Zulu Love Letter

Paperback. English. Wits University Press. 2009. In good condition.

Set against the backdrop of the success of the first democratic elections and the launch of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa, Zulu Love Letter is a story of two mothers in search of their daughters. In the film, Thandeka Khumalo is challenged with mending her estranged relationship with her thirteen-year-old daughter, Simangaliso, who grew up with her grandparents because of Thandeka's career and political commitments, and with dealing with her own guilt and grief. Marking the ebb-and-flow of the adults' attempts to deal with the historical inheritances of apartheid, is the beaded 'Love Letter' that Simangaliso is weaving as a gift to her mother. It encapsulates the power of the arts in fostering memory-work, healing and love. The script of Zulu Love Letter won the Special Jury Prie -Best Script 2001, France, 15th Edition, Grand Prix du Meilleur Scenariste, Paris, and has won ten prestigious international awards. The book is richly illustrated with photographs. Bhekiiwe Peterson and Ramadan Suleman are directors of Natives At Large, a film and television production company that produced the feature films Fools and Zulu Love Letter. Peterson is also associate professor of African Literature, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa).