The Keeper of the Kumm: Ancestral longing and belonging of a Boesmankind

by Sylvia Vollenhoven

Award-winning journalist Sylvia Vollenhoven tells the story of her life and how it's been turned upside down by an //Kabbo, a Bushman storyteller and revolutionary. She writes of being "too black" for her coloured school mates, working as one of the early female journalists in the misogynistic '70s and of the constant struggle to find an identity that fits. Finally, she unearths a history that speaks to first in the language of a long, nameless illness without conventional cure, and then in the Calling of her Ancestors.

Genres: Nonfiction, South Africa

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2016

Reviews

[Caryn Welby-Solomon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s weird to say I think this book found me. I bought it a couple of years ago at a book sale at Media24 when I still worked there. I don’t know why the book appealed to me, I didn’t know what the title meant or who the author was but i was attracted to it and I trusted my instincts.

Last year I was interviewing someone for an article that they brought Sylvia up. The name sounded familiar but I couldn’t remember where I saw the name before and then I saw it on my shelf. I asked my parents if they knew who she is and they said ‘of course’ she’s a pretty famous journalist who lived down the road from our family house.

It will take me another year before I randomly take it off my shelf and start reading. And I’m glad I chose to read it now. Sylvia effortlessly weaves the story of her own life with the story of her Khoi ancestor and bleeds into each other and understands each other so well.

Being coloured means constantly feeling loss. I’ve been trying to trace my own ancestors but my parents don’t even know their own grandparents’ names. The Keeper of the Kumm shows the importance of understanding the past and how that can help and save you.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A loan from a friend, and a very interesting read - Vollenhoven effectively balances three plot lines: one about //Kabbo, a storyteller speaking to white anthropologists in the 19th century; one about her present-time illness and spiritual search, which led her to uncover //Kabbo's story; and one about her whole life and career, which actually forms the bulk of the material. The three are woven together in ways which illustrate her understandings, gathered through this life and search, of the links or overlaps between past and present and between ancestors and living people.

[Paballo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an incredible read, one that would take you back to those days in a literature class. You’ll literally crave as though someone with a great reading skill could read it out loud for you and explain certain things you don’t understand. It is a book you can read again and get shocked at certain events like you didn’t know they were there.
Sylvia Vollenhoven’s CV is so nice. Her experiences led to this beautiful book.

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. A journey into the ancient and recent past while unfolding in the present, changing the future.

[Cereal · Rating 5 out of 5]

A captivating read by a journalist with an exceptional life story. This was beautifully written

[Liesl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this book to anyone who has ever experienced a longing to know themselves and trace their family tree, cultural heritage, ancestral roots. A must read for every 'Coloured' South African.