Her first book, Diary of an African Woman was born out of a tumultuous time in her life – a period that saw her overcome a brutal rape after one of her close friends got raped.
“I wanted to be that voice and come out in hopes that someone else would get touched as well and get the courage to come out and realise that this is not acceptable.” Having kept a diary to write down her thoughts and emotions, Dayimani-Coetzee inevitably took on the role of being the voice for victims of all types of abuse.
She said she realised that the emotional baggage one takes on after going through abusive episodes did not only have detrimental effects on one’s psyche but had a snowball effect on their daily lives. “With all that’s happening in the country right now, I don’t think us just speaking out is enough.
The whole country needs to stand up and realise that this is not acceptable. Everyone needs to be ready to do something about it – we shouldn’t just be talking, something needs to be done.” Although she felt like she wasn’t doing enough to help shed light on the fears and anxieties faced by women in the country, the Midrand-based writer has moved mountains to let her story be known – a story that is all too familiar in a country such as South Africa – stories that often rip women of their identities and turn them into statistics.
“I didn’t just focus on the rape part, I went on to find my own identity and finding love. I found that I enjoy to speak about things that people don’t really want to talk about – the things that we feel should be hidden are things we should talk about.”
Dayimani-Coetzee’s second body of work, Interracial & Intercultural Love in South Africa is set to launch on 28 September at the Polo Fields Lifestyle Centre in Waterfall. In the book, she once again uses her life as a template to speak on taboo topics and this time around she tackles interracial relationships in South Africa.
“It’s based on my experiences and how society was viewing me and viewing our relationship. We experienced a lot and some of the issues that we thought were gone are still there – people are not as accepting as they say they are,” said Dayimani-Coetzee. She said she hoped to use her story to foster much-needed conversation and reach a point of peace and unity.
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