I’m in the middle of packing for South Korea. Counting down the days until I hop on a plane and return to a place I once called home 10 years ago, and then make it home again. Books – which ones do I now take, which ones do I leave? Home. Yinne, even that word will change for me again.
Yinne, all the clutter of books I must sort out. I figured I’ll take with my how-to books and I’ll donate the rest. Shit. I promised one of the libraries that I’ll donate it to them before I go. Why do I make those kinda promises like I have an endless Uber budget to deliver it with? Lemme write ’n email to the library lady to tell her she can pick it up by us. If she don’t fetch it, I’ll give it to the Boeta opposite from the crime watch. Recently we donated blankets to him that they sent to a shelter – he can keep the books for next time they donate.
Yinne! Okay, there the lady emailed me back, she’ll fetch it. Psych! I know she lives close to me. I just told her “perhaps someone from the library would like to fetch it at our place on the library’s behalf?”. When in doubt, just gooi skimp! People catch on quick when they think it’s their idea. But okay, new problem – see the Boeta and the library lady said they will both take it. Shit, okay think think think, okay, got it – make two piles of books. Easy peasy! When life gives you lemons, just split it in half and give everyone their stukkie.
And then look what emerged out of the clutter – the tribute article I wrote for Die Burger in 2025 on the late Athol Fugard: “Djy lee ’n dramaturg die beste dee hul skryfwêk ken”. Okay, come we take a tea break and walk down article memory lane, black tea in Daddy’s Father’s Day cup, skip all the AD’s so Gipsy Kings can still play nicely in my ears. Many people, I wrote in the article, on my Facebook News Feed were posting photos of themselves with the good playwright when he died. But I believe, I wrote there, that you only really know a playwright when you get to know them through the pages they’ve written. Yinne but then don’t I clean forget to tell the damn newspaper that I met the old man in 2011 when he came to talk to us UWC writers. And you know why I forgot? Because I don’t have a selfie. There wasn’t mos selfies that time! Two thousand words and, the girl, she did not remember to write that she met Athol Fugard plustens that she got her copy of his play autographed!
But look here sien djy, it’s not my fault, I just got confused. Zakes Mda also came to talk to us that same year or something. That bra, I was hokal thinking, I forgot to bring my copy of Black Diamond with for HIM to sign, you see! So memory lane was heavy playing hide and seek with me that day because then I got vrek confused during the writing process about who came when and what book was signed plustens I have to change playlists now because all the Spanish and Kaaps words are getting mixed up in my head when I read this article while Djobi Djoba and Bem Bem Maria is playing loud in my ears – I need another tea break to recover from this tea break.
Of course Mamma found a way to creep into that Fugard tribute – how I had the fortitude to write that entire tribute 3 weeks after her janaza is beyond me. I was eavesdropping on this story Mamma once told, I wrote leqqa there, about two bêgies – one long one (Boesman), one short one (Lena) who lived on the streets on Walmer Estate there where Mamma lived before she got married in the 80’s. Plustens Mamma nogal had impressive impersonation skills, I wrote leqqa there on the page, with her high-pitched voice and her hands articulating how ou lange dropped kleintjie on the floor, open legs, onnebroekkie on display. “Leqqa oo wyn baklei,” Mamma said.
Okay, come, I make a checklist of all the books I’m taking. Boesman and Lena and Other Plays, check. The Artist’s Way, check. The Comedy Bible, check. Cut to the Chase Scriptwriting for Beginners, check. City of Girls, check – but yoh this novel is so thick it’s like 1/10 of my suitcase. Thick old photo album of Mamma and Daddy going on Hajj in the 90’s before I was born, as I further work on my Love in the Time of Labarang Hajj musical drama production – uncheck! Weight limit won’t allow. Even scanning all those photos to me is ’n expensive job, but also this packing is turning into a FOMO job.
Passport, check. English teaching training manuals, check. File with all my million dollar lesson plan ideas, including that one where I took the European expats to Bo-Kaap during a week-long lesson on South African history – check. Rattibul Haddad batcha boekies – uncheck for now. But then again, the time difference between Cape Town and Korea is too big to listen to the Thursday night thikr on radio – might check it back in later on.
Yinne, that reminds me. It’s still summertime in Korea, but the Snowy winter will come soon from November. Daddy said he’s going for breakfast with his chommies tomorrow morning, yinne, a whole morning to myself to raid Mamma’s cupboard to look for clothes. There’s still those tops from Indonesia I bought her that time and leqqa jackets of hers I can definitely make use of in the winter. I still have my snow coat from last time, it cost 200 000 Korean won – that’s like R2000. That’s why I’m planning to pack that also in because yinne I mos didn’t spend all that money just to leave the coat here at home, yinne but then if I take the coat my books won’t fit in bladdyville!!!
TO BE CONTINUED.
Tasneem Daniels has a 10-year combined portfolio in media, education, arts and entertainment. Tasneem formed part of the first group of playwrights to take up residence at the Jakes Gerwel Foundation (JGF) Paulet House. Here she wrote Miela’s Box, a show collaboratively produced with the JGF in 2020 that debuted on stage and radio stations nationally. Tasneem’s play lead to a career in TV and radio programming with Suidooster (kykNET), An Nur – The Light (SABC 3), Radio 786 (100.4 FM) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in collaboration with Bush Radio (89.5 FM). Miela’s Box made a comeback on internet radio in 2024 with Cape Flats Radio and Radio Eersteriver. Tasneem also writes for LitNet, and she is writing her first musical after completing the How to Make a Musical Masterclass in 2019 with David Kramer at the Baxter Theatre. Her interests include tracing her Cape Malay / Indonesian roots and using her travel pursuits to develop her creative businesses.
