Writing to help girls break silence
Her book ‘The Girl Without a Sound’ was written for all women of colour who felt voiceless
BUHLE Ngaba: activist, storyteller and actress – speaks about her work in this Q&A with Carla Lever. Your book, The Girl Without a
Sound, is about a silent young girl who meets a mysterious redwinged woman and begins to discover her own voice. What was your inspiration for the story?
My aunt handed me my first book when I was six and I don’t believe I would have been the same person without that introduction to stories.
So the little girl in my book is me, but I wrote it for all women of colour who have felt silenced.
Why did you decide to start tackling community storytelling?
It felt like a natural extension of my job as an actress: to share stories as far and wide as I can and to teach others to do the same.
Stories can and do change how we see the world, so we have to learn how to tell our own.
Tell us a little about the work you do with KaMatla Productions?
A group of us started KaMatla to aid the development of the arts and storytelling among young people.
At the moment, we are collaborating with Nal’ibali in honour of Women’s Month, meaning Girl Without A Sound is freely available for download in English, Setswana, isiXhosa and isiZulu.
Because internet access is not evenly distributed, we will also be taking printed copies of the book to schools across the country. Starting in September, KaMatla will be running free workshops at high schools across the country, bringing the empowering teachings of Girl Without A Sound to life.
We’re aiming to provide young girls with a lifelong tool kit that can be used to own their unique voices.
Is there any particular moment or piece of feedback that made all your work worthwhile?
The reading club visit with Nali’bali to Sea View Primary in Mitchells Plain last week was spectacular – to see the book in the hands that it was written for was so special.
Why is diverse representation – in featured characters, in written languages – so important, particularly in South Africa?
It’s important so that children can see themselves and hear the potential for magic in their own languages. That way, they discover how they can be anything they want to be.
The industry doesn’t publish enough women writers and even our sections on African literature no longer reprint books by women that are vital reading.
The internet gives people a platform . . . I use it to share as much of my work as I can, across borders, waters and skies.
Reading and telling stories with children is a powerful gift to them, building knowledge, language, imagination and school success! For more information about the Nal’ibali campaign or to enter its national multilingual storytelling competition, ‘Story Bosso’, this September, visit www.nalibali.org.