The Girl Who Could Not Read 'I See the Boats'

Nunu, a young girl from a mixed racial background, grew up sheltered by her father, her uncles, and aunts. They lived in what was formerly a Coloured township in East London. She had kinky hair and a low pain threshold and in their home, the adults conversed in English and isiXhosa. Her father owned a fleet of taxis and Nunu was closest to the drivers and her nanny, Mamtshali. When she turned 6, she was enrolled at an Indian primary school and because her mother was away studying in a different city, her father, unable to manage her kinky hair, sent his friend, Barry, to take her to the barber. She returned bald-headed and was unable to handle the horror of her looks. Upon arrival at school, she forgot the English lines, which her father had taught her. When she needed to go to the toilet, she soiled herself and blurted out vulgar words in isiXhosa. During the first interval, she was admonished by the other children and slapped across the face, because she had fed bread to the sparrows playing down below. She was accused of throwing away the body of Jesus and being a stupid Kaffir who had her hair cut off, in order to hide her ugly afro! When she had to read from Janet and John Book 1, she mispronounced the word 'boats' and was ridiculed by the whole class, except for her only friend, Tony, who sympathized with her.

Dettagli