Exploring family and identity in Vanessa Govender's 'The Village Indian'

Vanessa Govender, the author of Beaten But Not Broken, and the children’s book, The Selfish Shongololo, will soon release The Village Indian. In this candid Q&A with Candice Soobramoney, she reveals the inspiration behind her upcoming book, The Village Indian, her journey through life, family, and the importance of embracing your unique story, no matter how unconventional it may seem.  

Q: This your second debut memoir. Why have you decided to hone in on your family and adventures; and tell us something about each of "the characters" - aka your family - that made this book extra special? 

A: The Village Indian is my second memoir but it is my first dive into the colourful chaos of family life and village adventures. I chose to focus on my family because they are the heartbeat of this story, a gloriously mixed-race crew navigating life in a small South African village with chickens, curry and endless shenanigans. 

After sharing my personal struggles about surviving gender-based violence (GBV) in a country ravaged by incidents of GBV, I wanted to celebrate the joy, resilience and absurdity of everyday life with the people who make my world spin. They are my family members, of course, my husband – the quiet to my storm. 

He can rescue me from deadly creatures, which are in abundant supply in this part of the world and gently inspire me to be a better human-being, keeping me tethered and giving me the space to soar at the same time. He is the quiet strength that grounds our family. The voice of reason when I am riled up.

The kids, all under 12-years-old, are truly the underrated soul of the book. They keep me on my toes and teach me love is louder than tantrums. Looking at my own history and family, there are so many questions that will remain unanswered because the people who hold those answers are long gone. 

I always marvel at how my great-grand-father at just 16-years-old got onto a ship and came to South Africa more than 100 years ago. What would prompt a child really to make such a mammoth decision and what was life like for him in the time he lived here? It was a decision that shaped and defined every generation of his that followed. And yet we know next to nothing about it. 

In a way, I suppose The Village Indian and like my memoir before it, serves as a written testimony of life and experience that perhaps one day when my own children wonder out about their mother or parents and their own heritage, they can hopefully find answers. 

Using my maiden name Govender also allows me, in some way, to honour my ancestors, my heritage and my own community. Wherever I may go in this world, I remain tethered to the Chatsworth of my childhood and the story of the indentured slaves. The Village Indian doesn’t only explore my current life, it also delves deliciously into the past where I was raised in Cato Manor at first and then my beloved Chatsworth for the latter part of my childhood and adult life. 

It is a book that is a homage to past and present and however much I was convinced that those two worlds were and are so intrinsically different only to find it isn’t really. And therein lies the beauty of The Village Indian.

There is also the extended family of the current village and community, who are the larger than life characters that make The Village Indian vibrate with entertainment and introspection. 

Each of them is special, their quirks and commitment to community both an inspiration and cause for introspection. They remind me that family extends beyond blood and relation. They remind me that family in all its glorious imperfection is where we find our truest selves.

Q: Why have you decided to set the story - of a mixed race family - in the village; and what are the lessons that you hope one can learn from this aspect of the book?

A: Setting The Village Indian in a small South African village was no brainer. It's where the magic and the madness happens. It’s like watching all your favourite soapies and reality television shows. And who doesn’t enjoy watching a bunch of high end spicy mummies navigating raising kids and their interpersonal politics? Who doesn’t just switch on to get a glimpse into the lives of others, just for escapism and entertainment? 

Villages, like any other small communities, are the heart and soul of humanity and the country as a whole. Everyone knows your business, your dog’s business and even your Aya’s curry recipe. 

For our mixed race family, living in this close-knit sometimes conservative space can sometimes be a challenge but have no doubt it’s also definitely a celebration. Mixed race families may be less common in some rural pockets, but they are also very much a wonderful and growing reality in South Africa. 

I wanted to show how we carve our place with humour and heart. The village setting amplifies the story’s themes of community, identity and belonging. Here in the village, we are a family of different shades, cultures and quirks.

The lessons I hope readers take-away include embracing differences. Our mixed race home and family is a microcosm of South Africa’s potential, where love trumps labels and diversity is our superpower.

Find your tribe. Community is built on connection not perfection. Laugh in the chaos. Life in a village, like anywhere in the country or the world, can sometimes be a messy thing. Humour is not only the glue that holds it all together, it is also something we, as South Africans, are quite great at, being able to laugh and crack a joke even in the midst of madness. A survival tool that is both charming and grounding.

By rooting the story in this vibrant setting, I hope to show that mixed race families are not just surviving, but also thriving and redefining what normal looks like, and somewhere in all of the adventures, some of which are eyebrow raising, by our very existence, not only challenging prejudices but also quietly mending the broken threads as and when required

Q: The book is about a journey of the self. Explain how it relates to you and perhaps life in general? And why will the plot resonate with others? 

A: The Village Indian is absolutely a journey of self, mine, my family’s and I hope for the reader too. For me,  moving to a far flung village after years as a city slicker journalist was like swapping stilettos for gumboots. I had to rediscover myself, who I am when the spotlights are off and the deadlines are gone, and the only breaking news is someone’s cow has found its way into the garden. 

The Village Indian is about peeling back the layers of ambition, fear and even my obsession of clothes and cars to find joy, the unadulterated kind in the small and simple stuff.

In Beaten But Not Broken, my first memoir, readers were allowed into a world of trauma shrouded in shame and secrecy. The Village Indian is about growth. Life throws us into new chapters and we are forced to figure out who we are all over again. For me, that meant learning to love my imperfections like my gardening skills, which some may say are a crime against nature; embracing the chaos of motherhood; a village life where all of the things I once held as important, the superficial and material, are of no consequence... 

The plot resonates because it is universal. We are all on a quest to belong, to laugh and heal. Whether you are in a village, a city or a cul-de-sac, whether you are Indian, white, black or coloured, you will see yourself in the moments of doubt, the belly laughs and the quiet victories of owning your space and your story, however messy it may be. The Village Indian is for anyone who sometimes feels like they are fumbling through life but who still show up, with a smile and chutzpah.

Q: How has your career in journalism shaped you as an author? 

A: My journalism career, spanning radio and television, was perhaps in part a bootcamp for story telling. As a reporter, I chased human interest stories, grief, suffering, strife, triumph and every other human emotion in between. I learned with every person whose story I had to tell, a privilege and responsibility that I never took lightly, to distill raw emotion and translate it to something that would impact and resonate with viewers and listeners. 

As a journalist you are the buffer between viewer and victim, absorbing human trauma at its rawest and defining, whether it’s a mother’s insurmountable grief over the loss of a child, or a dying child’s dream that she will never live to fulfil. That has carried over into my personal writing where I hope to make readers feel like they are right there with me, whether I am trying to deal with uncouth chickens hell bent on making a nuisance of themselves in neighbours' gardens, standing up to racism at the cost of my own safety, or simply surviving village gossip.

Journalism has also taught me resilience. Facing tight deadlines, tough interviews and the tear-jerking stories that shaped and defined my ability to write with honesty and grit. But it’s the people I met, ordinary South Africans with extraordinary lives and experiences, who inspire me the most. They are why The Village Indian is not so much about me as it is about the universal truths we find in community and connection. 

Plus, as any journalist knows, we have a nose for drama and built-in drama detectors, which I have to say is a very handy thing to have when writing about village life because trust me, there is no shortage of plot twists. And if you are anything like, who likes to know everyone’s stories, then The Village Indian is just the book for you.

Q: Who is the book's target market? 

A: This is a book for all South Africans. The Village Indian’s themes and anecdotes will no doubt resonate with many readers, whoever they are and wherever they may come from. Anyone juggling life’s madness and needing a reminder to find joy in the messiness. And given the current climate of discord sweeping through social media circles of asylum seekers and race baiters, The Village Indian is a gentle reminder of that crazy, wonderful thing it is to be South African. 

When all is said and done, our communities, wherever they may be, and our country is something worth celebrating and fighting for. For anyone who has ever laughed at life’s absurdities, cried over a family spat or dreamed of a simpler life (only to realise its gloriously complicated) The Village Indian is for you. 

The Village Indian is my  love letter to the community and country for anyone who has ever felt out of place, who has had to fight for their space, but who keeps dancing and showing up anyway.

* The book, The Village Indian, by Vanessa Govender, published by Jacana, will be available from mid-May. It will be sold at Exclusive Books, Bargain Books and most independent bookstores and is also available from www.jacana.co.za. Book launches include the Kingsmead Book Fair in Johannesburg on May 24 and Love Books, in Melville, Johannesburg, on May 27. 

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