The Calling of Katie Makanya

Katie Makanya, whose voice once charmed Queen Victoria, died in Natal in 1955 at the age of 83. But not before she had related the remarkable story of her life to Margaret McCord, daughter of Dr James McCord, for whom Katie had worked for 35 years as interpreter, dispenser and loyal assistant.;Margeret McCord has written down Katie's oral testimony as a biography that spans the late 19th century into the apartheid years. We read of Katie's travels to England, where as a member of the Jubilee Singers she was presented at court to Queen Victoria; her return to South Africa; her faith, her marriage and her children; and her work with Dr McCord at the Zulu hospital he founded in Durban.