IN a strong ode to the colourful and dynamic culture of the coloured community, Treasure Beach’s Monica Brown’s new book, What Kind Ouens, translates the tumultuous period of the coloured community past and present. 

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Brown states the book is not just a record of the community’s unique slang, but a nostalgic time capsule of daily life, survival, and the strong sense of community coloured families enjoyed during and after apartheid.

Played out in the background of colourful coloured suburbs in Durban such as Wentworth, Clairwood, Mayville, Sydenham, Merewent and others, the book is an honest snapshot of the daily life of the community.

“The book gives insight into the colourful coloured lifestyle we lived, and it is about letting our children know where we come from. A large part of the reasoning behind the book is about the slang which started as a coloured’s lingo known to the streets, it played such a big part of our lives that I wanted to share with the future generation. It was also a way for the younger generation to see the sacrifices their parents had to make under the apartheid laws,” she said.

Apart from language, What Kind Ouens paints vivid pictures of life in coloured communities.

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“The book serves as a great time capsules for the older generation as they will resonate with a lot of scenes in the book like borrowing a tomato from a neighbour, trading clothes for a job interview and the laughter that made even the bleakest moments bearable. There was always a spirit of ubuntu in our communities,” Brown said.

It was no simple feat to pen and release the book. Brown invested much of her pension funds into the endeavour, not willing to allow these stories to be lost to the ages.

“It was a dream of mine to keep our slang alive, to tell our stories the way we lived them. I had to make it happen,” she said.

Thanks to a sponsor, her dream became reality, allowing generations to come to identify with this cultural legacy. To mark the release of the book, an official launch will take place on March 29 at the Abbaquar San Dream Centre. The launch will bring people from different generations together in a celebration of storytelling, nostalgia, and community pride.

What Kind Ouens is more than a collection of memories; it is a celebration of the resilience, heritage and language of the coloured community.

Contact Monica Brown on ‪081 060 6257 for further information.

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