Africa Where Art Thou? by Abigail George
Price: R140.00
ISBN: 9780620498241, Paperback, Abigail George
Brief write up of author Abigail George:
Even a caged bird sings. This book is a prime example of that. This is the poet’s, Abigail George, (the ‘caged bird’) gift to the African continent.
In ‘Africa Where Art Thou?’ Themes of the measure of the acuities of loss, that there is an illusion in spirit behind each door that every key can unlock to the nerves, the pathways to consciousness, themes of faith, suicide, the orbit of war, genocide, humanity, the lives, deaths and legacy of Dulcie September, Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek and Moses Molelekwa, the courage to be an advocate for the awareness of the dark cognitive head of mental illness prevail in this debut collection of prose poetry and haiku.
This half-dream of a book will continue to grow in your mind long after you have turned the last page. It is a liberating exercise in which the final analysis is the mapping of the landscape of the heart of a poet from the African continent, the rural countryside and its inhabitants.
Abigail George studied film and television production for a short while, which was followed by a brief stint as a trainee at a production house. She is a writer and poet. She has lived in Johannesburg, Swaziland and Port Elizabeth but she is currently living in Port Elizabeth. She has had poetry published in print and online. She has had short fiction published online. In 2005 and 2008 she was awarded writing grants from the National Arts Council in Johannesburg for a poetry anthology entitled, ‘Africa Where Art Thou?’ and a short story collection she called, ‘The Origins of Smoke and Mirrors’.
She is not purely devoted to poetry but to pursuing writing fulltime. Storytelling for her has always been a phenomenal way of communicating and making a connection with other people.
Here’s an interview/review Abigail did with Sibongile Xaluva of EC Talent. It follows below.
Review of Abigail George, Poetry Collection “Africa Where Art Thou?”
Eastern Cape Talent has reviewed a recently published poetry collection, “Africa Where Art Thou?” written by EC Talent member, Abigail George. George is no stranger to the world of words, having published a number of works including poetry, short stories and essays.
Born in Port Elizabeth, 32 years ago, George studied film and production before landing up in writing. Although by her own admission, she claims to be an ‘upcoming’ writer, some of her poetry works have been published online from Nigeria to Finland.
While her abilities and skills show beyond doubt, she is a natural writer who is driven by passion, imagination personal experiences and simply “art” in her nature.
“A writer or poet’s writing as a collective is an extraordinary machine and passion comes with the craft,” says George.
The newly published poetry collection, “Africa Where Art Thou” focuses on the beauty and the nature of the African continent and all the countries that surround it as well as personal experiences from family to romantic relationship and the presence of God.
Political wars and social dimensions in Africa are some of the areas highlighted in the book.
“Port Elizabeth is my hometown, where I grew up but Africa, the African countryside and landscape is my country, my homeland, my heartland and inherently whenever I write, I write what I imagine and know. The vast, folds of the wilderness, the river of tides in the ocean-sea, from the darkness to the light, the stars in the night sky in Africa, the universe, I know that God is ultimately there, omnipotent, present in the minutia of details,” says George.
The manner in which George expresses herself in the book, from her relationship with her own family to the darker, and historical challenges the continent has trembled over including the assassinations of political leaders such as Kevin Carter, Ken Oosterbroek, and Moses Molelekwa, are a testimony of George’s philosophy of using writing as an instrument of interacting with others.
“I use my art of writing as way to interact and engage and pass on my communication to other people,” explains George.
In brief, book describes the story of a young girl whose life has been affected by many events, and through George’s art of writing she integrates everything as a symbol of the continent of Africa.
Paying tribute to writers that have assisted and inspired her, George acknowledged her own father, Dr Ambrose George who is a poet and writer together with the likes of Mzi Mahola, Ingrid Jonker, Dambudzo Marechera, Athol Fugard, Helen Maartens and Bessie Head.
“This book is written for the living memory of these writers,” says George.
George began writing the book in 2005, and it has recently been published by Drum Beat Media. She encourages everyone to read the book from scholars to researchers and historians as well as the academic gurus as all will enjoy the personal to wilderness journey highlighted in the book.
Abigail George is also a member of South African PEN and the South African Writer’s Circle.
