Song of the Slave Girl

A sad tale of love, free will, the cruelty and inhumanity of slavery in the Cape Colony – but also, of the indomitable human spirit. Meraj and Djameela are spiritually attuned lovers living an accursed life trapped on farms working the land of the European settlers who have enslaved them and their families. This is a book to read if you’re looking for an introduction into how the Cape Colony’s settlers treated the enslaved Muslim people that were brought from Indonesia to Southern Africa; it is a rare and necessary glimpse into a historical period (the early 1700s) where the blood, sweat and tears of people brought here against their will became etched into the stone, the fynbos, the very air that is breathed in the Cape today. One caveat: while the story itself and the development of its characters and setting deserve praise, this book is let down by editing choices that lead to repetition in some parts. Luso Mnthali