Troubling dreams lead Sandiswa to discover a small pool that is actually a secret portal to the land of the ancestors. She is able to pass freely through this magical gateway and meet with her great-great grandmother, a powerful sangoma who becomes her mentor. She guides Sandiswa through the rigorous sangoma training during which Sandiswa is renamed Nomtombomsa. But the path of transition does not run smoothly as Nomtombomsa is repeatedly attacked by a witch who is aligned with the dark forces. Woven simultaneously into this rich tapestry of African tradition is the hint of a romance with Zanemvula, a trainee sangoma from a neighbouring village.

Nomtombomsa and the Sacred Pool

Literature & Fiction

Reid, Chris Ntombemhlope

Mythology & Folk Tales

Double Storey Publishers

The 75 women, from different backgrounds and all walks of life, include writers, storytellers, businesswomen, musicians, artists, actresses, athletes, journalists, spiritual leaders, politicians and doctors. Accompanying each portrait is a distillation of the frank and open conversations Karina Turok had with the women in which they relate their stories, experiences and insights. Albertina Sisulu, Natalie du Toit, Gcina Mhlophe, Ellen Khuzwayo, Helen Suzman, Mamphela Ramphele, Cheryl Carolus, Antjie Krog, Thandiswa Mazwai, Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela, Nadine Gordimer, Leah Tutu, Leleti Khumalo, Masingita Masunga, Hilda Tloubatla of the Mahotella Queens, Rayda Jacobs, Frene Ginwala, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Nomaindia Mfeketo, Ray Alexander, Ruth Mompati, Wendy Luhabe, Glenda Gray, Patricia de Lille, Yvonne Mokgoro, Phyllis Spira, Adelaide Tambo, Zola Budd, Esther Mahlangu, Basetsana Kumalo, Fatima Meer, Denise Ackermann, Karen Zoid, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Maria Ramos, Noeleen Maholwana-Sangqu, Thandi Klaasens, Marlene Dumas, Sindiwe Magona, Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan, Alison, Elisabeth Eybers, Berni Searle, Janice Josephs, Prudence Mabele, Ferial Haffajee, Abigail Kubeka, Pregs Govender, Sue Williamson, Thandi Modise, Mary Burton, Mimi Coertse, Amina Cachalia, Sandra Prinsloo, Sibongile Khumalo, Jane Raphaely, Zoë Wicombe, Dorothy Masuku, Josie Boraine, Nicky Newton-King, Rebecca Malope, Shaleen Surtie-Richards, Martha Mosoahle, Kate O’Regan, Gloria Serobe, Doreen Morris, Shula Marks, Barbara Masekela, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Lynette Denny, Magrita Adams, Janice Honeyman, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Epainette Mbeki, Nkhensani Manganyi Nkosi

Life and Soul: Portraits of Women Who Move South Africa

Arts & Photography

Turok, Karina

Individual Artists

Andy Mason embarks on a fascinating journey through the history of South African cartooning, tracing a vigorous lineage of satirical art that begins in the colonial period and continues unabated to this day. For hundreds of years, democratic societies have set aside a space – the ‘jester’s space’ – where satirists are given license to taunt and mock the rich and powerful. This tradition has survived the bitter struggles of South African history, and the ongoing encounter between pen and sword continues to produce powerful, sometimes agonising images of a nation battling to come to terms with its own identity. Told with an autobiographical slant and based on interviews with most of South Africa’s top cartoonists and satirists, What’s So Funny? provides a unique glimpse into the world of our visual jesters, how they go about their work, where they find their ideas, and what drives them in their frenzied pursuit of the next laugh.

What's So Funny?: Under the Skin of South African Cartooning

Comics & Graphic Novels

Mason, Andy

Comic Strips

If you thought all taxi drivers were the same, meet Mama Taxi. Proudly South African Mavis and her sister Zandi bravely tackle the busy roads to bring you a woman's perspective from behind the flying wheels of the taxi industry. This job needs a fearless woman with guts and a steely determination to obey the rules of the road. Shoot a red light? Talk on the cellphone while making a U-turn? Never! Be polite to cops at all times? Of course! Mama Taxi - The Collection will appeal to all who share Mavis and Zandi's world, collectors of cartoons and anyone with a sense of humor. The little pink taxi roars through the pages of five national daily newspapers.“Taxis get such a bad press and I wanted to show the human, humorous side of things. We don’t go into politics or taxi violence. We leave that to others. All the action takes place in and around the taxi and is often more social commentary than being hysterically funny.” Extract from interview in the Citizen, Aug 2007.

Mama Taxi: The Collection

Brown, Deni

The Enneagram is an ancient model for identifying nine personality types. Despite its roots it has been scientifically validated in modern psychological research. What's Your Tribe? uses the Enneagram to give readers a practical tool to understand their own and others' behaviour, improving relationships at work and in their private lives. In this title the nine types of the Enneagram (the tribes) are richly illustrated using ordinary people as examples, who identify with a specific type. For example: The Challenger - the Lion: Takes charge, is a straight-talker, likes to do things his or her way, may walk over others yet inspires them and may make sacrifices for others. The Peacemaker - the Crocodile: Sits things out rather than pushes for an outcome, may procrastinate, but remains calm under pressure, and sees both sides of the argument. Two easy-to-complete tests guide readers to their type. Practical advise is given on how to become more self-aware and how to bring out the best in the people with whom we connect. The author also deals with conflict as a normal occurrence and suggests how, with a knowledge of the Enneagram types, we can be more skillful in dealing with conflict and conflict resolution. REVIEWS "What's Your Tribe by Lee Kingma is a different way of deciding what your personality type is through an Enneagram guide to human types at work and play. Enneagrams were considered a holy guide in ancient times when the spiritual and the physical were studied simultaneously. Through observation and study this simple to understand version from South Africa has a few pages of characteristics of each of the nine basic personality types, so you can read and determine which applies to you and your family or friends. Then the author tells positive and negative ways each personality type generally behaves by nature and how the positives can be the wiser choice of ways to act. Kingma also tells how the basic types usually interact with each other, giving helpful solutions for conflicts. I found the book very interesting and illuminating." Bonnie Neely, Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer, 2010/05/23

What's Your Tribe?: An Enneagram Guide to Human Types at Work and Play

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Kingma, Lee

Psychology & Counseling

Written by Spike (Steve Pike), founder of the cult surfing website Wavescape.co.za, it comprises chapters on history, big waves, spots, culture, travel, oceanography, sharks (including a timeline of shark attacks) and a hilarious 'Surfrican' slang glossary. The book is illustrated by more than 180 graphics, cartoons and photographs. You will find quirky descriptions of surf spots along almost 3,000 km of coast (watch out for the razor-toothed tortoise), a photo essay of surfing personalities by acclaimed photographer Harry de Zitter, as well as colorful journalism from top writers covering subjects connected to the surfing lifestyle. The full-color book, which is 110 pages bigger than the previous book, is an indispensable resource. Images come from top South African photographers, such as Barry Tuck, Tom Peschak, Michael Dei-Cont, Andy Mason, Lance Slabbert, Brenton Geach, and Pierre Marqua. The contributors of words added spice to an eclectic mix of culture and science. An original p

Surfing South Africa

Science & Math

Pike, Steve

Nature & Ecology

In this astonishing series of portraits, award-winning photographer David Lurie explores a place and community that exist on the very fringes of Cape Town Here, in a mirror image of the beautiful and desirable city, life is lived at the very edge. Of his time spent photographing Manenberg, David Lurie says: ‘I was welcomed, entertained, amused; I was also frightened, bewildered, often disoriented, incredulous.’ His portraits of a place and a people arrest us with their unsparing honesty and painstaking care.

Cape Town Fringe: Manenberg Avenue is Where It’s Happening

Lurie, David

Photography & Video

The book takes the reader on a journey to a range of habitats – from the savannah of the Serengeti and the bushveld of Mpumalanga to riverine forests, woodlands and other fragile ecosystems in the game reserves and national parks of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya. Seventeen pristine destinations are covered in all. The author’s hope is to encourage readers to look beyond the game and the birds and thereby appreciate the intrinsic beauty of the trees that sustain the wildlife and often ensure its very survival. Most of the photographs depict the trees not as disembodied objects but as living organisms located in some of the more unique environments and landscapes of Africa. The text accompanying the superb photographs is essentially an account of the authors’ personal experience among the trees of Africa, but it also touches on topics relating to conservation, animal activity, and the traditional and medicinal uses of trees by those who live among them and depend on them. It explores:· The vital interrelationship between people and trees;· Geographic phenomena, as in the Ngorongoro Crater, that give rise to endemic vegetation types;· Unusual animal behavior, such as migration, that is associated with parts of the region;· Climatic activity, as at Sossusvlei, that results in an interaction between trees and the landscape;· Conservation efforts for sustainable eco-development.

African Trees: A Photographic Exploration

Bryant, Charles

Lomba, Brita

One of South Africa’s foremost restaurateurs, Michael Olivier has captured the very essence of local cooking and food in this beautifully illustrated and designed book. In it he takes us on a lively and engaging ramble through a lifetime that has revolved around food and wine, people and places. Michael’s approach to food is unique. There are several recipes of traditional Cape dishes that he has reworked in his own inimitable style and many others brought about by the abundance of fresh produce available in the Cape and Australia, where he spends time consulting.Wine features strongly throughout, and wine lovers will know where to go to find an undiscovered gem in a bottle or to meet the person ‘who made it’. This book will appeal to all those interested in food and wine and in the people and places of South Africa.

Michael Olivier: A Restaurateur Remembers

Biographies & Memoirs

Olivier, Michael

Professionals & Academics

A reissue of a classic South African cookbook, which is at the same time a book of profound wisdom and great delight. Martin Versveld was a man of many parts and philosopher of renown and, in this work he provides stimulation and, quite literally, food for thought. If it offers new insights into what may be termed the “semiotics of gastronomy”, it also transcends our customary systems of thought to become an inquiry into human values.

Food for Thought

Versfeld, Martin

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

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