Fashioning Modern Africanism

Jacana Media is delighted to announce the publication of a ground breaking South African work by Welcome Mandla Lishivha.  ‘BOY ON THE RUN IS TOUGH AND FRAGILE, TRAGIC AND RESILIENT, AND UTTERLY COMPELLING. WELCOME LISHIVHA HAS BROKEN NEW GROUND IN SOUTH AFRICAN LITERATURE, IN THE VOICE HE FINDS – AND THE STORIES HE TELLS – ABOUT GROWING UP POOR, AND QUEER, AND LOVED, IN A SOUTH AFRICAN TOWNSHIP. IT IS DESTINED TO BE A CLASSIC.’ – MARK GEVISSER Living in Soshanguve as a young boy with an adored and adoring mum, Welcome’s life almost stops when his mum is murdered by her new boyfriend. The upturned chair, his mum’s lifeless face, the blood on the floor, the glasses with the gold detail that Welcome had taken from a precious cupboard, the boyfriend’s body; it was a tableau that was impossible to unsee. But this is only the beginning of a journey which takes Lishivha through school and university, with the help of his remaining family, and allows him to explore South Africa.  Through stud

Miss South Africa Shudufhadzo Musida can now add the title of author to her impressive list of achievements. Musida has written a children’s book –  Shudu Finds Her Magic , published by Jacana Media in six languages and with delightful illustrations by Chantelle and Burgen Thorne – which will be available in bookstores around the country and online towards the end of August.   The book is inspired by Musida’s own childhood and the bullying she experienced when she moved to a new province and a new school.   Musida is a well-known advocate for mental health awareness, and this year launched her online mental health initiative # MindfulMondays  on her Instagram platform @shudufhadzomusida ,  in conjunction with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) and Discovery Vitality. She explains: “The book is aimed at children aged between four and 12 years of age and deals with bullying and the power of friendship. I hope that youngsters will be able to see themselves reflected in