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Beverley Naidoo Visits Bow
July 2009
Award winning author Beverley Naidoo visited us to talk to Year 9 about her books and growing up in South Africa under the apartheid laws. These laws denied black, asian and ‘coloured’ people the same rights as white ‘europeans’. Apartheid gave privileges to white people and meant that black children were sent to separate, inferior schools and their families were told where they could live, work and travel.
In particular she told us how because she was white she had two ‘mums’, her own mother and a black woman servant who looked after her most of the time. Beverley explained that the inspiration for her first book, ‘JOURNEY TO JO’BURG’ came from seeing her ‘black mum’ get the news that one of her own children had died, and realising that those children lived a very long way away and hardly ever saw their mother.
We also heard how Beverley chose the themes for some of her other books which all involve children growing up in difficult circumstances in South Africa and other African countries
We learned that Beverley’s opposition to apartheid meant that, until recently, she had to live in exile in Britain and that her books had been banned in South Africa.
It was a really interesting and informative talk and we all came away with plenty to think about…but the time seemed too short and we didn’t get to ask all the questions we had so we will just have to invite Beverley Naidoo back to Bow!
