First published in 1967, Ernest Cole’s House of Bondage has been lauded as one of the most significant photobooks of the twentieth century, revealing the horrors of apartheid to the world for the first time and influencing generations of photographers around the globe.

Reissued for contemporary audiences, this edition adds a chapter of unpublished work found in a recently resurfaced cache of negatives and recontextualizes this pivotal book for our time.

Cole, a Black South African man, photographed the underbelly of apartheid in the 1950s and ’60s, often at great personal risk. He methodically captured the myriad forms of violence embedded in everyday life for the Black majority under the apartheid system—picturing its miners, its police, its hospitals, its schools. In 1966, Cole fled South Africa and smuggled out his negatives; House of Bondage was published the following year with his writings and first-person account.

This edition retains the powerful story of the original while adding new perspectives on Cole’s life and the legacy of House of Bondage. It also features an added chapter—compiled and titled “Black Ingenuity” by Cole—of never-before-seen photographs of Black creative expression and cultural activity taking place under apartheid.

Made available again nearly fifty-five years later, House of Bondage remains a visually powerful and politically incisive document of the apartheid era.

Quite Footsteps explores moral themes relating to political and social change in South Africa. An obscene clamour that the poet sees as eviscerating our country's humanity becomes the catalyst for an excoriating attack on a time that "renders everything as matters of abuse", and a passionate demand that we find in ourselves – for ourselves, and in honour of the spirits of the dead – the capacity for the humane. This major work by one of South Africa's poets will trouble every conscience, even as it revives our faltering hope for a healed nation.

To every birth its blood, Serote's first novel, was originally published in 1981. It was written over a period of six years and combines the piercing subjectivity of Serote's earlier works with a broad canvas of characters and time sequences. Whether his characters are young or old, men or women, Serote's extraordinary empathy takes us into the interior of their lives.

Revelations, is a narrative journey undertaken by artists and modern-day warriors, who, after the liberation of South Africa, try to understand what was fought for, and why. A South African dance troupe in Chile brings back stories of that country's trials and tribulations and a parallel is drawn with our own struggle to reconcile and to make peace when the time for war is over.

Now in its 8th year, the Sol Plaatje European Union Poetry Award has been the launching pad for upcoming poets. From slam poetry to formal rhyme, the anthology is a celebration of language and cultural diversity. Assembled by a brilliant team of judges, from a blind selection, this year's compilation contains the best poems from 500 entries, including 10 of the 11 South African languages. Named after Solomon Tshekisho Plaatje (1876-1932), the award recognises the life and vision of this highly respected political and social activist. We always hope that it reveals the political and social attitudes of our time and reflects the complex, nuanced and uncomfortable truths of life in South Africa.

Keke, a veteran MK cadre who was once the CEO of a mobile phone company, wakes up one day to find his life in ruins. He has lost his job and his wife, and he has become more and more reliant on the solace of alcohol. After hitting rock bottom, Keke is thrust into a spiritual journey. He meets Ami, a shaman from Mali, and travels there, where he is 'cooked' and cleansed in a 'meeting' with his ancestors. Only when he is healed, and understands his role in the context of a post-apartheid South Africa, can Keke make a careful comeback to his country to re-joined his wife and comrades. The global village, the African continent and South Africa are the platforms where Keke's life unfolds in the 21st century.

A revelatory and informative presentation of the anti-apartheid posters created by Medu Art Ensemble

A revelatory and informative presentation of the anti-apartheid posters created by Medu Art Ensemble

Formed in the late 1970s, Medu Art Ensemble forcefully articulated a call to end the apartheid system’s racial segregation and violent injustice through posters that combined revolutionary imagery with bold slogans. Advocating for decolonization and majority (nonwhite) rule in South Africa and neighboring countries, Medu members were persecuted by the South African Defense Force and operated in exile across the border in Botswana.

The People Shall Govern! features nearly all the surviving posters that Medu created between 1979 and 1985. These objects are exceedingly rare, as they were originally smuggled into South Africa and mounted in public places, where they were regularly confiscated or torn down on sight. Offering new insight into the conceptual framework of Medu’s working practice and featuring a beautiful silkscreened cover, this volume examines the continuing relevance and impact...