Ashraf Kagee explores slavery in his new novel
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE
South African writer Ashraf Kagee presents his new novel, about two enslaved people separated by their circumstances and inspired by the Arabic poem “Layla and Majnun”. The author also seeks to explore the violence of slavery, madness and the capacity to love under oppression, according to TimesLIVE.
South African writer Ashraf Kagee has dedicated his new novel to slavery, a period in South African history he believes is less widely told than apartheid, TimesLIVE reports. His three novels are set against a political backdrop, but this new work focuses on the experiences of people enslaved.
Ashraf Kagee says he was inspired by the ancient Arabic poem Layla and Majnun, composed in the seventh century by the poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah. He believes the prominence of apartheid in literature, music and history has overshadowed other episodes in South Africa’s past.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
