The Voice of a Survivor
A few weeks ago, as I looked at the list of readings for my Doctor of Ministry program, I saw that a book was available in audio form. The book was Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. Upon downloading it, I saw that the book was a daunting 18 hours and 33 minutes in length. I began to listen to it immediately, knowing that it would take me several weeks to complete.
The book is Mathabane’s autobiography of his life in South Africa. Born in the ghetto of Alexandra, one of the black communities that provided cheap labor to white South Africans in Johannesburg, the author tells a harrowing story of abject poverty and oppression.
The book is very well written. The sights, sounds, and smells of life in apartheid South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s were portrayed in vivid detail. Some of the parts of Mathabane’s life that were the most memorable included:
- A childhood of poverty. The detailed descriptions of what it felt like to be a young child that was starving to death were tough to hear.
- Stories about his father. His father was caught between two worlds. He yearned for the days when tribal chiefs and witch doctors were the most important leaders in society. Yet, he was stuck in a life of oppression and poverty.
- Stories about his mother and grandmother. His mother and grandmother sacrificed so much for Mathabane and his siblings. They took many risks to be able to help him get an education.
- Stories of Abuse. Racism is not a strong enough word for what the author endured. As a young boy, he saw his parents beaten and carried away by police for not having a pass in order (which was impossible for them to get). He was threatened with beatings on a regular basis. He was so distraught that at 10 years old he seriously contemplated suicide.
- His view of Apartheid. No punches were pulled in his description of the system that treated blacks as virtual slaves. He gave readers a firsthand look at the desperation of blacks in South Africa during Apartheid. He details the harsh penalties for using the wrong telephone or stepping onto a bus for whites. He also gave an eyewitness account of the uprising of June 1976 when student protests were met with brutality by the South African government.
- His experiences with Religion. Mathabane shares about his encounters with both Tribal Religions and Pentecostal Christianity. His critique of each was explained in detail. His description of the changes in his mother’s demeanor because of her faith in Christ was inspirational. Yet, his mother was also willing to take him to the witch doctor when he was suspected of going blind. This illustrates the complexity of evangelism among Sub-Saharan Africans.
There are obvious advantages to listening to an audio book as opposed to reading. The primary ones are connected to multi-tasking. You can listen to the book while driving down the highway or working out at the gym. Yet for this book, there was another advantage.
Kaffir Boy was read by the author. From the first sentence, you hear Mathabane’s rich voice and South African accent. His pronunciation of the word “apartheid” was different than the one I knew (ə-ˈpär-ˌtāt), but obviously the more authentic one. His cadence was slow and deliberate. Stories were told with intensity and drama. When he spoke of starvation as a young child, you could hear the pain in his voice. When he spoke of being trapped by sexual predators, you could hear the horror in his voice.
I believe that the greatest advantage to listening to Kaffir Boy, as opposed to reading it, is clearly understood when the book talks about his mother, father, grandmother, police officers, local gang members, etc. Mathabane is an accomplished storyteller and imitates the voices of the characters while reading. After listening to Kaffir Boy, I have a good idea what the author’s mother sounds like. I also know what it is like to be cursed at and threatened by an angry police officer. A loving grandmother’s voice is also clearly heard.
Akin to this is Mathabane’s own voice as a child. His rich voice is replaced by his childlike voice when he tells stories from his childhood.
All in all, Kaffir Boy is a well-written window into the life of a survivor. Hearing his own word in his own voice is highly recommended.
Mathabane, Mark. Kaffir boy: an autobiography: the true story of a black youths coming of age in Apartheid South Africa. New york: Free Press, 1998.
About the Author
Stu Cocanougher
7 responses to “The Voice of a Survivor”
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Mark told a compelling story and at times I could see it playing out in my mind and visions. For this to be made into a movie would be painful.
We have seen many movies regarding the tragedy of mistreatments of the Black race. I pray that they included how he survived and the steps we took to do that.
should be ‘he’took to do that. not ‘we’
Stu, what a blessing. It makes me wish I would have listened to the audio book.
For me the book was so good after reading all of the “cerebral” books about Africa and apartheid. Mark’s storytelling ability is excellent and I was still able to somewhat feel the horror he and his mother and family felt. I’m glad Jason included this one because a personal story makes apartheid more real to us.
It is one thing for a person to write their own autobiography and relive horrific accounts but it is another for them to retell their story via audio recording! I can only imagine what that was like for him and even more so for those who listen to it. Reading the book was hard for me so I know listening to it would have been even harder. Great highlights from the book Stu!
Probably a very good book to listen to as you say Stu, though I enjoyed reading it and read it cover to cover in just over a day. His voice, whether written or audible, was powerful and clear and brought great authenticity to this first-hand account of apartheid.
I love that Mark inherited the gift of storytelling from his mother and grandmother. We have lost this heritage to a certain extent. You are so right that hearing the author read his own story is quite compelling.
Stu: I hope I can listen to it sometime. It must be a powerful experience.