Journey to Jo'burg: A South African Story

Product Information

Originally written in 1985, this book was not historical fiction but a description of life as it was in South Africa at the time.

The children learn about Grace's brother, Dumi, who was arrested for protesting, or speaking out against, apartheid. I will recommend this book to any young reader and not forgetting older ones who would be able to learn about hardships non whites were facing.This was a brilliant read and a great introduction to children in KS2 about life in South Africa for black people, the Apartheid and segregation. This book tells the story of two young children who travel 300 km from their small village to Johannesburg, when their baby sister falls seriously ill, to tell their mother who works there as a maid. In Beverley Naidoo's 1986 (and thus of course before the official end of Apartheid) South-African themed middle grade novel Journey to Jo'burg, when their baby sister Dineo becomes very ill with a dangerous fever (and might perhaps even be dying), thirteen-year old Naledi and her younger brother Tiro decide that they must go and get their mother, but unfortunately Mma is being forced by financial necessity to live and work in the big city, in far-away Johannesburg. Banned by the apartheid government in South Africa, this is the story of two children’s courage and determination to find their mother and bring her home. After going with a friend to a restaurant in Frankfurt, even though it was raining like crazy, it did not stop me from going to Oxfam, where I did behave: I only got this one book (1 euro).

Their journey illustrates at every turn the grim realities of apartheid – the pass laws, bantustans, racism, the breakdown of family life. The story begins in a small, unnamed village where Naledi and Tiro, a girl and her younger brother, live with their little sister, Dineo, their grandma, and their aunt. Journey to Jo’Burg is set in South Africa during the apartheid and tells the story of Naledi and Tiro who, frightened that their baby sister Dineo will die, take a 300km journey to find their mother who works there as a maid.The book follows a young girl named Naledi and her younger brother, Tiro, on a journey that not only saves their family, but also opens their eyes to nature of their world. As well as inspiring powerful writing on characters from a different era, it has helped to draw discussions with some of today’s issue as we have made comparisons with the student uprising ‘Times of Fire’ described in the novel and the riots that took place in London in 2011. The period is South Africa's apartheid years, and while I'm rating four for writing, I'm rating another star for the depiction of tendencies towards popular activism and bringing about change. As well as clear character descriptions and vivid imagery, there are many themes running through the story as it deals with racism and prejudice along with family, love and determination.