INTRODUCTION

The African Lives series is an independent publishing project that aims to contribute to a post-colonial intellectual history of South Africa and promotes that idea that Memory Matters. Prof Andre Odendaal, Vice Chancellor’s Writer in Residence and Honorary Professor in History and Heritage Studies at the University of the Western Cape is the series editor. African Lives has so far published or co-published 20 titles.

Some Background

The African Lives series emerged from Andre Odendaal’s good fortune in being able to write fulltime from 2015 onwards, thanks to grants from ASCAROL and Bertha Foundation, and a Vice Chancellor’s Writer-in-Residence Fellowship from UWC. After starting out on this new research and writing adventure, he soon became aware of the many people in his new network who were struggling to write and get published. He, therefore, began in a small way to support and mentor some writers/historians and to tried to help get deserving works published in a tough publishing environment.

The first support project was for Andre to edit and publish the first book by his bibliophile friend from ‘Fietas’ (Vrededorp), Yusuf ‘Chubb’ Garda. It consists of Garda’s unpublished fragments over 50 years on life in what has been called Johannesburg’s District Six, and was launched poignantly on his 78th birthday in 2017.

Another success was the reworking and publication of Dr Sibongiseni Mkhize’s Wits PhD, which became number 6 in the African Lives Series under the title of Principles and Pragmatism in the liberation struggle: A political biography of Selby Msimang 1886-1982. His book went on to become joint winner of the 2018 National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Book Award for Non-fiction.

The series editor liked the dissertation. Dr Mkize was thrilled with the possibility of it becoming a book. So African Lives contracted an editor to work with him on the conversion and, when BestRed saw the result, they offered to become co-publishers.

We have converted into a book in a similar way Dr Vusi Khumalo’s dissertation on the history of the Wilberforce Institute, which was an important nursery for African intellectuals and the development of independent African education in twentieth century South Africa.

Besides Dr Mkize’s NIHSS Book of the Year award, Harris Dousemetzis (African Lives Number 12) won the Fage and Oliver African Studies Association UK Prize. In addition, three other titles in the series have been shortlisted for literary prizes and one was long-listed for the Alan Paton Award.

Titles in this Series

1. Cricket and Conquest: The History of South African Cricket Retold, Vol. 1, 1795-1914. Andre Odendaal, Krish Reddy , Christopher Merrett and Jonty Winch. (In association with BestRed, October 2016). Long listed for 2017 Alan Paton Award (Non-fiction) and third place in 2018 National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Book Award for Non-fiction (Edited). 467 pages.
2. Divided Country: The History of South African Cricket Retold, Vol. 2, 1910s-1950s. Andre Odendaal, Krish Reddy and Christopher Merrett. (In association with BestRed, 2018). 442 pages.
3. Batting for Freedom: The History of South African Cricket Retold, Vol. 3, 1950s-2010s. Andre Odendaal, Krish Reddy and Christopher Merrett (In association with BestRed, forthcoming, to be confirmed).
4. Correcting the Record: The History of South African Cricket Retold, Vol. 4, Statistics 1876-2017. Andre Odendaal, Krish Reddy and Andrew Samson. (In association with CSA, forthcoming, to be confirmed).
5. The Black Consciousness Reader. Written and compiled by Baldwin Ndaba, Therese Owen, Masego Panyane, Rabbie Serumula and Janet Smith with photography by Paballo Thekiso. (In association with Jacana, 2017). 370 pages.
6. Principles and Pragmatism in the liberation struggle: A political biography of Selby Msimang 1886-1982. Sibongiseni Mthokozisi Mkhize. (In association with BestRed, 2019) 240 pages. Joint winner of 2018 National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Book Award for Non-fiction.
7. Africa’s cause must triumph: The collected writings of AP Mda. Robert Edgar and Luyanda kaMsumza. (In association with BestRed, 2018). 437 pages.Finalist for the African Studies Association (USA) Paul Hair Text Edition Prize.
8. Letters to my comrades, Interventions and excursions. Zwelidingi Pallo Jordan. (In association with Jacana, 2017). 504 pages.
9. Oliver Tambo’s dreams: Four lectures by Albie Sachs. Albie Sachs (African Lives, 2017). 142 pages.
10. Sol Plaatje, A life of Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje, 1876-1932. Brian Willan (In association with Jacana, 2018). 711 pages.
11. Zonnebloem College and the genesis of an African Intelligensia, 1857-1933: Janet Hodgson and Theresa Edlmann (African Lives, 2018). 288 pages.
12. The Man who Killed Apartheid: A life of Dimitri Tsafendas. Harris Dousemetzis. (In association with Jacana, 2018). 520 pages. Winner of the Fage and Oliver African Studies Association UK Prize.
13. Samora Machel. Kok Nam photographer with introductions by Bernardo Luis Honwana and Albie Sachs (African Lives, 2018) 84 pages.
14. Lie on Your Wounds: The Prison Correspondence of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe. Derek Hook (ed.). Preface by Otua Sobukwe. (In association with Wits University Press, 2019).
15. The Correspondence of Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe, vol 2. Derek Hook (ed.). (In association with Wits University Press, forthcoming, to be confirmed).
16. Dennis Brutus, The South African years. Tyrone August (In association with BestRed, 2020) 358 pages.
17. The advent of Black Womanism in South Africa: Emma Sandile. Janet Hodgson (In association with BestRed, 2021)
18. Robben Island Rainbow Dreams, The making of democratic South Africa’s first national heritage institution. Neo Lekgotla Ramoupi, Noel Solani, Andre Odendaal and Khwezi kaMpumlwna. (In association with BestRed, 2021) 415 pages.
19. South Africa’s Struggle for Independent Education: The African Methodist Episcopal Church and the Wilberforce Institute. Vusumuzi “Vusi’ Khumalo (In association with BestRed, 20223) 224 pages.
20. Jonas Ntsiko, Hadi waseluhlangeni, Collected writings (1873–1916). Edited and translated by Jeff Opland and Pamela Maseko (In association with University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, 2023) 556 pages.
21. S.E.K. Mqhayi, Izibongo zoogxa: poems on contemporaries (1902-1944). Edited and translated by Jeff Opland, Pamela Maseko and Ntombomzi Mazwi. (In association with University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, forthcoming)
22. African Lives has also started publishing a series of general, more eclectic publications, consisting so far of:
23. ·Literature, Life and Cricket. Tales from Fietas, by Yusuf Garda (2017) 245 pages
24. Lockdown Love and Lament, a collection of poetry by Michael Weeder (2020) 86 pages, and
25. To the Moon and Back, A Detention Memoir, by Colleen Lombard (2021) 76 pages.