Call Me Woman / Edition 1

by Ellen Kuzwayo, Nadine Gordimer, Bessie Head

Overview

Call Me Woman is the autobiography of Ellen Kuzwayo, a black South African woman whose life as a social worker, woman's rights activist, politician, and more was woven in political history of South Africa for almost 60 years. Kuzwayo 's autobiography documents a complex series of changes in herself and her culture, including the onset and devastation of apartheid.

 Ms. Kuzwayo was the first black person to win South Africa's premier literary prize, the CNS Literary Award.
 

 Call Me Woman is among that small group of books that have entered directly into my consciousness and changed my frame of reference. —The San Francisco Chronicle

 This book is true testimony from a wonderful woman. For myself, she is one of those people who give me faith in the new and different South Africa they will create. —Nadine Gordimer

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781879960091
Publisher:	Aunt Lute Books
Publication date:	01/01/1995
Edition description:	1st U.S. ed
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Ellen Kuzwayo grew up in the country, but lived most of her life in the city. She spent time as a “disgruntled schoolteacher”, social worker, mother, wife, and in her sixties returned to study at the University of the Witwatersrand for a higher qualification in social work. She was very active in the community life of Soweto, and acted as the president of the Black Consumer Union of South Africa and the Maggie Magba Trust. Kuzwayo was chosen Woman of the Year in 1979 by the Johannesburg newspaper The Star, and was nominated again in 1984. She helped make two films, Awake from Mourning and Tsiamelo: A Place of Goodness, both of which have had international distribution. She passed away in 2006.

Editorial Reviews

Kuzwayo's autobiography spans 70 years of South African history. Her experiences are directly and simply stated in a nonliterary style. In the first section she describes the conditions in Soweto, where she is a community leader. In the second part she traces her own life history in a detailed personal manner. Born into a properous rural home and educated in mission schools, she taught for a number of years. Later, she trained as a social worker and worked with the YWCA. Her experiences in social work and with young people led to her increased community involvement and commitment to change. She was placed under detention in 1977. In the last part of the book she describes her current activities, discusses some of the problems of black women, and tells about the lives of four individual women. Her story illuminates many of the problems of this troubled nation. Maidel Cason, Northwestern Univ. Lib., Evanston, Ill.

Library Journal