Synopsis

Sindiwe Magona's poems conspire with her. Even years after being written, they still seem warm from her lips, and it is this residue of her telling them that draws you into their confidence. From the languid innocence of the poems about her village, to her shattering images of Africa at war, Magona leads you headlong into her fireside circle where archetypes flicker like shadows on a face that has seen, and been. Please, Take Photographs is defiant and tender, horrific and homely, at once irreverent, outspoken and beautiful.

Reviews

“Now, at the peak of her form, Sindiwe Magona gives us poetry– the most difficult art form of all to get right, but like an arrow to the heart when they succeed.”

— Jane Raphaely, author of Unedited

“Sindiwe Magona’s debut collection, Please, Take Photographs, stands out as a remarkable testimonial of a journey travelled through time and possibilities.”

— Karina Magdalena Szczurek , Sunday Independent

"These poems contain wisdom, warmth and honesty - the honesty sometimes so brutal that you wince. The images they evoke are so truthful; as a South African, I hold many of them in my own memory. Magona writes of realities I have known all my life. The poet's voice is triumphant in A Good Woman, forthright in addressing men who rape and abuse women, and in writing of AIDS. She warns of a future when the children are gone, so - Please, Take Photographs."

— Jayne Bauling, author of Rage to Possess