By Ogova Ondego
Published October 4, 2012

SmokeofForgiveness JPEGSmoke of Forgiveness: The Songbirds’ Revenge , a new novel by Nelson Makhubane Tshabalala of South Africa shall be discussed under Goethe-Institut’s ‘New South African Voices: Beyond The Cities; The Platteland in South African Literature’ discussion series in Johannesburg on October 23, 2012. On that day, Tshabalala, poet and publisher Vonani Bila, journalist and writer Dana Snyman and co-moderators Indra Wussow and Raks Seakhoa will go beyond the big city and journey into the multifaceted literary dimensions of the uniquely South African platteland’ as part of New South African Voices.

According to Tshabalala, who says he was Author of the Week and Author of the Month of the Africa Book Club of the USA in September 2012, says “Smoke of Forgiveness is set against the flow of history from Apartheid South Africa to the current day” and that it attempts to touch on every aspect of moral choice where the nation still stands divided in its thinking.

Tshabalala says his book “lays bare the anguish evoked by atrocities committed against rural farm-workers where beatings and rape were used as punishment.”

The book also tackles issues like love across the ‘colour-line’, racism, unfaithfulness in relationships, poverty, and homelessness.

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Further, the book is said to acknowledge the role played by several Christian groups in furthering the education of previously disadvantaged people, the belief in the role of the ancestors and the need to guard against African spirituality being watered down by Christianity.

SmokeofForgivenessback JPEGSaying “Cognisance should be taken that Smoke of Forgiveness also speaks to the hope of reconciliation and the ability of the perpetrators of Apartheid to see the error of their ways and change”, Tshabalala opines that it is also “a sincere attempt to set the stage for South Africa emerging from the baggage of the past.”

“Smoke of Forgiveness encourages a call to awaken an entrepreneurial spirit that will take the economy of South Africa to new levels to meet current challenges as well as a call to generosity on the part of those who succeed so they can ‘give back’ to the needy,” Tshabalala says.

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Smoke of Forgiveness is available for sale from the author at the discounted price of ZAR160.00 or could be purchased as an e-book at US$29.00 or ZAR180.00 from amazon.com, Kalahari.com, exclusives.co.za, alibris.com, and ww2.onthedot.co.za.