Song for Sarah : Lessons from my mother

“It was under Sarah’s roof that I learnt how to live and where she would teach us how to die. Under that roof I learnt the value of selfless giving and the importance of personal discipline. Sarah did not only tell, she showed.”

Song for Sarah pays tribute to Jonathan Jansen’s mother, and to all mothers who raise families and build communities in trying circumstances. Jansen offers this endearing praise song to contradict vulgar stereotypes of Cape Flats mothers. Tracing her life from the peaceful town of Montagu, and the consequences of apartheid’s forced removals that saw the family moved to a small house in the location, and eventually to the Cape Flats, Jansen shows how strong women managed not only to keep families together, but raise them with integrity.

With his trademark delicacy, humour and frankness, Jansen follows his mother’s life as a young nurse and mother to five children, and shows how she dealt with her past, organised her home, made sense of politics, managed affection, communicated core values – how she lived her life. As a balance to his own recollections, Jansen has called on his sister, Naomi, to offer her own insights and memories, adding special value to this touching personal memoir.