I wrote the book primarily because I wanted to tell the “story” of certain periods in Southern Africa’s colourful and somewhat cryptic history. Hearing about the lives of men, women and children who lived before us has always thrilled me. My mind wanders back to their time, and I find myself imagining what life was like and what they did back then.
In a country like ours, I believe it is imperative that people of all races, religions and genders know something about the past. A good grasp of history allows us to understand why things are the way they are now — and also sheds light on other people’s present-day viewpoints and perspectives.
Politicians, teachers, scholars and religious leaders are quick to use their interpretations of history to drive particular narratives
Migrations is set during the seismic period between 1820 and 1840, when the English settlers arrived, the Boers left the Cape Colony in the Great Trek, and various tribes rose and fell during the Mfecane. These three events created a massive displacement of people, the ripple effects of which are felt to this day. I wanted to tell the story of what happened here as if it were a fireside tale, rather than offer a boring list of events and dates in the manner of a history lesson.
Though I love reading historical accounts of what happened “way back when”, I was amazed at how different they were. The competing narratives initially created a blurry image in my head, but the more I read and researched, the clearer it became. It was as if the more layers I placed on top of each other, the more the bigger picture came into focus.
The hardest part about writing historical fiction is trying to ensure you are giving a truly accurate representation of history. There are so many information sources, viewpoints and opinions out there that we often get lost in the noisy confusion. Politicians, teachers, scholars and religious leaders are quick to use their interpretations of history to drive particular narratives. It’s important that we are able to form our own judgments and not just follow what someone else claims as fact.
I was amazed at how easily and beautifully the story flowed when I used fictional characters to blend the events, legends and real-life personalities of the past. The handful of fictional characters in the book came to life in my head as embodiments of real people who lived back then, and they seemed to guide me, and hopefully the reader too, through the happenings of the time.
Originally, I set out to write a single book, but when I submitted my first manuscript to my publishers, they politely ended it somewhere in the middle, telling me there were in fact two books in what I had given them. So one book quickly became two, and the second part in the Beneath a Baobab series, The Rivers, is set for release later this year. As I dive deeper into our history, I can see a whole series is needed to properly unpack the story of our past. I had better get writing.
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