num_pages: 307
description: He reached down softly laid a hand on the swaddling and said Heres Shumikazi Miseka. In that moment of sacred oneness he beheld the dead-lips bent down to her ear and whispered Miseka  here is Shumikazi.This is the story of Shumikazi the only surviving child of Jojo and Miseka. She grows up in a small village in the remote Eastern Cape during the days of white rule  from the outside an apparently unremarkable life. And yet Shumi is marked for extraordinary things from the moment of her birth.Wry tragic funny scathing with a Greek chorus of villagers voices this rich new novel from one of South Africas most beloved storytellers underscores the dignity of those often rendered invisible  poor rural women their families and communities. These marginal characters crackle with life and verve as they step into the centre of the national narrative in Magonas skilled hands. A powerful meditation on the vulnerability of rural women it is also a series of overlapping love stories  above all the love a father has for his daughter.Chasing the Tails of My Fathers Cattle is not like anything else I have seen. Such a little story about such little invisible people. Such a huge story about such timeless recognisable people. It has the feel of a Greek tragedy complete with clucking chorus but with more optimism. And what an extraordinary tale of the vast majority of womens lives in this country. What a powerful non-preachy meditation on the vulnerability of rural women in traditional cultures.  Helen Moffett
language: English
title: Chasing the Tails of my Father's Cattle
publisher: Seriti sa Sechaba Publishers