Lorato Trok with Wendy Hartmann Illustrated by Elizabeth Pulles
“Listen closely,” Ouma Katrina says, her voice as soft as a breeze. “N|uu is more than words; it’s also our heartbeat. It connects us to the spirits of our ancestors. It’s a language that sings the songs of the land”.
Born in 1933 on Farm Klapien in Olifantshoek, Upington, Northern Cape Province, Katrina Esau has an extraordinary story. As the last fluent N|uu speaker, children must hear just how valuable and fragile languages can be. Golden Girl: The Story of Katrina Esau by Lorato Trok and Wendy Hartmann, illustrated by Elizabeth Pulles, does precisely this in a richly textured children’s book, which embraces Ouma Katrina’s voice beautifully.
On Farm Klapien, the family is forbidden from speaking N|uu. Despite this, Katrina speaks the language with her parents in secret. Katrina longs to go to school, but her parents know that the farmer’s strict rules and the apartheid laws would not allow this.
Ouma Katrina and her family walk over 170 km to Upington, a small town in the Northern Cape, to make a new life. Here, the family is forced to speak Afrikaans and take on a coloured identity. Katrina’s N|uu language is almost forgotten for many years. Then, Ouma Katrina, determined to save her language, decides to start a school in her home teaching young children how to speak N|uu.
Golden Girl celebrates Ouma Katrina’s life as a leader and teacher. She is a respected elder in the Khoe and San communities of South Africa. N|uu is an ancient San language from the Tuu family. This book is her legacy and our children’s heritage.
This book was made possible with the support of Biblionef and funding from the National Heritage Council.
OUMA KATRINA ESAU
Ouma Katrina Esau is a respected elder and cultural custodian within the Khoe and San South African communities. She has played a vital role in preserving and revitalising the N|uu language, one of the world’s oldest languages.
She started a school in her home 21 years ago and still teaches young children how to speak N|uu. Her dream is to see her language spoken by many people, especially children.
Ouma Katrina Esau’s efforts have raised awareness about preserving indigenous languages and cultures, particularly among younger generations. She is highly regarded for her knowledge, wisdom and dedication to her community’s heritage.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Lorato Trok is an experienced early literacy expert with over 20 years of experience in publishing, writing, editing, translating and developing stories for children’s literature. She began her career as a children’s librarian and has worked on notable projects such as the First Words in Print initiative and Room to Read. Lorato has received awards for her translations and editing work. She has facilitated writing workshops internationally and presented papers on children’s literature. Lorato is an accomplished author of children’s picture books and young adult biographies. She is actively involved in various boards and initiatives to promote literacy and advance African publishing. Lorato is the author of The Forgotten Scientist: The Story of Saul Sithole, a forgotten black scientist who contributed considerably to anthropology and ornithology.
Wendy Hartmann has published more than 40 children’s books. They range from concept and counting, beginner readers, high interest/low vocabulary readers to picture books. Her books have been selected for honour lists and nominated for awards for writing and illustration. Wendy lives in Cape Town, is married and has two daughters. In her spare time, she paints and has taken part in numerous exhibitions and has worked in private collections in South Africa and overseas.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Elizabeth Pulles is an award-winning South African illustrator whose artistic journey has been fuelled by a passion for storytelling and a love for visual expression. Born with a natural curiosity and a vivid imagination, Elizabeth discovered her affinity for art at a young age. She embarked on a creative path, qualifying with a Master’s Degree in Art, where s he specialised in children’s book illustration.
Dedicated to bringing diversity to picture books and drawing inspiration from the natural beauty of South Africa, Elizabeth’s illustrations seek to celebrate the vibrancy of the environment and reflect warmth in relationships with others. Elizabeth’s creative approach makes room for both traditional and digital techniques. She begins with thumbnail sketches, developing a storyboard where she plays with the visual unfolding of the story and then sets the characters in their environments with the aid of intensive research.
Her colourful illustrations have graced the pages of many books and magazines, captivating readers.
