New

ISBN	9781779211781
Pages	282
Dimensions	198 x 129mm
Published	2023
Publisher	Pigeon Press, Zimbabwe
Format	Paperback

Magic and Masala

by Violette Kee-Tui

Sharifa has been keeping a secret, and although it threatens to unravel the fragile thread that holds her family together, she's determined to share it before she dies. Against the backdrop of the divisive Group Areas Act of the 50s, she travels from her beloved Cape Town to Bulawayo in southern Rhodesia - to the family she was once forced to reject. Sharifa's story, steeped in her love of her homeland and the magic of faith and spirit, threads back to the life she once led, and forward to the present day family she will engender: Harry, her great grandson, and now a grandfather himself, and his son, Calvin, shaped by an equal measure of choice and chance, still trying to come to terms with the scars of his childhood, his struggle to belong and the tragedy of "that day".

"What an illuminating read! Violette Kee-Tui's Magic and Masala is a wonderful novel that shines a much-needed light on the history of the Coloured and Muslim communities in southern Africa. In this fascinating family saga we get to see how race, gender and religion have played such an important role in shaping our identities and circumstances in this corner of the world. Kee-Tui's contribution to the diversity of voices coming out of the region is not only welcomed, it is vital. An impressive follow up to her debut novel, Mulberry Dreams, this story is as captivating as the beauty of the Namaqualand Daisies."

Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu, 2022 winner ofthe Windham-Campbell prize for fiction

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About the Author

Violette Kee-Tui

Violette Sohaili Kee-Tui was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Working as a journalist from the age of 18, she found her home at the features desk where she rose to the position of Assistant Features Editor. During her time in the national media, Violette received an Honours Diploma from the London School of Journalism and won multiple accolades, most notably Feature Writer of the Year in the National Journalism Awards. Driven by the need to tell the stories of people and communities, Violette became what some would call a narrative journalist. She wrote and submitted her first short story to Bulawayo's Intwasa Short Story Competition, initially winning third place in 2010, winning second in 2011 and finally the first-place Yvonne Vera Award in 2012. While a full-time working mom, Violette began writing her first novel as part of NANOWRIMO (National Novel Writing Month), an initiative held every November to encourage creative writing by setting a target of writing 50 000 words in one month. She continues to use her journalism training in the spheres of marketing, media, communication training, community outreach, PR and freelance writing. She and her partner own a gift and art shop in Bulawayo, and together run historical and cultural tours and activities in the city.