A Century of Geography at Stellenbosch University 1920-2020 focuses on the establishment and development of geography as an academic discipline at Stellenbosch, South AfricaOs founding geography department. The ways in which the department currently operates are deemed fundamentally joined to its past and pave the way for the evolution of geography and its various subdisciplines going forward. The investigation seeks to highlight the development of the discipline and its institutionalisation as part of the academic offerings of the university, while providing details about the teaching and research conducted, as well as of the people who contributed to these endeavours. It also furnishes the academic geography community at Stellenbosch, and geography more broadly, with some insights into its past development and more recent changes, along with a complete bibliography of conducted research.

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In this book Renata explored the food culture and lifestyles of early humans, and of the Khoi-Khoin. She combined many decades of knowledge as a nutritionist and food culture expert with multidisciplinary research of over 15 years ? bringing together aspects of archaeology, palaeontology, botany, genetics, history, languages, culture and much more, in a unique way. While scientifically sound, it is beautifully illustrated and a true collector’s piece.
In 2015 Renata self-published the book through Penstock Publishing. The first print-run of 500 copies was soon sold out ? mostly to friends, family and fans. We have now reprinted the book to make Coetzee’s unique work available to a wider audience. Academics, researchers and food experts can build further on her research. Communities will benefit from further work to build understanding among various cultures and on the history of our ?First Peoples?. Indigenous plants with culinary and agricultural potential can be further developed for food production.
Renata’s research included interviews with many elderly Khoi-Khoin women and men in various regions, about the details of their food sources and uses. A special feature in the book is that wherever possible, the Khoi and Afrikaans names of plants and animals are given, with English and scientific names. About 250 fine photographs and over 80 illustrations of edible indigenous plants ? as well as maps and Khoi traditions ? make the book a journey of discovery, bringing to life the linkages between evolution and culinary history over millennia.
The book also offers valuable lessons in terms of the nutritional value of many indigenous foods, food security and sustainability. The DST/NRF Centre of Excellence: Food Security, hosted by UWC and the University of Pretoria, has supported the reprint of the book. They, together with the Agricultural Research Council, intend doing further research on indigenous food products identified in Coetzee’s extensive work on the various food cultures in South Africa.

A Place to Live provides captivating insights into the rich tapestry of meaning that fashioned the Red Location into the township that it became, and the many stalwarts that contributed to its vibrant and interesting history. Vuyisile Msila has masterfully interwoven history with visual images and actual accounts of people’s lived experiences to relate the picturesque and colourful story of the Red Location from the colonial to apartheid and post-apartheid eras, spanning a period of a hundred and ten years from 1903 to 2013.

The story opens at a time when Cabinda ? a small African enclave surrounded by the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and separated from Angola by the Congo River ? is plunged into bloody war. Deep in the heart of Cabinda is the Mayombe rainforest, home to a group of guerrilla fighters whose very existence is to liberate their land from the terrors perpetrated by the Angolan army. Against that backdrop of massacres and deforestation and written with crusading fervour, this novel is much more than a political tract. It is a powerful story of impossible love: the poignant love of the principled, young doctor Albino for the country lass Maria; the redemptory love which his ailing, ruthless grandfather Santos is surprised to feel as death approaches; and the love of a dispossessed people for the land of their birth. Recommended reading, then, for lovers of African literature, as well as for scholars and adepts of colonial and postcolonial literature.

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