The Lighter Side of Life on Robben Island: Banter, Pastimes and Boyish Trick, by Fred Khumalo, Paddy Harper, Gugu Kunene

The reputation of Robben Island is coterminous with apartheid, a vicious system that plagued South Africa for decades. It would be understandable if its survivors emerged enraged and twisted.

Instead, contributors to The Lighter Side of Life on Robben Island provide us with a first-hand glimpse into a people’s refusal to play the game according to the oppressors’ rules.

This account captures the resilience of the powerless, exhibiting a community’s ability to maintain its collective zest for life.

Warning: This excellent addition to South African letters is full of escapades whose funniness sneaks up on you. The reader would be best advised to indulge himself in private or suffer hysterics in public which could call one’s sanity into question.

Manddla Langa