Niq Mhlongo to endorse The Goat Herder

As previously announced on Facebook and Twitter, The Goat Herder will be published soon in paperback and eBook. The great news is that South African prize-winning author, Niq Mhlongo, will be endorsing the novel! What an honour.

News Update

Two South African literary journals, New Contrast and Baobab, are both considering publishing excerpts of The Goat Herder.

Literary agent in SA reading the manuscript.

Self-publishing giant, AuthorHouse, contacted me from the UK on Friday. Oh, so tempting at this point.

The Theme of Sexuality and Rape in The Goat Herder

The underlying theme of sexuality and rape in The Goat Herder is in some parts vivid and detailed while in other parts subtle and secretive. It is yet another topic which illuminates the distinction of cultures.

I have attempted to make the love-making scenes between Nathi and Ruth respectful as well as tender. It is interesting to see the difference in how Nathi, a Zulu and Ruth, Jewish, from a well-to-do family, view themselves in the context of their sexuality. The reader should be able sense Nathi’s shyness and uneasiness with Ruth’s direct and open approach. His Zulu upbringing and traditions have taught him that sexual abstinence prior to marriage is vital where the risk of AIDS threatens to decimate whole populations. Similarly, the Zulus recognize and appreciate the physical and emotional need of growing children and, therefore, teach and condone non-penetrative sex. Once released, Nathi’s latent passion erupts in full force. Here is an excerpt from the novel to illustrate:

“Nathi continued carving but listened to every word of his sister’s story. It made him
think of how he ‘did it’ when he was with a girl. It was mostly kissing, touching, fondling, rubbing each other’s bodies against one another and having intercourse between the girl’s thighs. Dumisani told him about the latter technique. A very pleasurable alternative to the real thing as long as the girl kept her thighs tightly pressed together.”

South Africa’s Medical Research Council (MRC), in the BBC’s World Today Programme,
said there is a higher prevalence of rape in South Africa than in other countries. It said practices such as gang rape were common because they were considered to be a form of male bonding. The above-mentioned story Nathi was listening to so intently was about a girl from one of the neighbouring villages, whose uncle, known to be infected with HIV, had raped her.
Shame and embarrassment made her keep it a secret. The girl’s father heard of the rape because the villagers were talking about it. They were saying that the girl had seduced her uncle because she had been so desperate for a man.

The reader is also dealt two examples of homosexuality in the novel. The subject, taboo in Zulu culture, is still affected by cultural prejudices. There is the vividly described scene of the young Nathi being raped by two men in a forest and there is the character of Jacob, Nathi’s friend, who the reader learns has feelings for Nathi.

Dualism in The Goat Herder

A recurring theme in The Goat Herder, manifesting itself on both sides of the cultural divide, is the breaking away from the older generation, the loosening of traditional and idealistic shackles to embrace fresh, new, modern dreams to which every generation aspires.

Literature is full of these examples, especially Jewish literature which has an abundance of material on the subject. In my Master’s thesis, in fact, I wrote about the quest for a new identity as portrayed in the works of Ehrenburg and Babel. This is probably the reason, albeit without intention, that I have continued this in The Goat Herder; the generation gap between the old East European ‘shtetl’ Jew and the younger, vibrant, trendy generation who wants and needs to release the grip of antequated ideologies and prejudaces.

Nathi, the Zulu herd boy, is torn between his love and respect for his culture, family traditions, rituals and beliefs on the one hand, and his intense desire to explore new and exciting horizons, on the other. While he feels it is his duty to preserve, at least, some of his Zulu traditions, he is pulled inevitably to the reality of modern city life where there is no poverty and hardship as he knows it.

Ruth, too, as her father before her, experiences this duality and conflict. As a consequence of the rejection of the traditional view of things, her Jewish identity, the relationship of the Jew to the non-Jew, in this case a Zulu, and the very nature of Jewish religion are all matters that require new formulations. The Jewish people have always had to lead a dual existence: their own and that of the country where they have lived, which for them became a new motherland, a ‘stepmother’ land.

Ruth’s father Zecharia, also goes through this struggle between fathers and sons. He can no longer reconcile himself with the ‘ghetto’ mentality. His father does not let go of his traditions and customs and Zecharia identifies with the ‘real’, ‘normal’ world.

The Goat Herder illuminates the conflict of Zulu tribal consciousness (in Nathi’s case) and Jewish identity (in Ruth’s case), the conflict of two worlds, physical and spiritual, moral and cultural.

Photo: Book with Ostrich egg

A friend asked me what the meaning was of this photograph which appears on my website. The image is of an ostrich egg resting on top of a book. I took the photograph myself as I contemplated the The Goat Herder's safely guided journey to publication.

I guess it can be interpreted in a number of ways. I leave the interpretation in the eye of the beholder :)

Through the Streets of the Indian Quarter

One of my proof-readers who critiqued The Goat Herder was fascinated by the fact that there was such a large Indian population in South Africa; a wonderful cue for me to write this post about an amazing piece of what started off as a mainly Gujarati Indian community right in the middle of Durban, now the largest Indian community outside India.

The golden domed minarets of the Juma Masjid Mosque reflect the sun’s rays and tower above the bustling commercial and business centre around Grey Street. The muezzin’s quavering call to prayer filters through the covered arcade and joins the aromas of smouldering tandoori ovens and chicken tikka marsalas. No, you’re not in the Paharganj Market in New Dehli. This is Durban, South Africa.

When Nathi leaves his umuzi, his homestead on the slopes of the Nkandla Forest, and arrives in Durban, he meets Jacob who takes him on a walking tour of the district. They weave through the throngs in the Madressa Arcade off Grey Street. In an eatery where a friend of Jacob’s works, Nathi samples 'bunnychow' for the first time. An idea born of the city’s racist regulations when blacks were not allowed to be served in Indian restaurants, this half a loaf of hollowed-out bread filled with delicious curried mince was the perfect take-away. Then they follow the pungent incense and exotic spice fragrances to colourful Victoria Market, also home to Zulu herbalists and muti traders.

Before catching a taxi to the northern suburbs, Jacob has one last place to show his new friend. Nathi runs after him as he clambers up the winding stairs to the roof of the mosque. A bridge extends from the neighbouring girls' school between the two buildings. The flat roof, which is used for prayer during festivals is used as a playground during school days as the school is not equipped with one. The view over the city, the smells rising from the streets below and the sun setting behind a ribbon of smog stays with Nathi forever.

Bridging the gap between black and white, Jew and Zulu

In my search for similar themes in literature to the ones in my novel The Goat Herder, I came across recently The Evidence of Love (1960) a short story by South African born novelist Dan Jacobson.

The Evidence of Love tells the story of a black man and a white woman who fall in love and attempt to defy South African law and custom by living together. The novel treats the theme of interracial love in a relaxed and naturalistic way and also highlights aspects of the individual struggle for freedom and the achievement of self-identity.In another short story a year before (1959), although less similar in theme to The Goat Herder, The Zulu and the Zeide tells the story about a lively Jewish grandfather (Zeide in Yiddish) whose family employs a Zulu as a carer. Their relationship bridges the gulf between black and white, the generation gap, Africa and Eastern Europe. The story juxtaposes the small-mindedness of a wealthy Jewish businessman with the unaffected humanity of the black servant he employs to care for his ailing father. Local prejudices, however, still persist.

This information was taken from the Free Encyclopedia jrank.org. If you’re interested in a more detailed biography of Dan Jacobson go to:

Dan Jacobson Biography - Dan Jacobson comments: