Women writers need to flood the market with SA stories
Q&A with Buhle Ngaba: activist, storyteller and actress – By Carla Lever
same. Stories can and do change how we see the world, so we have to learn how to tell our own.
Can you 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 will now be 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 next month, 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 today?
It’s important so 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. I think that the only way forward is by women writers to actively saturate the industry with our stories. If you are a writer, write! The internet gives people a platform to be what they always wanted and, though it may be imperfect, it should be something we use. I use it to share as much of my work as I can, across borders, waters and skies.
Where to for you from here?
We will keep trying to get the book into as many hands as possible. As for me, I am going to perform a short season of my onewoman show The Swan Song in Johannesburg and Cape Town early next year and then I am looking towards filming!
Reading and telling stories with your children is a powerful gift to them. It builds knowledge, language, imagination and school success! For more information about the Nal’ibali campaign or to enter its national multilingual storytelling competition, Story Bosso, running this September, visit