Durban — South African author Nathi Ngubane recently celebrated selling 10 000 copies locally of his book From the River to the Sea, which aims to educate youngsters about the ongoing conflict in Palestine and provide them with insights into Palestinian history.
The celebrations took place during a book launch on Thursday at Baitul Hikmah headquarters in Sydenham, Durban, in collaboration with Ngubane, Social Bandit Media and Penny Appeal South Africa.
Ngubane said: “When the colouring book became available in late February, our goal was to make it accessible to as many children and parents as possible. We never expected the printed version, available for purchase, to sell 10 000 copies. That’s incredible.”
He added that currently, there is a genocide happening in Gaza and that was why he created this activity book.
He said the book was to educate children in South Africa and worldwide about the history of Palestine, the culture of Palestinian people, Palestine’s literary icons and activists, with the hope that by the end of the book, children will be more informed about the devastating situation that children their age are facing in Gaza.
Ngubane said he would like to thank parents, children, activists, health care workers and scholars for their support since From The River to The Sea came out.
Ngubane said his journey was not easy as he received backlash from Zionists and that caused some stress; but seeing the immense support online and the pressure that Exclusive Books came under when they removed the colouring book from their shelves, reminded him of the spirit of ubuntu.
He concluded that both he and Social Bandit Media were eternally grateful; and that Palestine will be free.
Baitul Hikam Islamic Books is an innovator that celebrates Islamic books publication and distribution.
Owner Tazkiyyah Amra said: “We are delighted that From The River to the Sea has reached this significant milestone, selling 10 000 copies. It’s a definite vote of confidence in our mission to cultivate a love for books and reading.”
Amra said that as a small bookseller, this achievement represents their highest sales for a single title thus far; and further extended their heartfelt congratulations to Ngubane on this “remarkable accomplishment”.
She concluded that they hoped this project is the beginning of many future endeavours to use art and literature as tools for educating and informing children about important local and global matters.
Books are now available in the US and France; the UK and India are in the pipeline. All proceeds are donated to Penny Appeal SA’s Gaza Projects.
CEO of Penny Appeal South Africa, Shahnaaz Paruk said that it was an honour to be a part of an inclusive opportunity to address the current occurrences in Palestine; and sees it as taking a stand and being on the right side of history.
Paruk said: “Our South African heritage is rich in capturing a history that speaks of apartheid and our beautiful country’s Struggle. As South Africans, we must be part of an activity that tells the truth about Palestine.”
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