Literature in indigenous languages is invaluable as it allows readers to see themselves, their culture and experiences reflected in the stories they read.
But according to acclaimed author Nozizwe Cynthia Jele, African indigenous languages are not popular with publishers.
The writer of two novels, Happiness is a Four-Letter Word (2010) and The Ones with Purpose (2018), Jele said her years in the industry made her realise the shortcomings.
This is in line with a South African book publishing industry survey in 2021-22 which found that books published in English and Afrikaans dominated in both the number of titles and income generated, with the nine African languages combined only accounting for 9% of net turnover.
To try and bridge the gap, the Ballito author launched Happiness Books in 2011. The publishing house translates the works of well-known authors into indigenous languages.
Jele has already published two IsiZulu books, Sesizophila Ngale Ndlela, a translation of The Ones with Purpose, and Izinkabi: Yasho Inganono, Laphalala Igazi, a translation of Blood, Blades and Bullets – Anatomy of a Glebelands Hitman by Nathi Olifant.
“For now, our focus is on translating works of well-known authors as they already have established audiences,” she said.
Her efforts to revive a reading culture don’t stop there, however. She has teamed up with fellow author Dudu-Busani Dube, writer of The Wife series. Together, they hosted the iLembe Book Festival earlier this year to promote a culture of reading and writing among people of all ages.
Looking ahead, Jele plans to seek new talent through, among others, creative writing workshops run by the iLembe Book Festival.
“Our website will be updated once these opportunities become available,” she said.
Jele said libraries were key players in restoring a healthy reading culture.
“We are reaching out to libraries in the hope they will order more appropriate books for their branches. While we are fortunate to have libraries in our communities, many are unfortunately not adequately stocked with local literature. That needs to change.”
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