THE CLOSEST OF STRANGERS
Edited by Judith Lutge-Coullie
(Wits University Press)
The Closest of Strangers takes one on a historic journey of South Africa with women as the key navigators.
The journey begins with the arrival of the Dutch and the British on the southern tip of Africa, and moves forward to the present day and a democratic government. But the book is not an account of South African history as such: it is an account of what is called, by contrast, “herstory” — South African women’s accounts of their experiences of this country’s history.
Editor Judith Lutge-Coullie has specifically chosen to put together an anthology of testimonies by women and, most importantly, black women. Women of all ethnicities, classes and religions have suffered varying degrees of gender-based discrimination. Black women, however, were the most silenced — because of their skin colour and their gender.
The section covering the late 1970s into the 1980s, for instance, gives the reader access to this voice. These testimonies are by illiterate and semi-literate black women; the stories are largely about ordinary women who were often isolated from political activity and largely confined to domestic roles. As such, the stories initially seem apolitical, but as one scratches beneath the surface one realises how politically loaded each testimony actually is.
One such account is that by Mpho M’atsepo Nthuya. While telling her story to her white friend who is transcribing it, Nthuya reveals the empowering effect of relating a testimony in one’s mother tongue:
“I tell these stories in English to my mostoalle [friend] so she can write in her computer. I can tell these stories better in Sesotho. When I tell stories in Sesotho, the words roll like music I am singing with my heart …”
Set against the words of ordinary women, some of the pieces in The Closest of Strangers are by people prominent in public life — Helen Joseph, Helen Suzman, Mamphele Ramphele, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela and the like.
This variety of perspectives helps make the anthology a success. While some stories are by adult women dealing with marriage, children and multiple degrees of discrimination, other testimonies provide a counterpoint. Gillian Slovo, for example, writes about the traumatic experiences of being the child of white activists.
The anthology works as a catalyst for post-apartheid woman writers to record their stories. History is not only about facts; it is given life by personal experiences.