanner, with magical illustrations by Tamsin Hinrichsen will keep all children entranced, and grow a love of reading. Read aloud, read together, read alone, read forever!
£7.04
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Roberts guide to the nests and eggs of Southern African birds
Filled with beautiful images, this new field guide presents the nesting habits of the 730 bird species known to breed in southern Africa. From vultures and eagles to waxbills and cisticolas, this comprehensively cross-referenced book contains up-to-date information about each species—when and where they nest, what the nest and eggs look like, and how long it takes for the eggs to hatch. A perfect gift for nature-lovers, it also includes accurately colored, life-size reproductions of all the species’ eggs, no matter how big or small.
£26.96
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Mail and Guardian bedside book 2003
The Mail and Guardian bedside book once again selects the best of the paper's features over the last year to bring you an unparalleled snapshot of South Africa (and Africa) in cross-section.
£13.66
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd The Quest for Unity: An Appraisal of Regional Integration in Africa
This is an easily accessible book written in simple and concise language that tackles one of the most topical issues in Africa today: the quest to overcome the colonial legacy of fragmentation and division through fostering regional and continental integration that may yield appreciable welfare gains for African people. This book will be of interest to policy makers, businesspeople, civil society organisations, academics and students, and non-Africans who want to understand the dynamics of regional integration in the continent. The book is written in simple and concise language, making it an excellent resource for policy makers, businesspeople, civil society organisations, academics and students, and non-Africans who want to understand the dynamics of regional integration in the continent.
£16.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd The extraordinary Khotso: Millionaire medicine man from Lusikisiki
Khotso Sethuntsa, the near-legendary medicine man, was believed to be a worker of powerful and dangerous magic. Khotso was renowned and feared throughout South Africa and beyond, even after his death in 1972. He created a fabulous eccentric kingdom around himself. He has been surrounded by mystery: the origins of his fortune and the extent of his powers shrouded in secrecy. This title takes us into the world of one of southern Africa's best-known herbalists. Khotso was famed, especially, as a seller of ibangalala, a herbal remedy for sexual potency, and ukuthwala, a terrifying procedure for acquiring long-term wealth. Also, he claimed to be in spiritual contact with Paul Kruger, hinting that his fortune derived from the long-lost Kruger millions. Meanwhile, leading Afrikaner Nationalists politicians, including H.F.Verwoed and J.G.Strijdom, sought Khotso out - for his medicines for political power, it has been said. Some believed that Khotso had entered into an occult pact with the mamlambo, the seductive mermaid woman who grants wealth at a terrible price. It is rumoured that the tragic twists and turns in his life sprung from this. Yet, as one of his many wives said, he was, too, "a lively, joking medicine man who loved money, sex and laughter." This title unravels many of the mysteries surrounding Khotso Sethuntsa. It explores his unique empire and tracks his extraordinary career.
£24.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Seventh street alchemy
"Seventh Street Alchemy" by Brian Chikwava is the winner of the 2004 Caine Prize! This is the fifth anthology of Caine Prize shortlisted stories, and the third to include the proceedings of a Caine Prize African Writers' Workshop. Out of the twelve countries represented on the five short lists to date, three have been North African, three East African, three West African and three from southern Africa. So the prize has a truly pan-African reach. It is widely referred to now as 'the African Booker' and 'Africa's leading literary award' - in Africa, in the UK and increasingly in the US. The impact on the writers' lives has been dramatic. The first two winners, Leila Aboulela and Helon Habila, have both had outstanding success with their work since Habila won a Commonwealth prize for his first novel in 2002 and his second novel is with the publishers. Leila Aboulela's second novel, "Minaret", has just been published by Bloomsbury. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Caine Prize shortlist 2002) was on the Orange Prize shortlist for her first novel, "Purple Hibiscus", published by Harper, and it won the Commonwealth First Book Prize in 2005. Hassounah Mosbahi's story, "The Tortoise", which was shortlisted in 2001, appears in an excellent collection of stories from North Africa, Sardines and Oranges, published this year by Banipal. And Doreen Baingana, shortlisted in 2004, was given a Writers' Programme Award for her collection, "Tropical Fish - Stories from Entebbe", published this year by Massachusetts University Press. The 2004 Caine Prize winner is the Zimbabwean writer, Brian Chikwava. Also on the shortlist, with Doreen Baingana, were Monica Arac de Nyeko, also from Uganda, Parselelo Kantai from Kenya and Chika Unigwe from Nigeria. Their stories appear in this volume. Except for Kantai, who was busy on a Reuters' fellowship at Oxford University, they participated in this year's Caine Prize Writers' workshop, as did Charles Mungoshi (Zimbabwe) and Jackee Batanda (Uganda), who were both highly commended by the 2004 Prize judges.
£12.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd A Love Letter to the Many
£21.19
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd 10 Inspiring Singers Writers Artists isiXhosa
£9.86
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Amantombazana Akayenzi Loo Nto
£9.10
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd The Forgotten Scientist IsiXhosa
£14.43
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Kantiga Finds the Perfect Name IsiXhosa
£10.61
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Mnr Haas ontmoet Mnr Mandela
£10.61
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd River of gold: Narratives and exploration of the Great Limpopo
In this most exquisitely designed book, rich with photographs and story, the authors explore the Limpopo River’s history, its ancient past, wildlife, landscapes, early kingdoms and their people, warfare, trade, slaves, 19th-century hunting, travel and adventures and the conservation efforts of four national parks of which the renowned Kruger National Park is one. The book (and the river) encompasses two world heritage sites, two Transfrontier conservation areas, private game reserves, some of the richest rock art sites in southern Africa with the river’s ‘source’ centred at the site of the world’s richest gold deposits ever discovered, Johannesburg. This publication comes at a critical time with the growing concern for the country’s water resources, threats to our rivers, wetlands and catchment areas, loss of municipal water through aging infrastructure and contamination through sewage outflow.
£15.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd I Choose to Live: Life After Losing Gugu
My footsteps thud as they hit the ground. I’m trying to pace my breathing; slow, quick breaths – in through the nose, out through the mouth. The terrain zips past me, obscured by the shadowy darkness as we make our descent of Kilimanjaro from Kibo Hut. Gugs is lying unconscious on a single-wheel bicycle stretcher carried by four guides. I look down to check my watch – only 15 minutes since we left Kibo. Suddenly my foot strikes a rock and I’m flung forward, unable to stop myself. I tuck in and somehow manage a soft landing on the rough gravel path. Luckily, I’m wearing my summit-night gear, which is well padded. Richard, the founder of Imbumba Foundation, stops and gives me a hand. As he hoists me up, he reaches for my shoulders and removes my backpack. He wears it on his chest and, now carrying two backpacks, instructs me to continue running. I quickly dust myself off but, as I look up, I realise that the team carrying Gugs a short distance ahead has also stopped. Panicked, I rush up to ask what’s wrong. The leading guide, Frank, says, “The drip’s not flowing.” My first thought is that there’s a blockage, but the problem is I don’t know how to fix it. In the dark, with the help of my head torch, I peer through the drip window and I realise it’s filled with the liquid. I don’t know anything about drips! Desperate for a miracle, I stare into the four faces. Nothing. “It looks blocked,” I blurt out. “What should we do?” The guide who’s been trying to hold up the drip while running, responds: “Well, if it’s not working, then I think I should stop carrying it. I’ll put it next to him so I can run properly.” No one responds so he does exactly that, securing the drip neatly between Gugs and the stretcher. Frank and I exchange a worried glance. He places a hand on Gugs’s neck to check his pulse. He looks back up at me. I read concern on his face so, shakily, I place two fingers just below Gugs’s chin. Nothing. Terrified, I pull my hand away almost immediately. I decide to check his wrist pulse and, as my fingers search for a beat, I’m hit with an Aha! moment. “Fitbit!” I find myself shouting. Gugs has two different Fitbit heart-rate monitors, one on each wrist. I had given one to him for his birthday two months earlier and the other he received as a gift from the Fitbit team two weeks ago, before we set off on our adventure. I click the one on his left wrist – it gives me a heart-rate reading of 185bpm. “Jeez!” I scream. My husband is clearly in deep trouble … My only consolation is that his heart is still beating. I show Frank how to check the heart rate and he nods. Our brief rest period has come to an end. We have roughly 28 kilometres to cover before we get to the bottom of the mountain, to an ambulance, which I pray will be waiting for us at KINAPA headquarters, the main gate to the Marangu Route. And so begins Letshego Zulu’s memoir I Choose to Live.
£15.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Broke and broken: The shameful legacy of gold mining in South Africa
In 1889 a gold rush broke out on the Witwatersrand, changing South Africa's history forever. More than 130 years later the mining industry is still one of the biggest drivers of the economy, but at the expense of those who work underground. Broke & Broken is the story of the thousands of men from South Africa and beyond its borders who paid with their lives for generations. These are men who left their homes as healthy, ambitious youngsters and returned broke, broken and bitter; victims of the shameful legacy of gold mining. The book seeks to say the names of the mineworkers who have built this country's economy, because their own stories and their own spirits need to be magnified. The precious stone they spent most of their lives digging brought no shine to their lives – only pain, tears and death.
£15.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd If I stay right here: A novel
Shay, a seemingly shy and innocent journalism student, is sent to a female prison to cover a story on an inmate, but falls in love instead. Two months later, Sippy, Shay’s love interest, is out of prison and they move in together. On the outside, Sippy is the haunted one in the relationship, but as their love story unfolds, it turns out that Shay has her own secrets.This immersive and interesting story – written with no small amount of flair and intensity – is sexually charged and filled with moments of lacerating violence, both emotional and physical. At heart, it is the story of a woman’s inability to let go of that which both nourishes and destroys her.
£13.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Holding my breath: A memoir
In this book, Ace Moloi writes a letter to his deceased mother. This book, this letter, is an important and necessary look at the state of our country 21 years into our democracy. It is the story of constantly holding your breath, hoping nothing else goes wrong. In a searing and beautiful narrative, Moloi manages to take the reader through various South African issues like the trials of child-headed families in South Africa, the volatile issue of service delivery in townships, the story of broken families, why fees must fall, and racial division in universities. Funny in parts and tragic in others, this is the ultimate South African story.
£11.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Cooking with gas
In the spirit of his bestselling Braai the Beloved Country, Jean Nel has created a book that shows you how to cook the old favorites and experiment with new techniques on a gas grill. Tackling some of the myths about cooking on a gas flame, he shows you how to cook anything from boerewors or steak, to smoked salmon and the most amazing slow-cooked pulled beef you’ve ever eaten. Cooking with Gas will get you outdoors and cooking more than you ever thought possible. In its pages you will find showstopper recipes for entertaining, as well as a simple, quick chicken breast for a midweek dinner.
£10.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Girls on fire: A girl's guide to the braai
Award-winning country chef Camilla Comins learned much of her craft producing gourmet meals on a bed of coals as a young cook in Botswana. She cooked three square meals a day for foreign safari guests, offering everything from frittatas to Chelsea buns without so much as a stove to cook on, let alone an oven. In these pages you will find her tips on how to light and maintain a braai fire in the most common types of braai. She also looks beyond the chop and the wors to more delicate, well-crafted, and healthy options from the fire. Understanding that girls like to get all the work done in time so they can clean up and put on some lipstick before the guests arrive, these recipes are designed so that most of the work is done ahead of time; all you have to do is put the last bits on the fire when guests come. Comins is keenly aware of the need to feed kids and keep them happy at the braai, so there’s a whole section on ideas for feeding them and even letting them help. She also tackles the typically bland braai setting where guys hang around in shorts gripping a pair of tongs, and dresses things up with a bit of bunting and some feminine touches.
£9.86
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Rethinking Africa: Indigenous Women Re-Interpret Southern African pasts
This book critically opens new pathways for de-colonial scholarship and the reclamation of indigenous self-definition by women scholars. Indigenous peoples around the world are often socially egalitarian and gender equal, matricentric, matrifocal, matrilineal, less violent, beyond heteronormative, ecologically sensitive, and with feminine or two-gender deities or spirits, and more. Bernedette Muthien has contributed to several publications over the years, while June Bam has made numerous key contributions in the field of rethinking and rewriting the African past more generally. In this book, indigenous women write their own herstory, define their own contemporary cultural and socio-economic conditions, and ideate future visions based on their lived realities. All chapters herstoricise the accepted 'histories' and theories of how we have come to understand the African past, how to problematise and rethink that discourse, and provide new and different herstorical lenses, philosophies, epistemologies, methodologies and interpretations. In a first of its kind in Africa and the world, this collection of essays is written by, with and for indigenous southern African women from matricentric societies.
£15.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd From whiskey to water
My name is Samantha and I'm an alcoholic."" ""At the time of writing, I've been sober for 13 years, 11 months and 16 days. And yes I still count. I promised I would never speak about it publicly until my children understood what that meant, that mommy was an alcoholic. I think they may have understood long before I did."" From Whiskey to Water is the no-holds-barred memoir by one of South Africa's most loved radio talk show hosts, Sam Cowen. Having kept her alcohol addiction well away from the public eye for over 14 years, in this tell-all tale, Sam finds the courage to talk about her struggle with her addiction to whiskey, food and finally to a passion that saved her life – marathon swimming.
£13.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Dystopia
From highflying Playboy editor to pathetic, homeless alcoholic, this account charts an Icarian fall from grace. It’s the sobering tell-all tale of a young, successful, hubristic, hard-drinking journalist who, in his meltdown, becomes the scourge of pubs around the South Africa. Regularly found comatose, collapsed in a puddle of his own excesses, he became a frequent patient in lock-down psychiatric wards, confronting himself after being granted a court-order for two years in rehab. The story stands out in a world awash with so-called misery memoirs and victim literature, providing a new take on addiction. Far from being a mere account of sordidness and degradation, it also peels away the misconceptions about this disease. This is a story of triumph: a broken man finds his way home to become a functioning human being again and a working journalist. Delving deeply into the myths and misinformation surrounding addiction, the book provides an examination of a condition that’s been dubbed “the most democratic and painful of all diseases.”
£12.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Recovery RSA
Created for addicts, families, significant others, and professionals, this resource argues that recovery from addiction is possible. Offering hope and understanding for all affected by drug and alcohol addiction, this collection compiles South African knowledge, skill, and practice as well as documents the personal stories of people in various stages of recovery. In short, this indispensable self-help guide provides the necessary tools to navigate through the recovery process in South Africa.
£18.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Flight at dawn
Structured around a visit to a wildlife reserve, this book follows a father and his two enthusiastic teenagers as they interact with nature. Chronicling the father’s internal thoughts about the experience and its meaning in the grander scheme of things, this story of discovery challenges old leadership paradigms and encourages readers to be more adventurous in their daily lives and in their roles within organizations. Each chapter is built around the lessons offered by the flora and fauna encountered in the wild.
£13.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Grappling with governance: Perspectives on the African Peer review mechanism
Looking back on nearly a decade after the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM)—a tool designed to promote good governance on the continent—was first conceived, this account explores how this complex process has evolved from theory to practice in a variety of contexts. With case studies and transversal analysis, it examines the progression from the specialized perspectives of various African civil society actors, mainly analysts, activists, and journalists. Arguing that the APRM’s effectiveness depends on the suitability of its design for the task at hand, the situation in which it is used, and the skill of its user, these chapters tease out what can be learned about governance in Africa and demonstrates the extent to which the APRM has changed the way that governments and civil society groups engage. While it is ill-advised to draw universal conclusions, this book nevertheless shows that the APRM has added value, sometimes in unexpected ways.
£20.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd UN peacekeeping in Africa: From Suez crisis to the Sudan conflicts
This book is about the games that Great Powers play. Nearly half of all UN peacekeeping missions in the post-Cold War era have been in Africa, and the continent currently hosts the greatest number (and also the largest) of such missions in the world. Uniquely assessing five decades of UN peacekeeping in Africa, Adekeye Adebajo focuses on a series of questions: What accounts for the resurgence of UN peacekeeping efforts in Africa after the Cold War? What are the factors that have determined the success, or contributed to the failure, of the missions? Does the mandating of so many peacekeeping missions signify the failure of Africa's regional security organizations? And, crucially, how can a new division of labour be established between the UN and Africa's security organisations to more effectively manage conflicts on the continent? Adebajo's historically informed approach provides an in-depth analysis of the key domestic, regional, and external factors that shaped the outcomes of fifteen UN missions, offering critical lessons for future peacekeeping efforts in Africa and beyond.
£26.00
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Breaking the silence: Stories from the other(ed) woman
Now in its fifth edition, this successful journal is written by South African girls and women who have been the victims of abuse—and their contest-winning poems, short stories, and personal essays come from established writers as well as fresh new talents. Based on the idea that creative writing aids the healing process, these selections describe the struggle to survive, the difficulty of reconciling past and present lives, and the enduring nature of the human spirit.
£11.95
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Trade reform in Southern Africa
Coming at an important moment in the development of Southern Africa’s trade policy, this study looks at the country's shifting economic priorities and assesses the impact of their decisions on other countries in the region. Currently, South Africa has trade agreements with Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Swaziland—as well the European Union and the World Trade Organization—all dictated by often-erratic trade negotiations. This analysis predicts that South Africa's new commitment to openness and prosperity will strengthen their leadership in these unions, but there are still hurdles having to do with industrial production and the need for a unilateral trade policy.
£17.99
Jacana Media (Pty) Ltd Something to write home about: Reflections from the heart of history
Something to write home about is a collection of more than 90 contributions of prose and poetry, from journalists around the world, all reflections of how they have been moved by events they have covered. Journalists who are encouraged not to let their personal feelings enter their reports, have given us a rare glimpse of the gamut of feelings they experience while doing their jobs. The contributors - reporters, photographers, television camera operators and producers - represent 25 nationalities and write from more than 40 countries. Of the 90 contributors to this title, 30 hail from Africa: South Africa, Togo, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Botswana.
£15.99