April '23 Reviews

3 April 2023

DESIGN (CONTINENT-WIDE & DIASPORA)

Proud South curated by Lidewij Edelkoort, Lili Tedde and Mariola Lopez Marino, 2022
R1600 from Trend Union

A book to covet, and not just for its gold and cocoa-brown spotted cover. Trend forecaster extraordinaire Lidewij Edelkoort curates over 400 pages of inspiring images by creatives from the southern part of the planet, which she has been tracking for several decades: Latin America, Africa, South Asia and South East Asia. The commentary – by notable journalists and craft activists, and by Edelkoort herself – provides important context, and the whole book brims with excitement and possibility. GB

TRADITIONAL TALES (KENYA, UGANDA, TANZANIA)

Tales of East Africa with illustrations by Jamilla Okubo, 2020
R425 from Jonathan Ball

From a “Legend Regarding the Origin of Fire” to myriad cautionary tales in sections devoted to Justice; Monsters and Magic; Tricksters; and Lost and Found, these folk tales from East Africa are by turns surprising, scary and delightful. Well worth reading and discussing with older children – most aren’t suitable for the very young – the short and sharp stories are beautifully set off by Jamilla Okubo’s charming illustrations. RA

TRADITIONAL TALES (KENYA, UGANDA, TANZANIA)

Tales of East Africa with illustrations by Jamilla Okubo, 2020
R425 from Jonathan Ball

From a “Legend Regarding the Origin of Fire” to myriad cautionary tales in sections devoted to Justice; Monsters and Magic; Tricksters; and Lost and Found, these folk tales from East Africa are by turns surprising, scary and delightful. Well worth reading and discussing with older children – most aren’t suitable for the very young – the short and sharp stories are beautifully set off by Jamilla Okubo’s charming illustrations. RA

PHOTOGRAPHY (DIASPORA)

Kwame Brathwaite: Black is Beautiful with texts by Kwame Brathwaite, Tanisha C. Ford and Deborah Willis, 2019
R965 from Clarke’s Bookshop

Kwame Brathwaite’s photography helped popularise the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the late 1950s and 1960s – and this gorgeous new publication, which accompanies a retrospective of his work that has been touring the USA since 2019, clearly demonstrates its aptness. Brathwaite shot a multitude of images of Harlem’s artistic community as well as the Grandassa Models – a modelling troupe for black women that had been founded to challenge white beauty standards – with a sense of celebratory joy that remains deeply inspiring. RA

PHOTOGRAPHY (DIASPORA)

Kwame Brathwaite: Black is Beautiful with texts by Kwame Brathwaite, Tanisha C. Ford and Deborah Willis, 2019
R965 from Clarke’s Bookshop

Kwame Brathwaite’s photography helped popularise the political slogan “Black Is Beautiful” in the late 1950s and 1960s – and this gorgeous new publication, which accompanies a retrospective of his work that has been touring the USA since 2019, clearly demonstrates its aptness. Brathwaite shot a multitude of images of Harlem’s artistic community as well as the Grandassa Models – a modelling troupe for black women that had been founded to challenge white beauty standards – with a sense of celebratory joy that remains deeply inspiring. RA

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (DIASPORA)

Losing the Plot by Derek Owusu, 2022
R370 from The Book Lounge

A fresh yet acutely sensitive take on the complex and evolving relationship between mother and son in the context of immigration, culture shock and assimilation. Part stream-of-consciousness narrative, part interview, part sidenotes, Owusu’s experimentation with form makes for a layered tale. It’s a cleverly crafted collage of memories, imaginings and commentary resulting in an affectionate, poignant and beautiful veneration of his Ghanaian mother. NLS

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (DIASPORA)

Losing the Plot by Derek Owusu, 2022
R370 from The Book Lounge

A fresh yet acutely sensitive take on the complex and evolving relationship between mother and son in the context of immigration, culture shock and assimilation. Part stream-of-consciousness narrative, part interview, part sidenotes, Owusu’s experimentation with form makes for a layered tale. It’s a cleverly crafted collage of memories, imaginings and commentary resulting in an affectionate, poignant and beautiful veneration of his Ghanaian mother. NLS

ART (KENYA)

Wangechi Mutu by Adrienne Edwards et al, 2023
R1180 from Jonathan Ball

The ever-evolving strangeness and beauty of Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu’s work has made her one of the pre-eminent stars of the contemporary art world, and its development is clearly and comprehensively showcased in this Phaidon monograph. As brilliant when she is working with collage as she is a sculptor and watercolourist, Mutu’s insouciant ease within an array of different media is remarkable, and her instantly recognisable iconography consistently beguiles and provokes. RA

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (SOUTH AFRICA)

I Did Not Die by Tebello Mzamo, 2023
R270 from The Book Lounge

Tebello Mzamo’s debut novel tells the story of Botho Pere, a mine worker in South Africa, and the family he has left behind in Lesotho. The novel begins with an introduction to Botho’s wife, Nthatisi, a strong-willed and independent Sotho woman who has had to adapt to her husband’s three-year absence. The return of Botho to Lesotho initiates a series of events which upend the lives of the Peres and lead them down a path riddled with secrets, betrayals and a hint of witchcraft. Spanning across time and shifting between the perspectives of the family members, I Did Not Die reveals the harsh realities of what it means to be a migrant worker. NM

CONTEMPORARY FICTION (SOUTH AFRICA)

I Did Not Die by Tebello Mzamo, 2023
R270 from The Book Lounge

Tebello Mzamo’s debut novel tells the story of Botho Pere, a mine worker in South Africa, and the family he has left behind in Lesotho. The novel begins with an introduction to Botho’s wife, Nthatisi, a strong-willed and independent Sotho woman who has had to adapt to her husband’s three-year absence. The return of Botho to Lesotho initiates a series of events which upend the lives of the Peres and lead them down a path riddled with secrets, betrayals and a hint of witchcraft. Spanning across time and shifting between the perspectives of the family members, I Did Not Die reveals the harsh realities of what it means to be a migrant worker. NM

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