Jonathan Jansen pays tribute to his mother with ‘Song for Sarah’

When a prominent academic figure writes something about their field of study, you know it’s going to be good.

And when they write something of a deeply personal nature, you can be assured it’s going to leave a lasting impression.

In this homage to his mother and possibly all women on the Cape Flats, Professor Jonathan Jansen pens a memoir that not only speaks to the heart of the Western Cape townships, but also deflates the preconceived notions of motherhood in coloured communities.

The book, Song for Sarah: lessons from my mother, is a collaborative account by Jansen and his sister Naomi of their mother and traces back to her youth in Montagu, in the Western Cape, and the divisive consequences of the apartheid era, especially concerning coloured women.

As a young man, Jansen, who is now possibly the nation’s most respected academic, questioned how mothers managed to raise children in trying circumstances – and then realised that the answer was right in front of him in the form of Sarah Jansen, his own mother.

Professor Jonathan Jansen. Photo by Gallo Images / Nardus Engelbrecht

Jansen, who is the current vice chancellor of the University of the Free State, has earned a formidable reputation for transformation and for a deep commitment to reconciliation in communities living with the heritage of apartheid.

With his unmistakeable delicacy, humour and frankness, he follows his mother’s life story as a young nurse and mother to five children. He also shows how mothers dealt with their pasts, organised their homes, made sense of politics, communicated core values – how they led their lives.

As a kind of sweet mixer to his own recollections of life with his mother, Naomi brings to the book her own insights and memories, and ultimately adds a special value to this touching personal memoir.

Not only is Song for Sarah: lessons from my mother one to add to your own bookshelf but also to the collections of women and mothers everywhere.

Song for Sarah: lessons from my mother

Rating: ★★★★☆
Author: Jonathan Jansen
Price: R240
Pages: 160
ISBN: 978 1928 257295

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