Read them now: Five books that were banned in apartheid SA
As we navigate post-apartheid South Africa, we should look back at these once-banned books from authors who refused to be silenced.
As a nation, we have a responsibility to learn from our mistakes and prevent history from repeating itself. One way to do this is to listen to the stories of those who lived through the apartheid struggle and recorded their experiences for future generations. Sadly, at the time, the apartheid regime saw it fit to ban certain books in the hope of them never seeing the light of day.
Luckily, those books, though banned, survived and can (and should) now be read by all of us.
Five banned books to read now
Here is a list of five books which were banned in apartheid South Africa. Let this list serve as a source of inspiration for your own 2022 reading, as we look back and listen to the voices of writers who refused to be suppressed.
1. ‘Looking on Darkness’ – André Brink (1974)
Between Two Worlds (also published under the title Muriel at Metropolitan) is semi-autobiographical and explores the toll a dominating, racist and sexist regime had on black females. It is a work that truly stands the test of time and remains pertinent in our world today.