Stories That Float from Afar

In this collection of folk stories that float to us from afar, the voices of long-dead 'Bushmen', or San people, of Southern Africa speak to us about their lives and beliefs. We are given glimpses into their thought-world. We listen to them recounting their poignant myths and beliefs. We hear them speak of their tormented lives as the early colonists expanded into the semi-arid interior. All these stories have lain hidden since they were first collected more than a hundred years ago by a remarkable family in Cape Town who devoted their lives to recording the life-ways of the /Xam San before their disappearance. Today there is a need for us to listen to these voices from the past. They fill in one of the tragic blanks in South Africa's history. Suddenly a people who have spoken only through others' voices now speak out and come alive.