Joanne Josephs latest book provokes curiosity about our own pasts
Northcliff author Joanne Joseph has published her latest book, Children of Sugarcane.
Children of Sugarcane is the latest offering from Northcliff author, broadcaster, and journalist, Joanne Joseph. It is a book worth reading as it explores ‘intimate and heart-wrenching indenture told from a woman’s perspective’ say publishers Jonathan Ball.
Joseph explores the struggles that Shanti, a dynamic teenager, faces when grappling with the trajectory of her rural life in India during the 19th century. To escape an arranged marriage and poverty, she travels to work in British-owned sugarcane plantations in the colony of Natal.
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The harrowing sea voyage delivers her, instead of freedom and a new beginning, into a world of slavery and hardship.
A work of historical fiction, Joseph said, “The book encourages people to investigate their families’ histories. There are often so many hidden familial details for various reasons – shame, intergenerational trauma and so on that have been swept under the carpet.”
The arrival of slaves, settlers, colonial powers, and workers from other parts of the world brought their own pasts, much of which is lost to modern descendants.
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“Indentured history is almost erased from oral histories in many Indian families, and is often weaker than their African counterparts, or Europeans who had money to pay for photographs and records,” said Joseph.
“Across races, we have been affected by the past and we tend to flatten it. Many South African families are grappling with past skeletons often related to politics and abuse across communities. It’s often difficult to face the past, but it can be liberating to know your own history in a meaningful way. It is not a bad idea for each generation to reassess their pasts.”
There are well-kept state archives – the nearest and largest being the National Archives and Records Service in Pretoria. The British have digitised their records which are often available online and various academic centres also have access to or hold important historical documents should you wish to investigate your ancestors’ lives.
Children of Sugarcane is available at all good bookstores nationwide and online.
To learn more about the state archives, you can visit www.national.archives.gov.za
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