Sandile Memela studied communications and journalism at Fort Hare and Stellenbosch universities. He was acting editor at Sunday World and assistant editor at City Press, receiving an Arts and Culture Trust Journalist of the Year Award, and was well-known for his hard-hitting column Mamelang. He is now chief marketing director in the Department of Arts and Culture, and has just published his first novel, Flowers of the Nation (Univeristy of KwaZulu-Natal Press).
Describe yourself in a sentence.
I am an ordinary guy-next-door type, who has defied circumstances and township destiny by believing that you are what you think.
Describe your book in a sentence.
Essentially, it is a no-holds barred political thriller that explores the soul of so-called black society during this current transition. It is a story of resilient characters, especially two little girls, who are not only determined to save themselves from a bleak township destiny, but desire to get to the roots of how material success and ideological differences can tear a family and community apart.
Describe your ideal reader.
This book has been written in a biblically simple style so that it can be accessible to all people who love literature and believe it has the potential to mirror society.
When I moved out of the township I had to enrol my little girl, Mamelang, into an English-medium school. This awakened me to the fact that she, like thousands of black middle-class kids, would not only be educated and trained in so-called white schools, but would perhaps be alienated from her history and culture as a result of no direct township experience. Thus I resolved to write Flowers that would offer a convincing insight into the township situation and what makes it tick.
What was the originating idea for the book?
I had been invited to attend the launch of Mtuthuzeli Nyoka’s Speaking to the Silent at Hyde Park in October last year. I felt that because I had known his publisher, Glenn Cowley, over the years, it would not be enough for me to just enjoy free wine and rub shoulders with the glitterati. So I packed three manuscripts that had been lying around at home and handed them to him. No sooner had I done that, he called confessing that he had been blown away by Flowers. The book was inspired by the raging debate and controversy over President Thabo Mbeki’s views on Aids, how he was portrayed in the media and what people were saying about the government’s policies.
I submitted it to Kwela Books, where it resulted in me fighting with one of their readers who had some nasty things to say. I guess because I finished the book in 2001, it was way ahead of its time, just too close for comfort. I then approached loveLife for a partnership and never heard anything after I had submitted a manuscript to them. Worse, there was no black multi-millionaire willing to invest in creative literature.
I began to get a sense that it was considered too explosive for mysterious reasons. Much as this ignited my desire to see it come into fruition, it also gave me sleepless nights because I did not want to be seen as stirring political trouble. But I felt that it was an important book and was more than happy when University of KwaZulu-Natal Press accepted it.
Name some writers who have inspired you.
Growing up as a young man, I was greatly impressed by American writer James Baldwin, who combined journalism with creative literature. I loved the way that he emerged not only as a leading creative intellectual but a political commentator who articulated the aspirations of his people.
I got to recognise the same pattern here, for instance, with the legendary Es’kia Mphahlele who, again, not only had a background in journalism but had taken that to a higher level when he redefined his purpose to become a leading African literary voice and philosopher king. Both men wrote singing prose that was beautiful and accessible, reminding me of the gospel writers.
When I saw young writers like the late Sello Duiker and Phaswane Mpe explode on to the scene, I was thrilled because it gave me confidence that one day soon I would be counted among their ranks.
Then, of course, there is a whole list of other names like Zimbabwean Dambudzo Marechera, Steve Biko, Jamaica Kincaid, Mark Mathabane of Kaffir Boy fame and Eddy L Harris from the United States.
But a writer that I will always love and respect is UK-based Beverly Naidoo, whose writing I find simple, fresh and politically committed.
What are you reading at the moment?
I juggle many books at the same time and have just bought Es’kia Continued, Edwin Cameron’s Witness to Aids, Nick Mhlongo’s novel Dog Eat Dog and William Mervin Gumede’s Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC. But two books that I keep on going back to are Eddy L Harris’s Still Life in Harlem and Anatole Broyard’s Kafka Was the Rage, beautifully written books that give insight into what stirs in the soul of people caught in throes of transition.
What is the purpose of fiction?
If you have been accused of being too outspoken to the extent of lacking diplomacy, you will need to resort to fiction. Through fiction you are able to tear pages from the book of life and give voice to demons, experiences and insights of our life that people would be afraid to talk about.
Is there anything you wish to add?
People have said that now that I am a government official I will not be able to express myself freely. I do not believe that for one moment — the government is responsible for the Constitution that has given us the greatest gift of freedom and democracy. It is our responsibility to contribute to socio-political discourse to entrench a true meaning to democracy and freedom. My biggest wish is for the book to be prescribed in schools to bring our youth up to speed with what is going on here and now, so that they know that they are the future of the country.