Singing Away the Hunger - PAWA'S Book of the Week ( Week 48)

SINGING AWAY THE HUNGER - PAWA'S BOOK OF THE WEEK ( WEEK 48)

 

SINGING AWAY THE HUNGER: The Autobiography Of An African Woman is an autobiography by a Lesotho woman, Mpho 'M'atsepo Nthunya, edited by K. Limakatso Kendall.

 

In loosely connected episodes, including stories passed to her from her mother, Nthunya describes the difficult life facing many Lesotho women, who must deal with a choice between the dangers, hardships, and degrading working conditions of city life as an indigenous African under apartheid, and the challenges of traditional rural life.

 

In the Lesotho of her time, women often faced child mortality, forced marriage, domestic abuse and single parenthood. Illness and starvation are constant threats, and these are compounded by what Nthunya describes as the destructive force of jealousy in impoverished communities.

 

The cultural conflict between city and rural life, and between Western and traditional culture, are a major theme of the book.

 

The book is available on Amazon.com