“There are very few texts that scratch so deep below the surface of what education means and how it shapes life trajectories… a really useful addition to the literature on schools.” — Prof Azeem Badroodien, University of Cape Town
Five young men – democracy’s children – leave a rural school with the odds of achieving tertiary education and formal employment stacked against them.
This is a documentary style telling of their stories as they make their sometimes haphazard ways into the world. It shows the power of relationships in helping young people navigate the many failings of a young democracy such as poorly performing education systems, corruption in student funding, loadshedding and soaring youth unemployment.
This is an exploration of what it takes for a young person to make it in South Africa today.
The Goal: 1,000 Sponsored Copies
I am raising funds to sponsor 1,000 copies of the book for the people who need them most: teachers and students.
These sponsored books will be distributed through national workshops:
- For Teachers and Principals: We explore their role in transforming lives beyond the curriculum.
- For Students: We use the stories of these five young men to inspire matriculants and tertiary students to navigate their own transition into the world of work.
Help us reach our target: Enquire about bulk sponsorship
A Little More About the Book
Born from a master’s in creative writing at UCT, this manuscript was supervised by Imraan Coovadia and Fiona Melrose, and examined by novelist Craig Higginson and Prof Azeem Badroodien.
- Authenticity: Craig Higginson describes it as “a lively set of character studies and an authentic, textured, idiomatic tapestry of voices.”
- Socio-Political Context: While written as narrative non-fiction, the book concludes by placing these stories within the harsh reality of our time. In South Africa today, for every one hundred children who start Grade 1, only two or three are likely to become employed tertiary graduates.
These stories have the power to inform policy and, more importantly, to influence how we choose to live in a young democracy still finding its feet.
For every one hundred children who start Grade 1, the odds favour only two or three of them to become university graduates who are employed. Asahleli Meje, a biotechnology graduate and production supervisor at Abagold in Hermanus, is one of the few who made it. He is pictured with the author at Abagold.
ASAHLELI MEJE
“I went through all those things so I can pave the way for the youngsters coming after me. Maybe someone will read my story and say, okay, there’s that guy who’s done it before. I’m gonna be like him. I’m gonna do it.”
These stories are waiting to be shared.
Spread the word or sponsor a workshop
Read more about Gansbaai Academia – the school that inspired this book – in Daily Maverick
Joudun Rooi
“Because that’s how it is. It reminds me what I have to be grateful for. Sometimes you forget to say thank you, and sometimes you forget what people might have done for you. It reminds me where I’ve come from and what I’ve achieved in life—and that there’s more to come.”
Jack Swart
“The teachers at Gansbaai Academia have mirrored care to me. They have shown it to me.”
Malcolm Mulope
“I’m still kind of feeling that the world is my oyster. I deserve everything the world has to offer. And I know right now that shit happens. You might not like it, but it happens. You just have to accept it and move on.”
Siviwe Yuyu
“If it were not for all those people who believed in me, I would probably not have become a graduate. So many people have played a role in my life. And none of them I take for granted.”
At the centre of their journeys is their school, Gansbaai Academia, in a town close to the southernmost tip of Africa and most famous for its fishing and shark cage diving industries.
The school is led by principal Tommy Wilson. In a country where education systems are failing, Mr Wilson builds a sanctuary of care and aspiration where teachers do so much more than teach. “He was all heart,” said one of the alumni of his principal.
“This is my heart. This school is my heart.” – Tommy Wilson
