Footsteps and Swansong by Phyliss Naidoo

Footsteps Swansong by Phyliss Naidoo comprises a broad array of figures, from unsung heroes and heroines to those who are generally well-known and celebrated. We have moving vignettes on Kader Asmal, Anton Lubowski, John Harris, Ilse Naudé, Johnny Issel, Ann Colvin, and Basil DOliviera residing side by side with portraits of Beverley Sigamoney, Jackie Sewpersad, Simon David, A J David, Regina Maharaj and Tim Naidoo worthy South Africans all, in their different ways.

Phylliss work is crucial in this time of memory in South Africa, when the production of an iconic, official narrative of the past tends inadvertently to filter out lesser-known persons and events. She implicitly develops a new conception of history, where ordinary people rub shoulders with giants. Footsteps Swansong is thoroughly informative and engaging, and draws from a wide range of sources; it also includes poems and pieces by AJ David. Phylliss writing is invaluable, as it continues the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, in setting straight some of the records of the past, and exposing some of its gaps.