We Need New Names

A story of two passionate people who share a shameful past and a tenuous present, this remarkable narrative follows headmistress Mohumagadi–of the elite Sekolo sa Ditlhora school for talented black children–and Father Bill, a disgraced preacher, as they are brought together again decades after a childhood love affair expelled them from their communities. Much to the dismay of her students, Mohumagadi hires Father Bill as a teacher, resulting in a battle of wills and wits for the hearts and minds of the children living in the shadow of revolution and change. Entertaining and thought-provoking, this unique account offers insight into the workings of African culture.

Author(s): Kopano Matlwa

Nakhane Toure’s debut novel, Piggy boy’s blues, a distorted pastoral, is for all intents and purposes a portrait of the M. family. Centered mostly on the protagonist, Davide M., and his return to Alice, the town of his birth, the novel portrays a Xhosa royal family past its prime and glory. Davide’s journey, from the city to the country for peace and quiet, is not what he or the characters living in the forgotten and dilapidated house have bargained for. His return disturbs and troubles the silence and day-to-day practices that his uncle, Ndimphiwe, and the man he lives with have kept, resulting in a series of tragic events. Set mostly in the Eastern Cape – modern and historical – in Alice and Port Elizabeth, Piggy boy’s blues is a novel about boundaries, the intricacies of love and how the members of the M. family sometimes fail at navigating them.

Author(s): Nakhane Toure