“Three generations of white South African men were bound together at that table. Vermuelen was the first generation. He defined Africa, made it safe for Basson to defile. I was the last generation, the last to grow up in segregated neighborhoods. Between us was the silent photograph of Wouter Basson. Like a distant father, Basson was absent at the dining table.” – Henk Rossouw (Hole in the White ‘Hood). Also Mahmood Mamdani on Bantu Education at UCT, Gael Reagon on sisterhood, Binyavanga Wainaina on dis-covering Kenya, Gaston Zossou on African intellectuals and more…
Cover:
Strange Fruit by Lewis Allen
Lovedale Press
Lovedale Press is a small South African publishing house with roots dating back to 1823. It began at the Gwali Mission—also known as Chumie or Tyumie—located in the Tyume Valley near present-day Alice (now Dikeni) in the Eastern Cape. That same year, John Bennie, a skilled linguist from the Glasgow Missionary Society, was joined by John Ross, who brought with him the Ruthven Printing Press.
In December 1823, they printed the first words in isiXhosa. The press was used by the church to publish texts that reflected Scottish missionary ideals, aiming to promote education, spiritual growth, and the development of local communities.
Lovedale Press became a major publisher in Southern Africa, known for its production of literature in isiXhosa and other Southern African languages, as well as works in English.
Foundation and Purpose: "Victory of the Word" (VOW) was founded in 2020 by curator Anelisa Mangcu and artist Athi-Patra Ruga as a response to the challenges facing the Lovedale Press, a 200 year old printing press with a rich history of publishing Black writers and literature.
