In the Storms of History

Grobbelaar bridges past and present in this journey through time, that reaches back four hundred years to the dawn of the Atlantic Slave Trade. From the indigenous communities on the tip of Africa to the slave trading Dutch East India Company. From the emergence of Afrikaans as a slave language to the Afrikaner slaves and the slaves’ journey to manumission (freedom). From the Dutch East India Company’s European servants and their journey from paid to unpaid servants and the emergence of the Boer people. From Imperial British rule to the apartheid era. From Nelson Mandela’s long walk to freedom and the struggle against apartheid to Mandela’s Rainbow Nation and the precipice on which South Africa teeters today. As the story unfolds, each piece of the puzzle falls into place and modern South Africa comes into view.

As you journey through the country’s brutal past you will meet some of the most colourful characters the world has seen – from Cecil Rhodes, Lord Milner and Lord Kitchener to Paul Kruger, Jan Smuts and Nelson Mandela.

The thought provoking text and stirring stories paint a vivid picture of South Africa’s journey and the parts every group played, each with its own struggle for freedom from tyranny and oppression. In shining a light on the country’s forgotten past, Grobbelaar reveals how the lives of all the people of this land have been intertwined for centuries.
In this clear and compelling read, Grobbelaar’s use of the creative non-fiction writing style combined with her use of the present tense, brings South Africa’s story to life. It will realign your understanding of the country’s past, and provide a framework for understanding the present. It may even inspire you to take a journey of discovery into your own ancestry.
Engaging, thoughtful and provocative.

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