New children's book helps kids understand Apartheid through everyday life

CapeTalk’s Sara-Jayne Makwala King is joined by Dr Athambile Masola and Dr Xolisa Guzula, authors of 'Together Apart: The Story of Living in Apartheid'.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below.

'Together Apart: The Story of Living in Apartheid' is described as a powerful children's book that makes the story of Apartheid personal and relatable.

Instead of focusing only on dates and political events, the book shows what Apartheid felt like for ordinary people.

Told through a conversation between a grandmother and her grandchildren, it helps young readers connect what they see around them today, like unequal schools and neighbourhoods, to the country’s past.

"...by choosing an elder...there's a voice of reason that comes with a grandmother, someone who's got the experience, but this is also a grandmother who herself lived through Apartheid. And it's not unusual, in fact, for children to be having these conversations with their parents, their guardians, and their grandmothers." 

- Dr Athambile Masola, - author of 'Together Apart: The Story of Living in Apartheid'

The idea came from the authors’ earlier books about South African women who lived through colonialism and Apartheid. 

Again and again, they found themselves referring to that history. 

Eventually, they realised there was a need for a clear and thoughtful way to explain it to children, especially since kids often ask big, honest questions that adults don’t always know how to answer.

"...if children ask questions, then it makes it easier for us to explain these things and to give the historical perspective on them, that these things didn't just happen by themselves. There's a historical explanation for why people are living in different spaces. So, if we talk about the fact that children can see that people live in different houses, in different places, in different townships, it's easy to explain to children how townships came about and how forced removals happened." 

- Dr Xolisa Guzula, author of 'Together Apart: The Story of Living in Apartheid'

This book isn’t just about teaching history, it’s about opening up space for real conversations. 

The authors hope families and communities use it to talk about identity, justice, and what it means to live in a shared country.

Whether around the dinner table or in a classroom, this book is a gentle but powerful invitation to talk, reflect, and move forward, together.

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation