New book encourages youth to become involved
The Pinetown resident said he was ecstatic to release his first book, The African Code, recently.
AFTER two years of hard work, late nights and constant research, Xolo Songca’s debut book, The African Code, is now available for purchase.
The Pinetown resident said he first started writing the political non-fiction in December 2014 and it began when he poured through a lot of related documentaries and scoured through dozens of books.
“I feel that I have a lot of understanding of the social situation that we are currently facing in South Africa right now, especially in the political atmosphere. We don’t have mediums where we, as the youth, can speak our minds. I felt that doing it in a book form would, in a sense promote, especially to the youth, reading, as it expands your knowledge. It is also the most intellectual way to speak my mind and to hopefully influence other youth to speak their minds as well,” said a proud Xolo.
He described the core idea of the book as a means of youth empowerment and that he pulled a large amount of ideas from the works of the late activist, Steve Biko. “There is a large gap in the educational and economic sectors to help the black youth to be more conscious of their opportunities that they have on hand. While there are segments that revolve around black consciousness and how to apply it to modern society, it is for all of the youth as a whole,” said the 24-year-old.
“I would like to think that I am good at multi-tasking and working under pressure,” said Xolo, when he described the writing process and working full-time. “It wasn’t difficult for me to structure what I wanted to say and how I wanted to say it. There were challenges here and there but relatively it was an easy process for me.” There were times when he did not write but rather allowed himself the chance to learn and then put pen to paper to continue his book.
DS Publishers, owned by Mdu Mathenjwa, picked up the manuscript in October 2015 and told him they would be interested to see his completed work. He sent off the finished product in December last year and was notified in January 2016 that the publishers would pick up his work. “For me, it was quite humbling because it began as an idea and then you see that idea in your head come to life. It was unbelievable at first,” said Xolo.
His new focus is to have his work reach a broader audience, specifically those that do not have easy access to reading material. “Through the content of it, I would like the youth be more politically active and more involved in the politics of today,” he said.
The book is available in paperback via the website, www.theafricancode.co.za for R195 or alternatively you can purchase copies directly from him for R150 per copy through his Facebook page Xolo Songca, through a direct message on Instagram at Xolo_Songca or via email at crownedxo@gmail.com. The book will be available in Adams bookstores in February next year. All prices are excluding delivery costs.
